Ethanol production from steam-explosion pretreated wheat straw

Bioconversion of cereal straw to bioethanol is becoming an attractive alternative to conventional fuel ethanol production from grains. In this work, the best operational conditions for steam-explosion pretreatment of wheat straw for ethanol production by a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process were studied, using diluted acid [H₂SO₄ 0.9% (w/w)] and water as preimpregnation agents. Acid-or water-impregnated biomass was steam-exploded at different temperatures (160–200°C) and residence times (5, 10, and 20 min). Composition of solid and filtrate obtained after pretreatment, enzymatic digestibility and ethanol production of pretreated wheat straw at different experimental conditions was analyzed. The best pretreatment conditions to obtain high conversion yield to ethanol (approx 80% of theoretical) of cellulose-rich residue after steam-explosion were 190°C and 10 min or 200°C and 5 min, in acid-impregnated straw. However, 180°C for 10 min in acid-impregnated biomass provided the highest ethanol yield referred to raw material (140 L/t wheat straw), and sugars recovery yield in the filtrate (300 g/kg wheat straw).     

Regioselectivity in acylation of oligosaccharides catalyzed by the metalloprotease thermolysin

Investigation of the acylation scope of carbohydrates by metalloprotease thermolysin immobilized on Celite as biocatalyst has been carried out. The reactions were performed in DMSO, a good solvent for carbohydrates, where the enzyme has previously shown its activity in transesterifications of sucrose, maltose and maltose-containing oligosaccharides. Surprisingly, no reaction was observed for glucose or the glucose-containing disaccharides, trehalose and lactose. In contrast, laurate monoesters of several sucrose-containing tri- and tetrasaccharides were synthetized through a one step transesterification using vinyl laurate as the acylating agent. Enzyme regioselectivity was accurately determined by HPLC/MS and the structure of the main regioisomers was established by a combination of NMR experiments. The preferred position of acylation in all cases was the 2-OH of the α-d-glucopyranose moiety linked 1→2 to the β-d-fructofuranose unit. These results correlate with the regioselectivity observed in the case of the disaccharide sucrose. A general carbohydrate binding motif for catalysis by thermolysin is proposed.     

Modular and Selective Arylation of Aryl Germanes (C−GeEt3) over C−Bpin,C−SiR3 and Halogens Enabled by Light-Activated Gold Catalysis

Selective C –C couplings are powerful strategies for the rapid and programmable construction of bi- or multiaryls. To this end, the next frontier of synthetic modularity will likely arise from harnessing the coupling space that is orthogonal to the powerful Pd-catalyzed coupling regime. This report details the realization of this concept and presents the fully selective arylation of aryl germanes (which are inert under Pd⁰/Pd^II catalysis) in the presence of the valuable functionalities C−BPin, C−SiMe₃, C−I, C−Br, C−Cl, which in turn offer versatile opportunities for diversification. The protocol makes use of visible light activation combined with gold catalysis, which facilitates the selective coupling of C−Ge with aryl diazonium salts. Contrary to previous light-/gold-catalyzed couplings of Ar–N₂⁺, which were specialized in Ar–N₂⁺ scope, we present conditions to efficiently couple electron-rich, electron-poor, heterocyclic and sterically hindered aryl diazonium salts. Our computational data suggest that while electron-poor Ar–N₂⁺ salts are readily activated by gold under blue-light irradiation, there is a competing dissociative deactivation pathway for excited electron-rich Ar–N₂⁺, which requires an alternative photo-redox approach to enable productive couplings.     

Diffusion coefficients of 2-fluoroanisole, 2-bromoanisole, allylbenzene and 1,3-divinylbenzene at infinite dilution in supercritical carbon dioxide

The Taylor–Aris chromatographic technique was employed for the determination of diffusion coefficients of 2-fluoroanisole, 2-bromoanisole, allylbenzene and 1,3-divinylbenzene at infinite dilution in supercritical carbon dioxide from 313.16 to 333.16 K and pressures between 15 and 35 MPa. As expected, the diffusivities rise when temperature increases and pressure decreases. Numerous predictive equations are compared with experimental data: Lai–Tan, Liu–Ruckenstein cluster formula, Woerlee, Hippler–Schubert–Troe, Catchpole–King, Eaton–Akgerman, He, He–Yu, Liu–Silva–Macedo, Funazukuri and coworkers, Dariva–Coelho–Oliveira, Zhu–Lu–Zhou–Wang–Shi and the Liu–Ruckenstein RHS formula. The equations of He, He–Yu and Catchpole–King are the best of all, but cannot be used in the whole range of temperatures and solvent densities.     

