Dehydration of acetonitrile using cross-linked sodium alginate membrane containing nano-sized NaA zeolite

Pervaporation (PV) separation of water–acetonitrile mixture using sodium alginate (NaAlg) based mixed matrix membranes (MMM) comprising different amounts of nano NaA zeolite (10, 20 and 30 wt%) is investigated in various concentrations of water and temperatures. The prepared membranes are modified by sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) as a crosslinking agent. NaAlg-NaA/SSA membranes are synthesized by a solution casting technique. The process and membrane performance including separation factor, flux and activation energy of permeation are determined. Results reveal that adding of nano zeolite may lead to an increase in the flux and the separation factor of sodium alginate membrane up to 123 and 169%. In addition, using MMM in dehydration of a feed containing 30 wt% of water shows much better performance than alginate membrane. Furthermore, the activation energy of water permeation through MMM is predicted lower than sodium alginate membrane which reflects the facilitated permeation of water through MMM.     

The application of ultrafiltration for treatment of ships generated oily wastewater

The wastewaters collected from ships were preliminary separated in harbour installation into an oil fraction (slop oil) and the aqueous phase. The oil phase was then separated from slop oil, and the resulting water phase was subjected to the treatment in a coagulation/flotation process. The effluent (oil content 7–13 ppm) from these processes was further purified in biological wastewater treatment plant. A composition of bilge water is variable what affects the efficiency of coagulation/flotation process and the effluents may contain a significant amount of oil residues. The purification of effluents from coagulation/flotation process was performed in this work with ultrafiltration (UF), using FP100 membranes. The turbidity of obtained UF permeate was varied in the range of 0.08–0.26 NTU and the oil content was at a level of 0.9–1.1 ppm. Such purified water can be utilized for rinsing the oil–water separation devices located in the wastewater treatment plant, instead of tap water used so far. The obtained UF retentate contained 30 ppm of oil can be recycled to the coagulation/flotation process. Fouling of UF membranes was observed during the separation process, however, the FP100 membranes were effective cleaned with alkaline cleaning agents P3 Ultrasil 11.     

Oxidative degradation of levofloxacin by water-soluble manganese dioxide in aqueous acidic medium: a kinetic study

Pharmaceuticals, especially fluoroquinolone antibiotics, have received increasing global concern, due to their intensive use in the environment and potential harm to ecological system as well as human health. Degradation of antibiotics, such as oxidative degradation by metal oxides, often plays an important role in the elimination of antibiotics from the environment. The kinetics of oxidation of levofloxacin by water-soluble manganese dioxide has been studied in aqueous acidic medium at 25 °C temperature. The stoichiometry for the reaction indicates that the oxidation of 1 mol of levofloxacin requires 1 mol of manganese dioxide. The reaction is second order, that is first order with respect to manganese dioxide and levofloxacin. The rate of reaction increases with the increasing [H⁺] ion concentration. A probable reaction mechanism, in agreement with the observed kinetic results, has been proposed and discussed. The energy and enthalpy of activation have been calculated to be 30.54 and 28.07 kJ mol^?1, respectively.     

Improved synthesis and low-temperature performance of a series of saturated α-branched fatty acids

Five saturated α-branched fatty acids, also known as Guerbet acids, including α-propylhexyl acid (G ₁ ), α-butylhexyl acid (G ₂ ), α-propyloctyl acid (G ₃ ), α-butyloctyl acid (G ₄ ), and α-hexyloctyl acid (G ₅ ), were synthesized in high yields by four-step reaction. Colorless, almost odorless, and oily products were obtained with high purity, whose structures were confirmed by GC, ¹H/¹³C NMR, and ESI–MS characterization. G ₁ , G ₃ , and G ₄ had pour points lower than ?60 °C, while G ₂ and G ₅ showed higher pour points (?42 °C and 6 °C, respectively) because of their molecular symmetry. Considering the low-temperature properties, G ₁ , G ₃ , G ₄ , and even G ₂ held great potential applications in the lubricant and oilfield.     

Prebiotic Oligosaccharides: Special Focus on Fructooligosaccharides,Its Biosynthesis and Bioactivity

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important nonprotein-coding genes involved in almost all biological processes during biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. To investigate the miRNA-mediated plant response to drought stress, two drought-tolerant (C-306 and NI-5439) and two drought-sensitive (HUW-468 and WL-711) wheat genotypes were exposed to 25 % PEG 6000 for 1, 12 and 24 h. Temporal expression patterns of 12 drought-responsive miRNAs and their corresponding nine targets were monitored by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results showed differential expression of miRNAs and their targets with varying degree of upregulation and downregulation in drought-sensitive genotypes. Likewise, in drought-tolerant wheat genotypes, maximum accumulation of miR393a and miR397a was observed at 1 h of stress. In addition, nearly perfect negative correlation was observed in four miRNA and target pairs (miR164-NAC, miR168a-AGO, miR398-SOD and miR159a-MYB) across all the temporal period studied which could be a major player during drought response in wheat. We, for the first time, validated the presence of miR529a and miR1029 in wheat. These findings gives a clue for temporal and variety-specific differential regulation of miRNAs and their targets in wheat in response to osmotic shock and could help in defining the potential roles of miRNAs in plant adaptation to osmotic stress in future.     

