Evaluation of cellulase preparations for hydrolysis of hardwood substrates

Seven cellulase preparations from Penicillium and Trichoderma spp. were evaluated for their ability to hydrolyze the cellulose fraction of hardwoods (yellow poplar and red maple) pretreated by organosolv extraction, as well as model cellulosic substrates such as filter paper. There was no significant correlation among hydrolytic performance on pretreated hardwood, based on glucose release, and filter paper activity. However, performance on pretreated hardwood showed significant correlations to the levels of endogenous β-glucosidase and xylanase activities in the cellulase preparation. Accordingly, differences in performance were reduced or eliminated following supplementation with a crude β-glucosidase preparation containing both activities. These results complement a previous investigation using softwoods pretreated by either organosolv extraction or steam explosion. Cellulase preparations that performed best on hardwood also showed superior performance on the softwood substrates.     

Theoretical investigation on hydroformylation reactions: II. Hydrocarbonyliron intermediates in reppe synthesis

Extended Hückel theory calculations have been carried out to investigate the possible formation of stable π and σ complexes between olefins and some hydrocarbonylirons postulated as active catalysts in Reppe synthesis. It was found that H₂Fe(CO)₄ and HFe(CO)₄^- do not coordinate ethylene, unlike the corresponding CO deficient species H₂Fe(CO)₃ and HFe(CO)₃^-, which interact with the olefin to give stable π complexes. Moreover ethylene—H₂Fe(CO)₃ is more stable than ethylene—HFe(CO)₃^-, in line with the conclusions based on the experimental results. Stable alkyl intermediates are predicted starting from the coordinatively saturated hydrocarbonyls.     

Formation of supported size-controlled nanoparticles of sulfated zirconia

Methods of the preparation of catalysts for alkane skeletal isomerization based on uniform nanoparticles of sulfated zirconia anchored to different supports were investigated. These catalysts were characterized by using the ICP, HRTEM and BET techniques. The activities of the catalysts in the reaction of n-butane isomerization were measured and compared with those of bulk catalysts.     

Validation of a screening method for the simultaneous identification of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins (A,E, B<Subscript>1</Subscript>, B<Subscript>2</Subscript> and B<Subscript>6</Subscript>) in an aqueous micellar medium of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride

Simultaneous determination of the fat-soluble vitamins A and E and the water-soluble vitamins B₁, B₂ and B₆ has been carried using a screening method from fluorescence contour graphs. These graphs show different colour zones in relation to the fluorescence intensity measured for the pair of excitation/emission wavelengths. The identification of the corresponding excitation/emission wavelength zones allows the detection of different vitamins in an aqueous medium regardless of the fat or water solubility of each vitamin, owing to the presence of a surfactant which forms micelles in water at the used concentration (over the critical micelle concentration). The micelles dissolve very water insoluble compounds, such as fat-soluble vitamins, inside the aggregates. This approach avoids the use of organic solvents in determining these vitamins and offers the possibility of analysing fat- and water-soluble vitamins simultaneously. The method has been validated in terms of detection limit, cut-off limit, sensitivity, number of false positives, number of false negatives and uncertainty range. The detection limit is about g L^–1. The screening method was applied to different samples such as pharmaceuticals, juices and isotonic drinks.     

Oxalate-2-ethanolamine complexes of some bivalent cations (Mn,Co, Ni,Cu, Zn and Cd)

On the refluxing ofM(II) oxalate (M=Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn or Cd) and 2-ethanolamine in chloroform, the following complexes were obtained: MnC₂O₄·HOCH₂CH₂NH₂·H₂O, CoC₂O₄·2HOCH₂CH₂NH₂, Ni₂(C₂O₄)₂·5HOCH₂CH₂NH₂·3H₂O, Cu₂(C₂O₄)₂·5HOCH₂CH₂NH₂, Zn₂(C₂O₄)₂·5HOCH₂CH₂NH₂·2H₂O and Cd₂(C₂O₄)₂·HOCH₂CH₂NH₂·2H₂O. Following the reaction ofM(II) oxalate with 2-ethanolamine in the presence of ethanolammonium oxalate, a compound with the empirical formula ZnC₂O₄·HOCH₂CH₂NH₂·2H₂O¹ was isolated. The complexes were identified by using elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction patterns, IR spectra, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The IR spectra and X-ray powder diffraction patterns showed that the complexes obtained were not isostructural. Their thermal decompositions, in the temperature interval between 20 and about 900°C, also take place in different ways, mainly through the formation of different amine complexes. The DTA curves exhibit a number of thermal effects.     

