Enzyme electrokinetics: electrochemical studies of the anaerobic interconversions between active and inactive states of Allochromatium vinosum [NiFe]-hydrogenase

The cycling between active and inactive states of the catalytic center of [NiFe]-hydrogenase from Allochromatium vinosum has been investigated by dynamic electrochemical techniques. Adsorbed on a rotating disk pyrolytic graphite "edge" electrode, the enzyme is highly electroactive: this allows precise manipulations of the complex redox chemistry and facilitates quantitative measurements of the interconversions between active catalytic states and the inactive oxidized form Ni(r) (also called Ni-B or "ready") as functions of pH, H(2) partial pressure, temperature, and electrode potential. Cyclic voltammograms for catalytic H(2) oxidation (current is directly related to turnover rate) are highly asymmetric (except at pH > 8 and high temperature) due to inactivation being much slower than activation. Controlled potential-step experiments show that the rate of oxidative inactivation increases at high pH but is independent of potential, whereas the rate of reductive activation increases as the potential becomes more negative. Indeed, at 45 degrees C, activation takes just a few seconds at -288 mV. The cyclic asymmetry arises because interconversion is a two-stage reaction, as expected if the reduced inactive Ni(r)-S state is an intermediate. The rate of inactivation depends on a chemical process (rearrangement and uptake of a ligand) that is independent of potential, but sensitive to pH, while activation is driven by an electron-transfer process, Ni(III) to Ni(II), that responds directly to the driving force. The potentials at which fast activation occurs under different conditions have been analyzed to yield the potential-pH dependence and the corresponding entropies and enthalpies. The reduced (active) enzyme shows a pK of 7.6; thus, when a one-electron process is assumed, reductive activation at pH < 7 involves a net uptake of one proton (or release of one hydroxide), whereas, at pH > 8, there is no net exchange of protons with solvent. Activation is favored by a large positive entropy, consistent with the release of a ligand and/or relaxation of the structure around the active site.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of 2,4-D from soils using derivatization and ionic modifiers

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO(2), a clean and rapid alternative to conventional organic solvent extraction techniques, was investigated for the extraction of 2,4-D from soils using a variety of pre-extraction soil treatments to enhance extraction recoveries. Initial experiments with silylation, ion-pairing, methyl esterification, and ionic displacement are reported. Methyl esterification and ionic displacement during SFE proved to be the most promising approaches for quantitative extraction. Although the SFE procedures were not fully optimized, comparison between SFE and a standard Soxhlet extraction method demonstrated the potential for improving analytical measurement for highly polar pesticides in soil by modifying SFE-CO(2) extraction with derivatizing reagents and ionic solutions.     

4‐(4‐Fluoro‐3‐phenoxy­phen­yl)‐6‐(4‐fluoro­phen­yl)‐2‐oxo‐1,2‐dihydro­pyridine‐3‐carbonitrile and the 6‐(4‐methyl­phen­yl)‐ analogue

The crystal structures of the title compounds, viz. C₂₄H₁₄F₂N₂O₂, (I), and C₂₅H₁₇FN₂O₂, (II), respectively, have been determined in order to unravel the role of an ordered F atom in generating stable supra­molecular assemblies. On changing the substitution from fluorine to a methyl group, C—H⋯F inter­actions are replaced by C—H⋯π inter­actions, revealing the importance of such weak inter­actions when present alongside N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dihedral angle between the planes of the 4‐fluoro­phenyl ring and the pyridine ring is 26.8 (1)° in (I), while that between the planes of the 4‐methyl­phenyl and pyridine rings is 29.5 (1)° in (II).     

A family of oxorhenium(v) complexes incorporating chelated monoanionic ONN reduced Schiff base and dianionic ONNO tetradentate ligands: synthesis, spectroscopic and electrochemical studies

