Effect of immobilization on the main dynamic characteristics of the enzymatic oxidation of methane to methanol by bacteria <Emphasis Type="Italic">Methylosinus sporium</Emphasis> B-2121

The main dynamic characteristics of biochemical methanol formation by the oxidation of methane using a biocatalyst were studied. The biocatalyst is based on cells of bacteria Methylosinus sporium B-2121, both suspended in a medium and immobilized in the poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel. The change in the methane concentration and the biocatalyst amount affects the productivity of the system, the maximal concentration of methanol in the cultural liquid, and the rate of methanol accumulation. The most part of the dynamic characteristics are described by extremal curves. The experimental conditions were optimized prior to experiments. The use of the immobilized biocatalyst makes it possible to enhance the productivity of the process more than fivefold compared to that of the free cells and to achieve the highest methanol concentration in the medium: 62±2 mg L⁻¹. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1603–1606, August, 2008.     

Stereoselective Polymerization of Aromatic Vinyl Polar Monomers

Polar vinyl polymers, a class of polymers with polar groups as side chains, have significant advantages over conventional nonpolar polyolefin materials in terms of viscosity, toughness, interfacial properties (dyeability and printability), and compatibility with solvents or other polymers. Among them, aromatic polar vinyl polymers are of interest because of their good heat resistance properties. In addition, stereoselective polymerization of aromatic polar vinyl monomers has been rapidly developed because the steric structure of the polymer has a significant impact on its physical properties. In this paper, we review the research progress of stereoselective polymerization catalysts for aromatic polar vinyl monomers in recent years, discuss in detail the influence of ligand structure, electronic effect of substituents, spatial site resistance effect, central rare earth metal species and polymerization solvents on the activity and stereoselectivity of polymerization reactions, and explore the possible mechanism of polymerization reaction.     

Gel Polymer Electrolytes with Talc as a Natural Mineral Filler and a Biodegradable Polymer Matrix in Sodium-Ion Batteries

A gel polymer electrolyte based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is used in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The use of biodegradable and water-soluble polymer potentially reduces the negative environmental impact. The other components include sodium salt (NaPF₆), sulfolane (TMS) as a plasticizer and talc. For the first time, natural and abundant talc has been used as an inert filler in a gel polymer electrolyte. The best results were obtained for moderate amounts of filler (1 and 3 wt%). Then, an increase in the conductivity, transference numbers, and thermal stability of the membranes was observed. Moreover, the presence of talc had a positive effect on the cyclability of the hard carbon electrode. The discharge capacity after 50 cycles of HC|1 % T_TMS|Na and HC|3 % T_TMS|Na was 243 and 225 mAh g⁻¹, respectively. The use of talc in gel polymer electrolytes containing sodium ions improves the safety and efficiency of SIBs.     

Molecular dynamics and conduction mechanism of poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate-co-2-hydroxypropyl acrylate) terpolymer containing ionic liquid

Dielectric spectroscopy (DS) measurements were performed to probe the segmental dynamics and ion mobility of poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate-co-2-hydroxypropyl acrylate) terpolymer dopped with different amounts of tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate ([TBA] [BF₄]) ionic liquid (IL). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was also employed to trace the change in the glass transition temperature (T_g) at different loads of IL. The DSC measurements revealed a remarkable reduction in the PVVH T_g from 344 to 310 K just by adding 20 wt% of IL. The DS measurements revealed three relaxation processes named α, β₁, and β₂. The α-process is related to the segmental motion of PVVH while the β₁ and β₂ are due to the restricted local dynamics of side chains. The segmental relaxation times (α-relaxation) speed up with increasing the concentration of IL due to the plasticization effect of IL on polymer chains. The temperature dependence of α-relaxation follows the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) relation with dynamic glass transition between 323 and 294 K in agreement with the DSC measurements. The β₁ and β₂-relaxations have an Arrhenius temperature dependence. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity obeys the VFT behavior indicating the coupling between the segmental motion of PVVH chains and ion transport. Polaronic tunneling is the predominant conduction mechanism in PVVH and its composites. The specific capacitance increases with increasing both the temperature and IL concentration.     

