Effect of Additives on the Activity of Tannase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus awamori</Emphasis> MTCC9299

Tannase from Aspergillus awamori MTCC 9299 was purified using ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by ion-exchange chromatography. A purification fold of 19.5 with 13.5% yield was obtained. Temperature of 30 °C and pH of 5.5 were found optimum for tannase activity. The effects of metals and organic solvents on the activity of tannase were also studied. Metal ions Mg⁺², Mn⁺², Ca⁺², Na⁺, and K ⁺ stimulated the tannase activity, while Cu⁺², Fe⁺³, and Co⁺² acted as inhibitors of the enzyme. The addition of organic solvents like acetic acid, isoamylalcohol, chloroform, isopropyl alcohol, and ethanol completely inhibited the enzyme activity. However, butanol and benzene increased the enzyme activity.     

Cell Disruption Optimization and Covalent Immobilization of β-D-Galactosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kluyveromyces marxianus</Emphasis> YW-1 for Lactose Hydrolysis in Milk

β-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) from Kluyveromyces marxianus YW-1, an isolate from whey, has been studied in terms of cell disruption to liberate the useful enzyme. The enzyme produced in a bioreactor on a wheat bran medium has been successfully immobilized with a view to developing a commercially usable technology for lactose hydrolysis in the food industry. Three chemical and three physical methods of cell disruption were tested and a method of grinding with river sand was found to give highest enzyme activity (720 U). The enzyme was covalently immobilized on gelatin. Immobilized enzyme had optimum pH and temperature of 7.0 and 40 °C, respectively and was found to give 49% hydrolysis of lactose in milk after 4 h of incubation. The immobilized enzyme was used for eight hydrolysis batches without appreciable loss in activity. The retention of high catalytic activity compared with the losses experienced with several previously reported immobilized versions of the enzyme is significant. The method of immobilization is simple, effective, and can be used for the immobilization of other enzymes.     

Morphology of heavy ions irradiated mica

The samples of natural mica (muscovite and biotite) were irradiated with energetic heavy ions [¹³⁶Xe (11.56 MeV/n) and ¹⁹⁷Au (11.40 MeV/n)] from universal linear accelerator (UNILAC) GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. The simple track etch technique has been used to develop and analyze the morphology of induced heavy ions and natural alpha recoil tracks with the help of atomic force microscopy. Defective structure and lattice disorder have been observed in the environs of the etch pits in these layered crystalline materials. The distribution of defects produced along the tracks, geometrical analysis of tracks shapes and shallowness and their correlations with the structural arrangement of the materials have been discussed in the present investigation. Importance of different ion track geometries in micaceous minerals for the fabrication of nanoterrace material with different stacks having sharp edges with unique properties has been elaborated in the present paper.     

Synthesis,characterization and single crystal x-ray analysis of a complex of iron(II) bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)dithiophosphate with 4-ethylpyridine

Complex of iron(II) bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)dithiophosphate with 4-ethylpyridine [{(2,4- (CH₃)₂C₆H₃O)2PS2}2Fe{NC₅H₄(C₂H₅)-4}₂] is synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic moment, IR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray analysis. Complex crystallizes in the monoclinic sp. gr. P2₁/n, Z = 2. Crystal structure consists of mononuclear units with Fe(II) ion chelated by four S atoms of the two diphenyldithiophosphate ligands in bidentate manner. N atoms from two 4-ethylpyridine ligands are axially coordinated to the Fe(II) atom leading to an octahedral geometry.     

Effect of modifiers field strength on optical,structural and mechanical properties of lanthanum borosilicate glasses

An attempt has been made to understand the role of modifiers on physical, mechanical and spectroscopic properties of AO-SiO₂–B₂O₃-La₂O_3, (A = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) glasses. The replacement of alkaline earth metals which act as modifier in glass matrix exhibit, marked difference in their strength and optical properties. The results are discussed in light of non-bridging oxygens (NBO), optical basicity, refractive index, polarisability, hardness and fracture toughness. In addition to this, Weibull statistics and cumulative probability of failure have also been analyzed. Band gap of glasses has been calculated using UV–visible spectroscopy where the variation in band gap is observed to increase with the addition of heavier modifier. Raman features have been explored for all prepared samples through Raman spectra which is in agreement with Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (FT-NMR).     

