Purification and Partial Characterization of Bacillomycin L Produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens K103 from Lemon

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens K103 isolated from a lemon sample was used as a biocontrol agent to suppress Rhizoctonia solani Kühn and other fungal plant pathogens. Two antifungal compounds were purified from the culture broth using acid precipitation, gel permeation chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the antifungal compounds were two isomers similar to bacillomycin L. One of the predominant active fractions was subjected to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and amino acid analysis to determine its structural characteristics, revealing that the antifungal compound with a molecular mass of 1,034.5464 was identical to bacillomycin L. This is the second report of lemon microflora producing bacillomycin L or any antifungal compound, suppressing the growth of R. solani Kühn. Meanwhile, the study provided insights into the enormous potential of food microbial resources and bacillomycin L antibiotics in biological control and sustainable agriculture.     

Enantioselective phosphorescence behavior of naproxen in β-cyclodextrin supramolecular complex

In the presence of small amount of 1-iodo butane (IBu) (0.1 % (v/v)), Naproxen (Nap) displays strong room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) solution without deoxygenation because of the formation of ternary complex of β-CD, Nap, and IBu. The results indicate that β-CD shows good enantiodiscrimination for (R)-Nap and (S)-Nap. The RTP intensity of (R)-Nap is larger than that of (S)-Nap, the difference being 29.2 %. Both (R)-Nap and (S)-Nap exhibit single exponential phosphorescence decay with different lifetimes of 2.535 ± 0.056 and 1.798 ± 0.076 ms for (R)-Nap and for (S)-Nap, respectively. The corresponding association constants evaluated for (R)-Nap/β-CD/IBu and (S)-Nap/β-CD/IBu ternary complexes are (8.02 ± 0.15) × 10³ and (2.50 ± 0.06) × 10³ L mol^?1, respectively. Thus, the observation of RTP differences between (R)-Nap and (S)-Nap can be attributed to their different ability to form complexes with chiral β-CD.     

Preparation,Mechanical Properties and Thermal Degradation Kinetics of a Novel Poly(ester-ether-imide) Elastomer Based on N′,N-Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-Pyromellitimide Unit

A novel poly(ester-ether-imide) (PEEI) based on N′,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-pyromellitimide unit was synthesized via a conventional two-stage procedure with 1,4-butanediol (BD), dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG1000). The structures of imide dihydric alcohol and PEEI were confirmed by FT-IR and ¹H-NMR spectra, respectively. The thermal properties and mechanical properties were investigated. The results show PEEI possesses good mechanical properties and excellent thermal stability with the 5% weight loss temperature of the PEEI at 367.3°C, and melting temperature of hard segments (T_mh) at 209.7°C. In addition, the kinetic parameters of thermal degradation of the PEEI were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at different heating rates. The activation energy of the solid-state process was determined to be 174.83 and 175.83 kJ/mol using Kissinger and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa methods, respectively. The degradation mechanism model of PEEI was determined bythe Coats-Redfern method. Compared with the values obtained from the Kissinger and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa methods, the actual reaction mechanism of the novel PEEI is a F₁ type (Random nucleation with one nucleus on the individual particle nucleation) and growth model with integral g(a)=?ln(1?a)).     

Complexation Thermodynamics of p-tert-Butylcalix[4]arene Derivatives with Light Lanthanoid Nitrates in Acetonitrile

Abstract

Calorimetric titrations have been performed for the first time in anhydrous acetonitrile at 25°C to give the complex stability constant (K _S) and thermodynamic quantities for the complexation of light lanthanoid(III) nitrates (La-Gd) with 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-26,28-bis(cyanomethoxy)-25,27-dihydroxy-calix[4]arene (1) and 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-26, 28-bis(2-aminoethoxy)-25,27-dihydroxycalix[4]arene (2). X-ray crystallographic structures of 1 and 2 were also determined and compared. Possessing the cyanomethoxy and aminoethyl substituents, 1 and 2 displayed strikingly different cation binding abilities and selectivity profiles with much higher K _S values for La³⁺ and Ce³⁺, which may be related to the original structures in the solid state. Thus, the binding profile for 2 showed a rapid decrease in K _S with decreasing ionic diameter from La³⁺ to Pr³⁺ and then became flat up to Gd³⁺, while 1 gave a very flat profile which is superimposable with that for 2 between Pr³⁺-Gd³⁺. Thermodynamically, the complexation is driven absolutely by enthalpy which compensates the entropic loss arising from the structural freezing of the calix[4]arene derivatives upon simultaneous binding of lanthanoid ion by the phenolic oxygen and acetonitrile molecule in the cavity. The general validity and the meaning of the compensative enthalpy-entropy relationship observed are discussed.     

Dextran-coated CdSe quantum dots for the optical detection of monosaccharides by resonance light-scattering technique

A resonance light-scattering (RLS) detection method for saccharides was developed using dextran-coated CdSe quantum dots (dextran-CdSe-QDs) optical probes. The dextran-CdSe-QDs can be aggregated with concanavalin A (Con A), and the change in RLS intensity is used to monitor the extent of aggregation. The presence of glucose competitively binds with Con A, dissociating the Con A/dextran-CdSe-QDs complexes, affording the RLS intensity change and hence determining glucose concentrations in the range from a few to about 90 mM. Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the competitive interaction between glucose and dextran-CdSe-QDs with Con A. The competitive strategy could also be used to detect similar types of saccharides and the affinities of various monosaccharides for Con A increased in the order galactose?glucose < fructose < mannose. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine glucose in the human serum.

