Understanding the effects of lignosulfonate on enzymatic saccharification of pure cellulose

The effects of lignosulfonate (LS) on enzymatic saccharification of pure cellulose were studied. Four fractions of LS with different molecular weight (MW) prepared by ultrafiltration of a commercial LS were applied at different loadings to enzymatic hydrolysis of Whatman paper under different pH. Using LS fractions with low MW and high degree of sulfonation can enhance enzymatic cellulose saccharification despite LS can bind to cellulase nonproductively. The enhancing effect varies with LS properties, its loading, and hydrolysis pH. Inhibitive effect on cellulose saccharification was also observed using LS with large MW and low degree of sulfonation. The concept of “LS-cellulase aggregate stabilized and enhanced cellulase binding” was proposed to explain the observed enhancement of cellulose saccharification. The concept was demonstrated by the linear correlation between the measured amount of bound cellulase and saccharification efficiency with and without LS of different MW in a range of pH.     

Enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose and lignocellulose by adding long-chain fatty alcohols

The effects of long-chain fatty alcohols (LFAs) on the enzymatic hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose by two commercial Trichoderma reesei cellulase cocktails (CTec2 and Celluclast 1.5L) were studied. It was found that n-butanol inhibited the enzymatic hydrolysis, but n-octanol, n-decanol and n-dodecanol had strong enhancement on enzymatic hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose in the buffer pH range from 4.0 to 6.0. LFAs can increase the hydrolysis efficiency of crystalline cellulose from 37 to 57 % at Celluclast 1.5L loading of ten filter paper units (FPU)/g glucan. LFAs have similar enhancement on the enzymatic hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose mixed with lignin or xylan. The enhancement of LFAs increased with the decrease of the crystallinity index. LFAs not only enhanced the high-solid enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose, but also improved the rheological properties of high-solid lignocellulosic slurries by decreasing the yield stress and complex viscosity. Meanwhile, LFAs can improve the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellobiose to glucose, especially at low cellulase loading.     

Well‐conditioned boundary integral formulations for high‐frequency elastic scattering problems in three dimensions

We construct and analyze a family of well‐conditioned boundary integral equations for the Krylov iterative solution of three‐dimensional elastic scattering problems by a bounded rigid obstacle. We develop a new potential theory using a rewriting of the Somigliana integral representation formula. From these results, we generalize to linear elasticity the well‐known Brakhage–Werner and combined field integral equation formulations. We use a suitable approximation of the Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann map as a regularizing operator in the proposed boundary integral equations. The construction of the approximate Dirichlet‐to‐Neumann map is inspired by the on‐surface radiation conditions method. We prove that the associated integral equations are uniquely solvable and possess very interesting spectral properties. Promising analytical and numerical investigations, in terms of spherical harmonics, with the elastic sphere are provided. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient Synthesis of Aryl Methyl Sulfide Derivatives Using (Methylthio)trimethylsilane as Methylthiolation Reagent

The synthesis of various aryl methyl sulfides has been achieved by treatment of nitroarenes with a combination of (methylthio)trimethylsilane and cesium carbonate in dimethylsulfoxide. This reaction gives access to aryl methyl sulfide derivatives in high yields.     

Application of Ionic Liquids in an Online Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction and Solid-Phase Trapping of Rhodiosin and Rhodionin from Rhodiola rosea for UPLC

Ionic liquid-based online ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE) and solid-phase trapping (SPT) technique was developed to extract selectively rhodiosin and rhodionin from Rhodiola rosea for rapid determination by ultra-performance liquid chromatography. Ionic liquids with different cations and anions were investigated and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide solution was selected as the optimal extractant at concentration of 2.0 mol/L. Some extraction parameters such as ultrasonic power, extraction time, and extractant flow rate were optimized. The optimum separation conditions were as follows: ultrasonic power 360 W, extraction time 25 min, extractant flow rate 0.8 mL/min. The proposed approach was evaluated in comparison with the conventional maceration extraction and regular ultrasonic assisted extraction. UAE and SPT offered short extraction time, remarkable efficiency and low column pressure. Moreover, the proposed method was validated by the recovery and precision. Mean recoveries for rhodiosin and rhodionin were 98.5 and 98 %, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD) was 1.59 and 2.98 % for rhodiosin and 1.78 and 2.05 % for rhodionin. UAE and SPT provided a new alternative for preparation of flavonoids compounds from solid sample.     

Chromic Acid Adsorbed on Kieselguhr: A New Reagent for the Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Aldehydes

A new reagent, chromic acid adsorbed on kieselguhr, suitable for the oxidation of primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes is described.     

New One‐Pot Three‐Component Synthesis of N‐Phenyl α‐Aminophosphonates

New one‐pot three‐component reactions employing aldehydes, triphenylphosphite, and N‐[(phenylamino)carbonyl]glycine ethyl ester in refluxing xylene readily afford N‐phenyl α‐aminophosphonates in low to moderate yields.     

Synthesis of carbon nanofibers@MnO2 3D structures over copper foil as binder free anodes for lithiumion batteries

A 3D structured composite of carbon nanofibers@MnO2 on copper foil is reported here as a binder free anode of lithium ion batteries, with high capacity, fast charge/discharge rate and good stability. Carbon nanofiber yarns were synthesized directly over copper foil through a floating catalyst method. The growth of carbon nanofiber yarns was significantly enhanced by mechanical polishing of the copper foils, which can be attributed to the increased surface roughness and surface area of the copper foils. MnO2 was then grown over carbon nanofibers through spontaneous reduction of potassium permanganate by the carbon nanofibers. The obtained composites of carbon nanofibers@MnO2 over copper foil were tested as an anode in lithium ion batteries and they show superior electrochemical performance. The initial reversible capacity of carbon nanofibers@MnO2 reaches up to around 998 mAh g-1 at a rate of 60 mmA g-1 based on the mass of carbon nanofibers and MnO2 . The carbon nanofibers@MnO2 electrodes could deliver a capacity of 630 mAh g-1 at the beginning and maintain a capacity of 440 mmAh g-1 after 105 cycles at a rate of 600 mA g-1 . The high initial capacity can be attributed to the presence of porous carbon nanofiber yarns which have good electrical conductivity and the MnO2 thin film which makes the entire materials electrochemically active. The high cyclic stability of carbon nanofibers@MnO2 can be ascribed to the MnO2 thin film which can accommodate the volume expansion and shrinking during charge and discharge and the good contact of carbon nanofibers with MnO2 and copper foil.