Cold-Active Xylanase Produced by Fungi Associated with Antarctic Marine Sponges

Despite their potential biotechnological applications, cold-active xylanolytic enzymes have been poorly studied. In this work, 38 fungi isolated from marine sponges collected in King George Island, Antarctica, were screened as new sources of cold-active xylanases. All of them showed xylanase activity at 15 and 23 °C in semiquantitative plate assays. One of these isolates, Cladosporium sp., showed the highest activity and was characterized in detail. Cladosporium sp. showed higher xylanolytic activity when grown on beechwood or birchwood xylan and wheat bran, but wheat straw and oat bran were not so good inducers of this activity. The optimal pH for xylanase activity was 6.0, although pH stability was slightly wider (pH 5–7). On the other hand, Cladosporium sp. showed high xylanase activity at low temperatures and very low thermal stability. Interestingly, thermal stability was even lower after culture media were removed and replaced by buffer, suggesting that low molecular component(s) of the culture media could be important in the stabilization of cold-active xylanase activity. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report on extracellular xylanase production by fungi associated with Antarctic marine sponges.     

Thermodynamic Study of Cadmium Chloride in Aqueous Mixtures of 2-Butanol from Potential Difference Measurements

The standard molal potential differences (E_m∘) have been determined for the cell: CdHg_x(two phase) | CdCl₂(m), H₂O(1 − w), 2-butanol (w) | AgCl(s) | Ag(s) in aqueous mixtures of low mass fraction of 2-butanol (w_2-butanol = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) by using the literature data for the stability constants of the chlorocadmium complexes and the present potentiometric data for this cell at five temperatures from (293.15 to 313.15) K and at 10 molalities of CdCl₂ from (0.002 to 0.02) mol-kg⁻¹. The resulting values of E∘_m have been used to calculate the standard thermodynamic quantities (Δ_rG^∘, Δ_rH^∘, and Δ_rS^∘) for the cell reaction, the stoichiometric mean molal activity coefficients (γ_±) of CdCl₂, and the standard thermodynamic functions for CdCl₂ transfer (Δ_t G∘, Δ_t H∘, and Δ_t S∘) from water to the examined aqueous mixtures of 2-butanol. The values obtained have been compared with the analogous literature data for aqueous mixtures of 2-butanone; standard thermodynamic quantities for transfer of CdCl₂ and HBr from water to mixtures containing the same mass fraction of 2-butanol have also been compared. For both electrolytes, these quantities show analogous trends with the alcohol content. This transfer process is nonspontaneous and endothermic. Enthalpy and entropy are evidently influenced by structural changes.     

Discriminating alkylbenzene isomers with tandem mass spectrometry using a dielectric barrier discharge ionization source

Soft ambient ionization sources generate reactive species that interact with analyte molecules to form intact molecular ions, which allows rapid, sensitive, and direct identification of the molecular mass. We used a dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source with nitrogen at atmospheric pressure to detect alkylated aromatic hydrocarbon isomers (C₈H₁₀ or C₉H₁₂). Intact molecular ions [M]^•+ were detected at 2.4 kV_pp, but at increased voltage (3.4 kV_pp), [M + N]⁺ ions were formed, which could be used to differentiate regioisomers by collision-induced dissociation (CID). At 2.4 kV_pp, alkylbenzene isomers with different alkyl-substituents could be identified by additional product ions: ethylbenzene and -toluene formed [M-2H]⁺, isopropylbenzene formed abundant [M-H]⁺, and propylbenzene formed abundant C₇H₇⁺. At an operating voltage of 3.4 kV_pp, fragmentation of [M + N]⁺ by CID led to neutral loss of HCN and CH₃CN, which corresponded to steric hindrance for excited state N-atoms approaching the aromatic ring (C-H). The ratio of HCN to CH₃N loss (interday relative standard deviation [RSD] < 20%) was distinct for ethylbenzene and ethyltoluene isomers. The greater the number of alkyl-substituents (C-CH₃) and the more sterically hindered (meta > para > ortho) the aromatic core, the greater the loss of CH₃CN relative to HCN was.     

Electroanalytical Determination of Estrone in Seawater Samples Using Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

In this work, a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes functionalized with carboxylic groups (MWCNT−COOH) was used to determine the hormone estrone in seawater samples. Modification of the electrode was optimized using three successive 10-μL aliquots of the MWCNT−COOH dispersion in ethanol (1 : 5 mL). The cyclic voltammetry results showed an oxidation peak at 0.59 V with characteristics of an irreversible process, pH dependent and controlled by adsorption of species. The results of square-wave voltammetry showed that the intensities of peak currents for the MWCNT−COOH/GCE were about 2.5 times higher than for GCE. The calibration curve showed a linearity of 0.9981 and a sensitivity of 0.1521 μA/mol L⁻¹. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.117 and 0.392 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. The recovery obtained using seawater samples was 91%, indicating the applicability of the method in marine environments.     

A study of the behaviour of 2,4-substituted thiosemicarbazides toward orthoesters: Formation of mesoionic compounds

The reactions beetwen 2,4-disubstituted thiosemicarbazides and orthoesters in refluxing xylene led to the formation of the 1,2,4-triazoline-5-thione ring and to the 1,2,4-triazolium-5-thiolate ring. The formation of the mesoionic componds is due to rearrangement of the easily available 2,4-disubstituted thiosemicarbazides to 1,4-disubstituted thiosemicarbazides under the reaction conditions adopted. This method can be usefully used for the synthesis of mesoionic compounds, especially in the case of the 2-methyl-4-phenylthiosemicarbazide.     

Remarks on the use of the average occupation numbers in the SCF process for open shell systems

It is shown that the utilization of an average occupation number for open shell orbitals, having different occupation numbers in a degenerate wave function, tantamounts to disregard first order contributions in a CI -type expansion of the wave function. These contributions are taken into account in a SCF process that derives the differently occupied open shell orbitals as eigenfunctions of different Fock-type operators and accounts for the total symmetry.     

Reaction between Dichlorophosphines and Azoalkenes: A General Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydro-2H-1,2,3-diazaphosphole Derivatives

The reaction between dichlorophosphines and azoalkenes provides a smooth method for the preparation of 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2,3-diazaphosphole-3-oxides. When R¹ ≠ H, the cis: trans ratio is strongly dependent on the nature of the R⁴ substituent. Compounds arising from phenylazoalkenes are stable for several months, whereas compounds arising from methylazoalkenes undergo modifications during silica gel chromatography. Trichlorosilane reduction of these oxides gives the corresponding phosphines with retention of configuration. In some cases, this process competes with stereomutation of the starting phosphine oxide. Aryl-substituted phosphines are much more stable than the corresponding alkyl-substituted phosphines.