A resonance light-scattering (RLS) detection method for saccharides was developed using dextran-coated CdSe quantum dots (dextran-CdSe-QDs) optical probes. The dextran-CdSe-QDs were coupled to concanavalin A (Con A) to facilitate the aggregation of nanoparticles. The presence of glucose competitively binds with Con A, dissociating the Con A/dextran-CdSe-QDs complexes affording the RLS intensity change and hence determining glucose in the range from a few millimolar to about 90 mM. The proposed method was applied to the determination of glucose in human serum samples with satisfactory results.

     

A ytterbium polymer incorporating ethyl-4,5-imidazole-dicarboxylate and formate coligand: Structure, luminescent, and magnetic properties

A new lanthanide-organic coordination polymer incorporating both substituted imdazole dicarboxylate and formate auxiliary ligand, namely {[Yb₃(HEimda)₄(μ₂-HCOO) · 4H₂O] · 2H₂O} _n (I) (H₃Eimda = 1H-2-ethyl-4,5-imidazole-dicarboxylic acid), has been prepared and was structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR and X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group of C2/c. The polymer I is built from two dimensional (2D) double decker networks based on the Ln₄HEimda₄ tetranuclear basic carboxylate as secondary building unit. The extensive hydrogen bonds extend the 2D lamellar network into a 3D supramolecular aggregate. The emission spectrum of polymer I exhibits ligand-to-metal charge-transfer luminescence. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurement reveals that the end to end bridging fashion of formate group results in the depopulation of the stark levels for a single Yb³⁺ ion and/or possible antiferromagntic interactions between Yb³⁺ ions within the carboxylato bridged dinuclear unit.     

Synthesis and Properties of Polypyrrole/Chitosan Composite Hydrogels

Conducting polymer hydrogels consisting of polypyrrole (PPy) and chitosan (CS) are prepared by static polymerization of pyrrole using methyl orange (MO) as the dopant and Fe₂(SO₄)₃ as the oxidant in the CS aqueous solution. PPy/CS composite hydrogels not only have good electrical conductivities, but also exhibit excellent swelling/deswelling behaviors due to the participation of one-dimensional conducting PPy blocks in the hydrogel network. The effects of the amount of the oxidant and ionic strength on the physical properties of PPy/CS composite hydrogels are studied in detail. The results show that PPy/CS composite hydrogels have improved water absorbencies in saline solutions compared with the conventional polyelectrolyte hydrogel.     

一例多钒酸盐杂化材料的制备及高效催化烯烃环氧化

以2-(2-吡啶基)咪唑(pIM)、Co²⁺和NaVO₃为原料,在水热条件下,制备了新的钒氧簇化合物[Co(pIM)V₂O₆] (1)。采用X射线单晶衍射、粉末X射线衍射、傅里叶变换红外光谱和元素分析等方法对化合物进行了表征。单晶解析表明,该化合物由VO₄四面体和CoO₃N₂四方锥通过氧原子共边、共角连接成二维结构。基于钒氧簇在催化氧化体系中的高效活性,1作为非均相反应的催化剂,在以H₂O₂为氧化剂的催化烯烃环氧化反应中表现出优秀的催化性能,催化剂能够多次重复使用且活性基本保持不变。此外,磁化率研究表明1中存在反铁磁相互作用。     

Up‐and‐down shaker‐assisted ionic liquid‐based dispersive liquid—liquid microextraction of benzophenone‐type ultraviolet filters

Sun protection is an important part of our lives. UV filters are widely used to absorb solar radiation in sunscreens. However, excess UV filters constitute persistent groups of organic micropollutants present in the environment. An environmentally friendly ionic‐liquid‐based up‐and‐down shaker‐assisted dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction device combined with ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode‐array detection has been developed to preconcentrate three UV filters (benzophenone, 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzophenone, 2,2′‐dihydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzophenone) from field water samples. In this method, the optimal conditions for the proposed extraction method were: 40 μL [C₈MIM][PF₆] as extraction solvent and 200 μL methanol as disperser solvent were used to extract the UV filters. After up‐and‐down shaking for 3 min, the aqueous solution was centrifuged at 5000 rpm speed, then using microtube to collect the settled extraction solvent and using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography for further analysis. Quantification results indicated that the linear range was 2–1000 ng/mL. The LOD of this method was in the range 0.2–1.3 ng/mL with r² ≥ 0.9993. The relative recovery in studies of different types of field water samples was in the range 92–120%, and the RSD was 2.3–7.1%. The proposed method was also applied to the analysis of field samples.     

Incubation-free electrochemical immunoassay for diethylstilbestrol in milk using gold nanoparticle-antibody conjugates for signal amplification

We report on a novel enzyme-enhanced label for the electrochemical determination of diethylstilbestrol (DES). The label was obtained by orientation-controlled immobilization of a multiplex horseradisch peroxidase (HRP) conjugated polymer on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the Envision reagent (EV) which is an enzyme-polymer complex that contains HRP and anti-IgG antibody in a polydextrin amine skeleton. The AuNPs were modified with Concanavalin A (Con A) and served as a carrier for immobilization of the EV?DES antibody composite. This resulted in a bioconjugate of the type AuNP?Con A?EV?DES Ab which was employed as the label. On exposure to samples containing DES, a sandwich immunocomplex is formed between antibody against DES (which was immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode and is acting as a capture probe), DES (the analyte), and the above label as the signal tracer. Hemin was used as an electronic mediator in the reaction of HRP. The HRP on the label catalyzes the oxidative formation of hydrogen peroxide at pH 7.0, and this induces an increased reductive current in the presence of hemin as an electron mediator. Under optimal conditions, the current increases linearly with increasing concentrations of DES in the range from 5 to 500 pg?·?mL^?1, with a detection limit as low as 2 pg?·?mL^?1 (at an S/N of 3). The method exhibits high selectivity and good stability. It works without incubation so that the time for an assay is shortened to 5 min. The assays was successfully applied to the determination of DES in milk samples.