Chemical effects of neutron induced nuclear reactions in KIO4 at different pH of dissolution

Dissolution effect on recoil¹²⁸I retention in the form of IO ₄ ^– ion following /n,/ process in potassium periodate target has been studied. A remarkable variation in retention is found both in solid and solution phase with the pH of dissolution. A suitable mechanism is suggested to explain the observed results.     

Cation Exchange and Sorption Properties of TIN(IV) Phosphate

The ion exchange and sorption properties of crystalline Tin bis(monohydrogen orthophosphate) monohydrate of composition Sn(HPO(4))(2).H(2)O were studied in an aqueous solution of KCl over the temperature range 300-320 K, varying the pH and metal ion concentration in the solution. The data were explained on the basis of the law of chemical equilibrium. The metal ion sorption data were fitted to the Langmuir adsorption equation to evaluate the Langmuir parameters. The extent of adsorption was found to increase with an increase in temperature and metal ion concentration in the selectivity order Cu(2+)>Co(2+)>Ni(2+). The Langmuir parameters were used to calculate the thermodynamic functions like standard entropy, enthalpy, and free energy changes during the process of sorption. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

A single amino acid Gly-tag enables metal-free protein purification

Analytically pure proteins are indispensable for diverse applications, including therapeutics. Here, we report a methodology where a single amino acid, glycine, enables metal-free protein purification. This robust platform is enabled by a Gly-tag resin for site-specific capture, enrichment, and release through chemically triggered C–C bond dissociation by resonance-assisted electron density polarization.

Gly-tag resin precisely captures and releases a protein with one glycine at the N-terminus. The user-friendly protocol delivers analytically pure protein free of metal contaminants.     

Potassium peroxydiphosphate — Fructose redox system induced grafting of methyl methacrylate onto silk

In an attempt to modify fibrous protein, methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been graft copolymerized onto Mulberry silk in an aqueous medium by using peroxydiphosphate — fructose redox system. Graft copolymerizations were carried out at 45, 50, and 55 °C for a period from 1 to 6 hr. Percentage grafting was found to be dependent upon reaction temperature, time, concentration of monomer, acid, peroxydiphosphate and fructose. The rate of grafting (R _p ) and the induction period (I _p of MMA was determined as a function of total initial monomer concentration.     

Investigation of electronic structure and associated nuclear quadrupole interaction of adsorbed fluorine atoms on silicon surface

The electronic energy levels and wave functions of fluorine and chlorine atoms adsorbed at the <111> surface of silicon are obtained by the Hartree-Fock procedure applied to clusters simulating the surface structure. Minimising the total energy with respect to the positions of the halogen atoms, the Si-Cl distance in the adsorbed system was found to be in good agreement with that from a recent SEXAFS measurement, there being no corresponding data presently available for fluorine on silicon surface. The calculated¹⁹ f ^* nuclear quadrupole coupling constants using the electronic wave functions for SiH₃F and the larger cluster Si₄H₉F, simulating the surface, differed substantially in contrast to the situation for the Si-F distance, indicating that the quadrupole coupling is a more sensitive indicator of the adequacy of the cluster chosen to represent the surface system. Experimental results for the coupling constants are awaited for comparison with theory.     

Microhardness measurements of poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) polyblends

The preparation of polymer blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) in different weight percentages is described. Vickers microhardness measurements have been made to study the effects of load and compositional ratio of the two polymers in polyblend. It is observed that poly(vinylidene fluoride) acts as a plasticizer for poly(methyl methacrylate). Evidence of increasing and decreasing strength of polyblends has been obtained for different compositional ratios of the two polymers.     

Mode of action and synergism of cellulases fromPenicillium funiculosum

A 1,4-β-d-glucan cellobiohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.91) and l,4-β-d-glucan glucanohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.4) were purified from the culture filtrates ofPenicillium funiculosum by using preparative isoelectric focusing. Both the enzymes were homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel with and without sodium dodecyl sulphate. The mol wt of the cellobiohydrolase and endoglucanase were 14,400 and 25,000 respectively. The purified enzymes were free of β-glucosidase activity. Acting in isolation, the cellobiohydrolase had little capacity for solubilizing Avicel or Walseth cellulose, but showed increased rates of hydrolysis when combined with endoglucanase. Cellobiose inhibition (50%) was observed in the initial rate of the hydrolysis of Walseth cellulose. It was also observed that cellobiohydrolase initiates the attack on crystalline cellulose. † NCL communication no. 3898.     

An Aldehyde Responsive,Cleavable Linker for Glucose Responsive Insulins

A glucose responsive insulin (GRI) that responds to changes in blood glucose concentrations has remained an elusive goal. Here we describe the development of glucose cleavable linkers based on hydrazone and thiazolidine structures. We developed linkers with low levels of spontaneous hydrolysis but increased level of hydrolysis with rising concentrations of glucose, which demonstrated their glucose responsiveness in vitro. Lipidated hydrazones and thiazolidines were conjugated to the LysB29 side-chain of HI by pH-controlled acylations providing GRIs with glucose responsiveness confirmed in vitro for thiazolidines. Clamp studies showed increased glucose infusion at hyperglycemic conditions for one GRI indicative of a true glucose response. The glucose responsive cleavable linker in these GRIs allow changes in glucose levels to drive the release of active insulin from a circulating depot. We have demonstrated an unprecedented, chemically responsive linker concept for biopharmaceuticals.     

Enhancement of electrical conductivity,director relaxation frequency and slope of electro-optical characteristics in the composites of single-walled carbon nanotubes and a strongly polar nematic liquid crystal

In the present work, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were dispersed in a room temperature nematic liquid crystal 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl at the concentration of 0.02 and 0.05 wt%. Differential scanning calorimetry and temperature-dependent dielectric studies suggest decrease in clearing temperature of the composite materials as compared to the pure material. Ionic conductivity increases by two orders of magnitude due to the dispersion of such a low concentration (0.05 wt%) of SWCNTs. Dielectric studies also show that the presence of the SWCNTs decreases the effective longitudinal as well as transverse components of the dielectric permittivity. For homeotropic aligned samples, a relaxation mechanism has been detected in the lower MHz region both for the pure as well as dispersed samples. Presence of SWCNTs increases the relaxation frequency corresponding to flip-flop motion of molecules around their short axes. From frequency-dependent dielectric studies, important dielectric parameters such as relaxation frequency, dielectric strength and distribution parameters have been determined. Electro-optical experiments show that the threshold voltage decreases and the steepness of the transmission voltage curve improves due to the dispersion of SWCNTs.