Steady-shear and viscoelastic properties of cellulose nanofibril–nanoclay dispersions

We have investigated the steady-shear and viscoelastic properties of composite dispersions of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) with medium or high charge density and two different nanoclays, viz. rod-like sepiolite or plate-like bentonite. Aqueous dispersions of CNFs with medium charge density displayed significantly lower steady-state viscosity and storage modulus but higher gelation threshold compared with CNFs with high charge density. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) results showed that the apparent hydrodynamic radius of bentonite particles increased when CNFs were added, implying that CNFs adsorbed onto the amphoteric edges of the plate-like bentonite particles. The sepiolite network in CNF–sepiolite dispersions was relatively unaffected by addition of small amounts of CNFs, and DLS showed that the hydrodynamic radius of sepiolite did not change when CNFs were added. Addition of CNFs at concentrations above the gelation threshold resulted in drastic decrease of the steady-shear viscosity of the sepiolite dispersion, suggesting that the sepiolite network disintegrates and the rod-like clay particles are aligned also at low shear rate. The relative change in the rheological properties of the clay-based dispersions was always greater on addition of CNFs with high compared with medium charge density. This study provides insight into how the rheology of CNF–nanoclay dispersions depends on both the nanoclay morphology and the interactions between the nanoclay and nanocellulose particles, being of relevance to processing of nanocellulose–clay composites.     

Preparation of Furo[3,2‐c]coumarins from 3‐Cinnamoyl‐4‐hydroxy‐2H‐chromen‐2‐ones and Acyl Chlorides: A Bu3P‐Mediated C‐Acylation/Cyclization Sequence

A Bu₃P‐mediated cyclization reaction of 3‐cinnamoyl‐4‐hydroxy‐2H‐chromen‐2‐ones though electrophilic addition of acyl chlorides towards the synthesis of highly functionalized furo[3,2‐c]coumarins bearing a phosphorus ylide moiety is described. These unprecedented cyclization reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions within short reaction times (1 min to 1 h), and can be further applied in the synthesis of alkenyl‐substituted furo[3,2‐c]coumarins by the treatment with carbonyl electrophiles under basic conditions.     

Screening and Engineering the Synthetic Potential of Carboxylating Reductases from Central Metabolism and Polyketide Biosynthesis

Carboxylating enoyl‐thioester reductases (ECRs) are a recently discovered class of enzymes. They catalyze the highly efficient addition of CO₂ to the double bond of α,β‐unsaturated CoA‐thioesters and serve two biological functions. In primary metabolism of many bacteria they produce ethylmalonyl‐CoA during assimilation of the central metabolite acetyl‐CoA. In secondary metabolism they provide distinct α‐carboxyl‐acyl‐thioesters to vary the backbone of numerous polyketide natural products. Different ECRs were systematically assessed with a diverse library of potential substrates. We identified three active site residues that distinguish ECRs restricted to C4 and C5‐enoyl‐CoAs from highly promiscuous ECRs and successfully engineered a selected ECR as proof‐of‐principle. This study defines the molecular basis of ECR reactivity, allowing for predicting and manipulating a key reaction in natural product diversification.     

Two-Photon Excited Fluorescence and Molecular Reorientations in Liquid Solutions

Theoretical expressions are derived that relate the two-photon excited fluorescence depolarisation experiments to the molecular symmetry and the rotational motions of fluorescent molecules. Diffusive rotational motions in liquid solvents are considered, as well as the influence of fast unresolved motions (e.g. librations). The results obtained are compared with one-photon excited fluorescence depolarisation experiments. The derived theoretical expressions can be applied for detailed analyses of the molecular rotation in solvent. Several of the results are useful for determining and assigning the components of two-photon absorption tensors.     

A novel hollow-fibre microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction for determination of free 4-isobutylacetophenone concentration at ultra trace level in environmental aqueous samples

In this study, a method was developed for determination of the free concentration of 4-isobutylacetophenone, a toxic degradation product of ibuprofen, in river and sewage water samples from Sweden. Sample preparation and analysis were performed by a hollow-fibre microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction (HF-MMLLE) set-up and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. In this novel approach, only the liquid in the membrane pores is utilised for non-depleting extraction. Several parameters were studied, including: type of organic solvent, sample pH, and salt and humic acid content. The optimised method allowed the determination of the analyte at the ng L(-1) level in river and sewage water. A linear plot gave a correlation coefficient better than 0.992 and resulted in a limit of detection of 7 and 14 ng L(-1) for river and sewage water, respectively. The enrichment factor was over 2000 in the fibre and over 300 after dilution. The repeatability and reproducibility were better than 5% and 10%, respectively. For the first time, 4-isobutylacetophenone was found at free concentrations of 40 ng L(-1) or below in sewage waters, while it could not be quantified in a river downstream from a municipal sewage treatment plant.     

Extracting syringe for extraction of phthalate esters in aqueous environmental samples

The use of the extracting syringe (ESy), a fully automated membrane-based extraction technique, for analysis of phthalate esters in complex aqueous samples has been investigated. The ESy, working as an autosampler that combines the extraction process and injection into the gas chromatograph (GC) in one single step, is placed on top of the GC equipped with a flame ionisation detector. The aqueous samples are loaded in a tray and automatically extracted by employing microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction principle. After the extraction, the extract is directly injected into the GC's programmable temperature vaporisation injector. Six different phthalate esters were used as model compounds. Four extraction solvents were tested and the addition of sample organic modifier was examined.Toluene was the optimal solvent to use for extraction. Due to the large variation in polarity of phthalate esters, 50% methanol as organic modifier had to be added to the samples so as to extract the most nonpolar phthalate esters; di-2-ethylhexylphthalate and di-n-octylphthalate, whereas the other four relatively polar phthalate esters were extracted from unmodified samples. No significant difference between extraction of river water, leachate water from a landfill and reagent water was noted, except for minor deviations. The extraction time was 20 min for extraction of a 1-mL sample, resulting in a good linearity for all aqueous media investigated, good enrichment factors (54-110 folds) and low LOD values (0.2-10 ng mL⁻¹) and relative standard deviation (%R.S.D.; 0.9-3.7%).     

Peptide chain dynamics in light and heavy water: zooming in on internal friction

Frictional effects due to the chain itself, rather than the solvent, may have a significant effect on protein dynamics. Experimentally, such "internal friction" has been investigated by studying folding or binding kinetics at varying solvent viscosity; however, the molecular origin of these effects is hard to pinpoint. We consider the kinetics of disordered glycine-serine and α-helix forming alanine peptides and a coarse-grained protein folding model in explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations. By varying the solvent mass over more than two orders of magnitude, we alter only the solvent viscosity and not the folding free energy. Folding dynamics at the near-vanishing solvent viscosities accessible by this approach suggests that solvent and internal friction effects are intrinsically entangled. This finding is rationalized by calculation of the polymer end-to-end distance dynamics from a Rouse model that includes internal friction. An analysis of the friction profile along different reaction coordinates, extracted from the simulation data, demonstrates that internal as well as solvent friction varies substantially along the folding pathways and furthermore suggests a connection between friction and the formation of hydrogen bonds upon folding.