The green colored complexes of the type Re(V)O(L(SB))Cl(2), 1, have been synthesised by reacting NBu(4)[ReOCl(4)] with HL(SB) in dry ethanol. Here, L(SB)(-) are the deprotonated forms of N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-2-picolylamine (HL(SB)(1)); N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N',N'-dimethylethylenediamine (HL(SB)(2)) and N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N',N'-diethylethylenediamine (HL(SB)(3)). Similarly, NBu(4)[ReOCl(4)] reacted with N,N-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-2-picolylamine (H(2)L(1)); N,N-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N',N'-dimethylethylenediamine (H(2)L(2)); N,N-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N',N'-diethylethylenediamine (H(2)L(3)); [N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)]-2-aminoethanol (H(2)L(4)); [N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)]-2-methyl-2-amino-1-propanol (H(2)L(5)); N,N-bis(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-picolylamine (H(2)L(6)), to give the monochloro complexes Re(V)O(L)Cl, 2. The X-ray structures of the complexes are reported. The molecular structures observed in the solid state are preserved in solution ((1)H NMR). In acetonitrile solution the Re(V)O(L)Cl, 2, display a one-electron couple, Re(VI)O(L)Cl(+)-Re(V)O(L)Cl, near 1.0 V vs SCE. The electrogenerated hexavalent complexes [Re(VI)O(L)Cl]ClO(4), 3, are paramagnetic and display sextet EPR spectra in solution at room temperature (A(av) approximately 417 (G), g approximately 1.914).     

Optimal allocation of replicas in parallel tempering simulations

We have studied the efficiency of parallel tempering simulations for a variety of systems including a coarse-grained protein, an atomistic model polypeptide, and the Lennard-Jones fluid. A scheme is proposed for the optimal allocation of temperatures in these simulations. The method is compared to the existing empirical approaches used for this purpose. Accuracy associated with the computed thermodynamic quantities such as specific heat is also computed and their dependence on the trial-exchange acceptance rate is reported.     

Applications of Fruit Polyphenols and Their Functionalized Nanoparticles Against Foodborne Bacteria: A Mini Review

The ingestion of contaminated water and food is known to cause food illness. Moreover, on assessing the patients suffering from foodborne disease has revealed the role of microbes in such diseases. Concerning which different methods have been developed for protecting food from microbes, the treatment of food with chemicals has been reported to exhibit an unwanted organoleptic effect while also affecting the nutritional value of food. Owing to these challenges, the demand for natural food preservatives has substantially increased. Therefore, the interest of researchers and food industries has shifted towards fruit polyphenols as potent inhibitors of foodborne bacteria. Recently, numerous fruit polyphenols have been acclaimed for their ability to avert toxin production and biofilm formation. Furthermore, various studies have recommended using fruit polyphenols solely or in combination with chemical disinfectants and food preservatives. Currently, different nanoparticles have been synthesized using fruit polyphenols to curb the growth of pathogenic microbes. Hence, this review intends to summarize the current knowledge about fruit polyphenols as antibacterial agents against foodborne pathogens. Additionally, the application of different fruit extracts in synthesizing functionalized nanoparticles has also been discussed.     

Elucidating the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction of proline with amides—quantum chemical calculations

Structural Chemistry - The hydrogen-bonded complexes formed between proline and amides have been investigated completely by the use of computational methods such as Atoms In Molecules (AIM),...     

S-Substituted-2-mercaptobenzthiazolium-based chiral ionic liquids: efficient organocatalysts for enantioselective sodium borohydride reductions of prochiral ketones

Novel chiral ionic liquids having chirality in their cationic part have been synthesized for evaluation of their catalytic potential as organocatalysts in sodium borohydride reduction of prochiral ketones to yield optically active secondary alcohols. The chiral ionic liquids have been synthesized from the reaction of (?)-menthol or (?)-borneol, chloroacetic acid and S-methyl/benzyl-2-mercaptobenzthiazole. The synthesized chiral ionic liquids have been characterized by ¹H, ¹³C NMR and Mass spectrometry. Moderate to excellent enantiomeric excess (ee > 99%) has been obtained in asymmetric sodium borohydride reduction of prochiral ketones using these salts as chiral catalysts.     

Volumetric and Acoustic Studies of Binary Liquid Mixtures of Dipropylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether with Methyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate and n-Butyl Acetate in the Temperature Range T = (288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, and 308.15) K

Densities and ultrasonic speeds have been measured over the whole composition range for binary liquid mixtures of dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, CH₃(OC₃H₆)₂OCH₃, with methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and n-butyl acetate using an Anton Paar DSA 5000 M density and speed sound analyzer at T = (288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, and 308.15) K and atmospheric pressure in order to evaluate the behavior of these binaries. From these data excess the molar volume, $ V_{m}^{\text{E}} $ , and deviation in isentropic compressibility, ?κ _S , have been calculated. These excess properties have been fitted with the Redlich–Kister type polynomial equation to get their coefficients and standard deviations which provide a base for discussing the forces operating in solutions.