Synthesis of unstrained Criegee intermediates: inverse α-effect and other protective stereoelectronic forces can stop Baeyer–Villiger rearrangement of γ-hydroperoxy-γ-peroxylactones

How far can we push the limits in removing stereoelectronic protection from an unstable intermediate? We address this question by exploring the interplay between the primary and secondary stereoelectronic effects in the Baeyer–Villiger (BV) rearrangement by experimental and computational studies of γ-OR-substituted γ-peroxylactones, the previously elusive non-strained Criegee intermediates (CI). These new cyclic peroxides were synthesized by the peroxidation of γ-ketoesters followed by in situ cyclization using a BF₃·Et₂O/H₂O₂ system. Although the primary effect (alignment of the migrating C–R_m bond with the breaking O–O bond) is active in the 6-membered ring, weakening of the secondary effect (donation from the OR lone pair to the breaking C–R_m bond) provides sufficient kinetic stabilization to allow the formation and isolation of stable γ-hydroperoxy-γ-peroxylactones with a methyl-substituent in the C6-position. Furthermore, supplementary protection is also provided by reactant stabilization originating from two new stereoelectronic factors, both identified and quantified for the first time in the present work. First, an unexpected boat preference in the γ-hydroperoxy-γ-peroxylactones weakens the primary stereoelectronic effects and introduces a ∼2 kcal mol⁻¹ Curtin–Hammett penalty for reacquiring the more reactive chair conformation. Second, activation of the secondary stereoelectronic effect in the TS comes with a ∼2–3 kcal mol⁻¹ penalty for giving up the exo-anomeric stabilization in the 6-membered Criegee intermediate. Together, the three new stereoelectronic factors (inverse α-effect, misalignment of reacting bonds in the boat conformation, and the exo-anomeric effect) illustrate the richness of stereoelectronic patterns in peroxide chemistry and provide experimentally significant kinetic stabilization to this new class of bisperoxides. Furthermore, mild reduction of γ-hydroperoxy-γ-peroxylactone with Ph₃P produced an isolable γ-hydroxy-γ-peroxylactone, the first example of a structurally unencumbered CI where neither the primary nor the secondary stereoelectronic effect are impeded. Although this compound is relatively unstable, it does not undergo the BV reaction and instead follows a new mode of reactivity for the CI – a ring-opening process.

Protecting stereoelectronic effects prevent Baeyer–Villiger rearrangement and stabilize γ-OX-γ-peroxylactones (X = H, OH), the previously elusive non-strained Criegee intermediates.     

A very large diversity space of synthetically accessible compounds for use with drug design programs

We have constructed a very large virtual diversity space containing more than 10¹³ chemical compounds. The diversity space is built from about 400 combinatorial libraries, which have been expanded by choosing sizeable collections of suitable R-groups that can be attached to each link point of their scaffolds. These R-group collections have been created by selecting reagents that have drug-like properties from catalogs of available chemicals. As members of known combinatorial libraries, the compounds in the diversity space are in general synthetically accessible and useful as potential drug leads. Hence, the diversity space can be used as a vast source of compounds by a de novo drug design program. For example, we have used such a program to generate inhibitors of HIV integrase enzyme that exhibited activity in the micromolar range.     

Ganglioside analysis by thin-layer chromatography matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Metastable decomposition of ions generated in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometers complicates analysis of biological samples that have labile bonds. Recently, several academic laboratories and manufacturers of commercial instruments have designed instruments that introduce a cooling gas into the ion source during the MALDI event and have shown that the resulting vibrational cooling stabilizes these labile bonds. In this study, we compared stabilization and detection of desorbed gangliosides on a commercial orthogonal time-of-flight (oTOF) instrument with results we reported previously that had been obtained on a home-built Fourier transform mass spectrometer. Decoupling of the desorption/ionization from the detection steps resulted in an opportunity for desorbing thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-separated gangliosides directly from a TLC plate without compromising mass spectral accuracy and resolution of the ganglioside analysis, thus coupling TLC and oTOF mass spectrometry. The application of a declustering potential allowed control of the matrix cluster and matrix adduct formation, and, thus, enhanced the detection of the gangliosides.     

Activities of Individual Ions From Infinite Dilution to Saturated Solutions

A new procedure, which provides a closer approximation for the junction potentials than the Henderson equation, is tested to reduce new emf data for the chloride ion in CsCl solutions and previously measured data for individual ions in aqueous solutions of KCl, NaCl, and NaBr. The liquid junction potential is calculated from numerical integration of its basic equation without assuming constant mobility or using concentrations instead of activities. The mean ionic activity coefficients of the salts, obtained from the activity coefficients of the individual ions, show good agreement with values reported in the literature. The activity coefficients of the individual chloride ion at 25°C in aqueous solutions of CsCl up to 3 molal and in KCl solutions were measured using a chloride ion-selective electrode. It has been confirmed that the activity of the chloride ion is equal to the activity of the cation in CsCl solutions and, contrary to the prediction of hydration theory, it is higher than the activity of the cation in aqueous KCl solutions. The New Hydration Theory has been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the older hydration theory and has been used to smooth the experimental activity coefficients of the individual ions in aqueous solutions and to extrapolate them up to the saturated solution.     

Novel (E)- and (Z)-3(5)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-styrylpyrazoles from (E)- and (Z)-3-styrylchromones: the unexpected case of (E)-3(5)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(4-nitrostyryl)pyrazoles

An efficient synthetic method for the preparation of (E)- and (Z)-3(5)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-styrylpyrazoles has been developed. The reaction of (E)- and (Z)-3-styrylchromones with hydrazine hydrate afforded the corresponding (E)- and (Z)-4-styrylpyrazoles, respectively, saved 4′-nitro-derivatives where both (E)- and (Z)-4′-nitro-3-styrylchromones afforded (E)-3(5)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(4-nitrostyryl)pyrazoles. The reaction mechanism for these transformations was discussed and the stereochemistry of all products was assigned by NMR experiments.