Determination of cadmium,aluminium, and copper in beer and products used in its manufacture by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Procedures were developed for determining cadmium, aluminium, and copper in beer and the products used in its manufacture by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Beer samples were injected into the furnace and solid samples were introduced as suspensions after preparation in a medium containing hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate for cadmium atomization. Calibration was performed with aqueous standards, and characteristic masses and detection limits were, respectively, 1 and 0.3 pg for cadmium, 18 and 5.4 pg for aluminium, and 5.6 and 6.8 pg for copper. Different samples of beer, wort, brewer's yeast, malt, raw grain, and hops were analyzed by the proposed procedures. Cadmium was found in low concentrations (0.001-0.08 microg/g and 0-1.3 ng/mL); copper (3-13 microg/g and 25-137 ng/mL) and aluminium (0.6-9 microg/g and 0.1-2 microg/mL) were found at higher levels. The reliability of the procedure was confirmed by comparing the results obtained with others based on microwave oven sample digestion, and by analyzing several certified reference materials.     

Formal total synthesis of β-pipitzol

(±)-$\text{O}$-methylperezone ($\text{1b}$) was obtained by selective oxidative demethylation of (±)-leucoperezone trimethyl ether ($\text{4a}$). Compound ($\text{4a}$) was prepared by condensation of 2,3,5-trimethoxytoluene ($\text{5e}$) with 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, followed by reductive removal of the tertiary alcohol. The aromatic precursor $\text{5e}$ was prepared in four steps from 2,3-dimethoxytoluene ($\text{5a}$) and, alternatively, in three steps from 5-bromoveratraldehyde ($\text{6a}$). Racemic $\text{1b}$ and $\text{4a}$ were directly compared with the optically active molecules prepared from natural R(-)-perezone ($\text{1a}$).     

Copper-assisted oxidation of catechols into quinone derivatives

Catechols are ubiquitous substances often acting as antioxidants, thus of importance in a variety of biological processes. The Fenton and Haber–Weiss processes are thought to transform these molecules into aggressive reactive oxygen species (ROS), a source of oxidative stress and possibly inducing degenerative diseases. Here, using model conditions (ultrahigh vacuum and single crystals), we unveil another process capable of converting catechols into ROSs, namely an intramolecular redox reaction catalysed by a Cu surface. We focus on a tri-catechol, the hexahydroxytriphenylene molecule, and show that this antioxidant is thereby transformed into a semiquinone, as an intermediate product, and then into an even stronger oxidant, a quinone, as final product. We argue that the transformations occur via two intramolecular redox reactions: since the Cu surface cannot oxidise the molecules, the starting catechol and the semiquinone forms each are, at the same time, self-oxidised and self-reduced. Thanks to these reactions, the quinone and semiquinone are able to interact with the substrate by readily accepting electrons donated by the substrate. Our combined experimental surface science and ab initio analysis highlights the key role played by metal nanoparticles in the development of degenerative diseases.

An antioxidant catechol transforms following intramolecular redox reactions into highly reactive oxygen species, a semiquinone and a quinone, on copper.     

Latex Fractionation by Sedimentation and Colloidal Crystallization: The Case of Poly(styrene-co-acrylamide)

Poly(styrene-co-acrylamide) (PS-AAM) latex was prepared, fractionated by sedimentation under gravity, and characterized by PCS, infrared spectra, secondary and backscattered electron imaging in the scanning electron microscope, and electron spectroscopy imaging in an analytical transmission electron microscope. Three latex fractions were obtained. The lower fraction was opalescent and its particles were the more uniform, concerning size, chemical composition, and topochemical features. This lower fraction was still further fractionated by zonal centrifugation in a density gradient, yielding two fractions with similar macrocrystal-forming abilities but different sizes and chemical compositions. These results confirm those previously obtained for the PS-HEMA latex. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Synthesis of variolin B

The total synthesis of variolin B from 4-methoxy-7-azaindole is described. The preparation of the protected amino derivative 10 and a coupling reaction of the iodo derivative 12 with 2-acetylamino-4-trimethylstannylpyrimidine are the key steps of the sequence. The use of N-tosyldichloromethanimine for the cyclisation step afforded a good entry to the 9-aminopyrido[3′,2′:4,5]pyrrolo[1,2-c]pyrimidine system. Variolin B was obtained from the triply protected tetracyclic compound 13 in two steps.