Effect of pretreatment of molasses and posttreatment of fermented broth in industrial production of ethanol

The aim of preclarification is to minimize sludge going to yeast separators. This purpose is partially fulfilled. However, it has been measured during the plant trial runs that preclarification does not noticeably improve fermentation. The aim of postclarification is to minimize sludge going to distillation. This purpose is well served as noted from the fact that cycle run of distillation columns using postclarification is three times longer (9–12 mo) as compared to the normal one (3–4 mo).     

Anhydrous scandium, yttrium, lanthanide and actinide halide complexes with neutral oxygen and nitrogen donor ligands

Studies on lanthanide and actinide halide complexes with neutral O- and/or N-donor ligands have intensified in recent years due to their implications in homogeneous catalysis, magnetic and optical materials, as synthons for the synthesis of novel coordination and organometallic compounds and, for Ln(II) halide complexes, as reducing agents in organic synthesis. Synthetic strategies, structural diversity as well as some important properties and reactivities of these anhydrous metal (including scandium and yttrium) halide complexes are reviewed here. These complexes also hold potential as starting materials for constructing more sophisticated heterometallic assemblies by crystal engineering; the compounds of this class, either discrete ion-pairs or coordination polymers, being discussed separately under the heading heterometallic lanthanide and actinide halide complexes. The aim of this article is to provide a reference text for the researchers working in the lanthanide and actinide coordination chemistry field and to identify and signify the area of future research.     

Binding of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate to lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase studied by fluorescence techniques

The solvatochromic fluorescent probe 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) has been used to study the hydrophobicity and conformational dynamics of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT). The ANS to LCAT binding constant was estimated from titrations with ANS, keeping a constant concentration of LCAT (2 microM). Apparent binding constant was found to be dependent on the excitation. For the direct excitation of ANS at 375 nm the binding constant was 4.7 microM(-1) and for UV excitation at 295 nm was 3.2 microM(-1). In the later case, not only ANS but also tryptophan (Trp) residues of LCAT is being excited. Fluorescence spectra and intensity decays show an efficient energy transfer from tryptophan residues to ANS. The apparent distance from Trp donor to ANS acceptor, estimated from the changes in donor lifetime was about 3 nm and depends on the ANS concentration. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence emission and anisotropies have been characterized. The lifetime of ANS bound to LCAT was above 16 ns which is characteristic for it being in a hydrophobic environment. The ANS labeled LCAT fluorescence anisotropy decay revealed the correlation time of 42 ns with a weak residual motion of 2.8 ns. These characteristics of ANS labeled LCAT fluorescence show that ANS is an excellent probe to study conformational changes of LCAT protein and its interactions with other macromolecules.     

Coinage Metal Complexes with Di-tertiary-butyl Sulfide as Precursors with Ultra-Low Decomposition Temperature

We report here the synthesis of [Cu₂(TFA)₄(^tBu₂S)₂] ( 1 ), [Ag₄(TFA)₄(^tBu₂S)₄] ( 2 ) and [AuCl(^tBu₂S)] ( 3 ) (TFA=trifluoroacetate), which decompose in solution medium at ultra-low temperature (e. g., in boiling toluene) to afford phase-pure and highly crystalline Cu₉S₅, Ag₂S and metallic Au nanoparticles, respectively. The low decomposition temperature of these precursors is attributed to the facile decomposition mechanism in the di-tertiary-butyl sulfide ligand. These results are a significant step in the direction of establishing a general low-temperature strategy spanning a range of systems including thermodynamically metastable materials and incorporate them in technologies that are sensitive to the harsh conditions.     

Anticancer Activity of Cordia dichotoma against a Panel of Human Cancer Cell Lines and Their Phytochemical Profiling via HPLC and GCMS