Persicamidines—Unprecedented Sesquarterpenoids with Potent Antiviral Bioactivity against Coronaviruses

A new family of highly unusual sesquarterpenoids (persicamidines A–E) exhibiting significant antiviral activity was isolated from a newly discovered actinobacterial strain, Kibdelosporangium persicum sp. nov., collected from a hot desert in Iran. Extensive NMR analysis unraveled a hexacyclic terpenoid molecule with a modified sugar moiety on one side and a highly unusual isourea moiety fused to the terpenoid structure. The structures of the five analogues differed only in the aminoalkyl side chain attached to the isourea moiety. Persicamidines A–E showed potent activity against hCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the nanomolar range together with very good selectivity indices, making persicamidines promising as starting points for drug development.     

Insight into the acidic behavior of oxazolidin-2-one,its thione and selone analogs through computational techniques

Deprotonation thermochemistry of Oxazolidin-2-one (OXA), Oxazolidine-2-thione (OXA-S), and Oxazolidine-2-selone (OXA-Se) has been studied in order to find the most acidic site and relative acidities of these heterocyclics at various sites. The deprotonation enthalpies at MP2/6-311++G**//MP2/6-31+G* and B3LYP/6-31+G* levels, while the free energies for deprotonation process and pKa values at B3LYP/6-31+G* level both in gas and aqueous phase (using PCM continuum model) of the anions of the three heterocyclics have been computed at 298 K. Calculated aqueous phase pKa values of OXA vary by ~6–7 units from the experimental aqueous phase pKa values of OXA and its derivatives. The deprotonation at the nitrogen is favored in OXA over the carbon atoms in contrast to the OXA-S and OXA-Se where in the deprotonation at the carbon attached to the nitrogen is most preferred. Deprotonation at this carbon induces an important C–O bond rupture in OXA-S and OXA-Se promoting an energetically favored ring-opening process. The finding offers a rare case when C–H acidity is able to dominate over the N–H acidity. In order to explain the relative stabilities, relative acidities and deprotonation enthalpies various characteristics of these molecules as well as their anions such as molecular electrostatic potential surface (MEP), frontier molecular orbital (FMO) features, chemical hardness, softness have been governed. The three dimensional MEP maps and HOMO–LUMO orbitals encompassing these molecules yield a reliable relative stability and reactivity (in terms of acidity) map displaying the most probable regions for deprotonation. The differential distribution of the electrostatic potential over the neutral and anionic species of OXA, OXA-S, and OXA-Se molecules is authentically reflected by HOMO–LUMO orbitals and NBO charge distribution analysis. The lone pair occupancies, second order delocalization energies for orbital interactions and the distribution of atomic charges over the entire molecular framework as obtained from natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis are found to faithfully replicate the predictions from the MEP maps and HOMO–LUMO band gaps in respect of explaining the relative stabilities and acidities in most of the cases. Good linear correlations have been obtained between HOMO–LUMO gap and pKa values in the aqueous phase for OXA and OXA-S molecules.     

Fluorogenic ratiometric dipodal optode containing imine-amide linkages: Exploiting subtle thorium (IV) ion sensing

The (13E,19E)-N1′,N3′-bis[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzylidene]malonohydrazide (L) has been developed for the detection of Th⁴⁺ ions using dual channel signalling system. The UV–vis absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopic data revealed the formation of L–Th⁴⁺ complex in 1:1 equilibrium. The density functional theory (DFT) also confirms the optimum binding cavity for the recognition of metal ion. The binding constant computed from different mathematical models for an assembly of L–Th⁴⁺. The detection limit of L for Th⁴⁺ recognition is to a concentration down to 0.1 μM (0.023 μg g⁻¹). The present sensing system is also successfully applied for the detection of Th⁴⁺ ion present in soil near nuclear atomic plants.