Cloning,Expression, and Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Acidic GH16 β-Agarase,AgaJ11, from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gayadomonas joobiniege</Emphasis> G7

A novel β-agarase AgaJ11 belonging to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) 16 family was identified from an agar-degrading bacterium Gayadomonas joobiniege G7. AgaJ11 was composed of 317 amino acids (35 kDa), including a 26-amino acid signal peptide, and had the highest similarity (44 % identity) to a putative β-agarase from an agarolytic marine bacterium Agarivorans albus MKT 106. The agarase activity of purified AgaJ11 was confirmed by zymogram analysis. The optimum pH and temperature for AgaJ11 activity were determined to be 4.5 and 40 °C, respectively. Notably, AgaJ11 is an acidic β-agarase that was active only at a narrow pH range from 4 to 5, and less than 30 % of its enzymatic activity was retained at other pH conditions. The K _m and V _max of AgaJ11 for agarose were 21.42 mg/ml and 25 U/mg, respectively. AgaJ11 did not require metal ions for its activity, but severe inhibition by several metal ions was observed. Thin layer chromatography and agarose-liquefying analyses revealed that AgaJ11 is an endo-type β-agarase that hydrolyzes agarose into neoagarohexaose, neoagarotetraose, and neoagarobiose. Therefore, this study shows that AgaJ11 from G. joobiniege G7 is a novel GH16 β-agarase with an acidic enzymatic feature that may be useful for industrial applications.     

5-Pyridine 4-yl-3H-(1,3,4) Oxadiazole-2 Thione Hydrochloride Monohydrate, (I), and 4 [5-Ethylsulfanyl)-(1,3,4) Thiadiazole-2-yl]-Pyridinium Perchlorate, (II)

Abstract  

The title compounds C₇H₈ClN₃O₂S, (I), and C₉H₁₀ClN₃O₄S_2, (II), both crystallize in monoclinic space group P2₁ /c with unit cell parameters (I) a = 7.9402(7), b = 10.6312(9), c = 11.7626(10), ?, β = 99.271(5)°, Z = 4 and (II) a = 5.1439(2), b = 9.0636(4), c = 27.1814 (7), ?, β = 95.116(2)°, Z = 4. In (I) the molecule consists of a 5-pyridine-4-yl group bonded to the carbon atom at the 5 position of (1, 3, 4) oxadiazole-2 thione hydrochloride monohydrate. The angle between the mean planes of the oxadiazole and pyridine rings is 9.6(6)°. Crystal packing in (I) is stabilized by strong N–H···O hydrogen bonds in concert with a solvent water molecule and weak O–H···Cl, O–H···S, N–H···Cl intermolecular interactions. The crystal structure of compound (II) consists of 4 [5-ethylsulfanyl)-(1, 3, 4) thiadiazole-2-yl]-pyridinium perchlorate, (C₉H₁₀N₃S₂)⁺(ClO₄)⁻, cation–anion pairs, containing strong intermolecular N–H···O hydrogen bonds and weak C–H···O and N–H···O intermolecular interactions operating between the ionic species that form a cooperative hydrogen-bonded, infinite chain O–H···O–H···O–H network which generates a sheet motif structure in the unit cell. It is also supported by weak intermolecular Cg···Cg π–π and Cl–O···Cg π-ring interactions which gives additional support to molecular packing stability in the unit cell. Geometry optimized MOPAC AM1 computational calculations on each compound provides support to the structural features in their respective crystal structures.     

Stereoselective Synthesis and X-Ray Structure Determination of Labeled [1, 2, 3-<Superscript>13</Superscript>C<Subscript>3</Subscript>]-1-(Phenylsulfinyl)-3-Benzyloxyacetone

[1,2,3-¹³C₃]-1-(Phenylsulfinyl)-3-benzyloxyacetone, C₁₆H₁₆O₃S, (3) has been synthesized and its crystal structure has been determined by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The X-ray diffraction study revealed that compound 3 crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in the acentric space group Pc, with cell constants at T = 100 K: a = 16.073(5), b = 5.5079(16), c = 7.949(2) Å, β = 100.221(4)^°, V = 692.6(3) ų, Z = 2, d _calc = 1.383 g/cm³. Compound 3 contains the chiral tetravalent three-coordinated sulfur atom, which has a distorted tetrahedral configuration with a lone electron pair occupying one of the tetrahedron vertices. In the crystal, the molecules are packed in stacks along the b axis; the stacks consist of the molecules of the same chirality. Furthermore, the stacks of the molecules of the opposite chirality alternate along the c axis. The molecules in neighboring stacks are arranged by head-to-tail orientations. There are no short intermolecular contacts in the crystal of 3.