The current study was conducted to examine the in vitro anticancer potential of Cordia dichotoma (bark, leaves, pulp and seed). The plant material was collected from UT of J&K and methodical bioassays were carried out on ten human cancer cell lines (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7), M.D. Anderson-Metastatic Breast (MDA-MB-231), Neuroblastoma-2a (N2A), SH-SY5Y, U-251, HCT-116, SW-620, A-549, MIA PaCa-2, Panc-1) from five different origins (breast, CNS, colon, lung, pancreas) respectively. Methanolic extracts were produced and fractions were then obtained from the extracts and evaluated for cytotoxicity. Mechanistic assays, HPLC, and GCMS profiling were performed on the highest active fraction. The Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay determined the in vitro cytotoxicity. The findings revealed that the bark portion had in vitro cytotoxicity against the A-549 human lung cancer cell line. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that the plant’s bark has anticancer properties and induced chromatin condensation, confirmed cell death via ROS generation, and significantly decreased colony formation in A-549 cell line from lung origin in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, HPLC and GCMS investigations indicated the presence of a number of bioactive molecules such as gallic acid (144,969.86) uV*sec, caffeic acid (104.26) uV*sec, ferulic acid (472.87) uV*sec, vanillic acid (13,775.39) uV*sec, palmitic acid (18.34%), cis vaccenic acid (28.81%), etc. and one of the compounds was reported for the first time from the bark. As a result of its promising efficacy, it may become an essential cancer chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic medication for patients with lung carcinoma.     

Dimethyl selenide complexes of copper,gallium and indium halides as potential precursors for selenium-containing chalcopyrite semiconducting materials

The coordination chemistry of copper, gallium and indium halides with the simplest possible selenoether i.e. Me₂Se was investigated with the aim to use the resulting complexes as precursors for selenium-containing chalcopyrite semiconducting materials. An optimized general procedure for the high yield synthesis is described and the influence of a halide ion on the structure and solubility of these metal halide dimethyl selenide complexes are discussed. These complexes were characterized by the elemental analysis, FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy as well as single crystal X-ray structures, the later study showing them to be monomeric for gallium halides, mono- or dimeric for indium halides and either an ion-pairs or 2-D extended structure in the case of copper halides.     

Ultradoping Boron on Si(100) via Solvothermal Chemistry**

Ultradoping introduces unprecedented dopant levels into Si, which transforms its electronic behavior and enables its use as a next-generation electronic material. Commercialization of ultradoping is currently limited by gas-phase ultra-high vacuum requirements. Solvothermal chemistry is amenable to scale-up. However, an integral part of ultradoping is a direct chemical bond between dopants and Si, and solvothermal dopant-Si surface reactions are not well-developed. This work provides the first quantified demonstration of achieving ultradoping concentrations of boron (∼1e14 cm²) by using a solvothermal process. Surface characterizations indicate the catalyst cross-reacted, which led to multiple surface products and caused ambiguity in experimental confirmation of direct surface attachment. Density functional theory computations elucidate that the reaction results in direct B−Si surface bonds. This proof-of-principle work lays groundwork for emerging solvothermal ultradoping processes.     

Incoherently coupled two component screening photovoltaic solitons in two-photon photorefractive materials under the action of external field

The existence of incoherently coupled two-component steady state photovoltaic solitons in biased two-photon photorefractive materials due to two-photon photorefractive effect has been investigated. In the steady state regime, these incoherently coupled solitons can propagate in bright–bright, dark–dark and bright–dark configurations. The most important finding is that, with the application of electric field, it is possible to generate solitons and control them in those media where soliton formation was hitherto prohibited. Dynamic evolution of these solitons has been examined using numerical simulations, which show that these solitons are stable.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of aryloxide derivatives of titanium(IV) and zirconium(IV)

Homo- and heteroleptic aryloxides of the type MX_4–x(OAr)_x [M = Ti^IV, Zr^IV; X = OPrⁱ, Cl; x = 1,2,3,4; OAr = OC₆H₄Prⁱ-4(OAr¹), OC₆H₃Me-2-Prⁱ-5(OAr²), OC₆H₃Me-5-Prⁱ-2(OAr³), OC₆H₂Me₃-2,4,6(OAr⁴), OC₆H₃Bu^t₂-2,4(OAr⁵), OC₆H₃Bu^t₂-2,6(OAr⁶)] have been prepared either by alkoxo–aryloxo or chloro-aryloxo exchange reactions in benzene or tetrahydrofuran. All these new derivatives have been characterized by elemental analyses, spectroscopic (i.r., ¹H-, ¹³C-n.m.r.) studies and molecular weight measurements. The FAB mass spectral studies of four representative derivatives Support a dimeric nature for [Ti(OC₆H₃Me-5-Prⁱ-2)₄], [TiCl₂(OC₆H₃Me-5-Prⁱ-2)₂], and [Zr(OC₆H₃Bu^t₂-2,4)₄(thf)], whereas the derivative [ZrCl(OC₆H₃Bu^t₂-2,4)₃(thf)] is monomeric.