Oximes of five-membered heterocyclic compounds with three and four heteroatoms 2. Synthesis of derivatives,reactions, and biological activity (Review)

Data on the reactions of triazole, tetrazole, dioxazole, oxadiazole, and thiadiazole aldoximes, ketoximes, and amidoximes, their synthesis, and the reactions of their derivatives are reviewed. The synthesis of new heterocycles based on the oximes of five-membered heterocyclic compounds with three and four heteroatoms is examined separately. The principal results from investigation of the biological activity of ethers of these oximes are also presented. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 7, pp. 963–990, July, 2008.     

Facile preparation of ferromagnetic alginate-g-poly(vinyl alcohol) microparticles

Alginate-g-poly(vinyl alcohol) was physically cross-linked with Fe(II) ion in a surfactant-free emulsion system to form microparticles via in situ precipitation. The microparticles were subjected to oxidation in aqueous of pH 13 at ambient temperature and transformed into magnetic ones within minutes. X-ray diffractometry showed that magnetic Fe₃O₄ was formed and it was further confirmed with a vibrating sample magnetometer measurement. Scanning electron microscopy examinations indicated that the iron oxide was well embedded into ferrous alginate and the size of particles was around 0.2-1.2 μm.     

Br?nsted酸催化N1-对甲基苯磺酰基三唑与烯烃加成合成高N2选择性的烷基-1,2,3-三唑

N-取代基-1,2,3-三唑广泛应用于生物科学、材料化学和药物化学领域,近几年来引起了人们很大兴趣. N1-取代基-1,2,3-三唑既可由加热催化,也可通过金属诱导的(铜(Ⅰ)催化的1,4-双取代和钌(Ⅱ)催化的1,5-双取代)1,3偶极子环加成反应制备得到,然而有关N2-取代基-1,2,3-三唑的合成仍未获得太大进展.目前,高N2选择性的N2-芳基和N2-烯丙基-1,2,3-三唑的合成方法是利用大位阻的膦配体配位钯催化偶联反应.2008年,史晓东课题组报道了烷基卤化物与大体积的 C-4和 C-5双取代基的NH-1,2,3-三唑通过亲核反应合成N2-烷基-1,2,3-三唑,但其应用受到底物限制.我们设想N1-烷基-1,2,3-三唑可否由N1-取代1,2,3-三唑合成,由于N1-取代基-1,2,3-三唑制备的研究较多,其合成方法将可很方便地构造N2-烷基-1,2,3-三唑化合物.鉴于此,本文对单取代三唑、未取代三唑与包括乙烯基酯在内的多种烯烃的反应进行了研究.首先,我们用不同取代基的N1-1,2,3-三唑与烯烃在不同的酸催化条件下进行反应,考察了酸效应对反应收率的影响,发现 TsOH做 Br?nsted酸为催化剂时,反应产率最高;而 AuCl3做 Lewis酸为催化剂时反应几乎没有加成产物生成.然后,以 TsOH为催化剂,改变三唑与烯烃的加入比例,发现加入比例为1：6时反应产率最高.当N1取代基是 Ts-时,反应产率最高.催化剂 TsOH的加入量由1当量升至2当量时,反应产率没有明显变化.由此表明,N1-1,2,3-三唑与烯烃的最佳反应条件为：催化剂为 TsOH(1当量),N1-1,2,3-三唑的取代基为 Ts,N1-1,2,3-三唑与烯烃的加入比例为1：6.在确定了最佳反应条件后,考察了三唑类底物的适用性.结果发现, N2/N1产物的比例均很高,说明该反应具有很高的N2选择性.上述研究表明, TsOH酸催化N1-对甲苯磺酰基-1,2,3-三唑与烯烃的加成反应是一种有效合成N2-烷基-1,2,3-三唑的新方法,并通过单晶确定了最终的产物结构.单取代三唑和未取代三唑与包括乙烯基酯在内的多种烯烃反应合成N2-烷基-1,2,3-三唑都有很好的反应效果.本文提供了一种简单有效的合成N2-烷基-1,2,3-三唑的新方法.     

Folic acid modified electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/polyethyleneimine nanofibers for cancer cell capture applications

Capture and detection of metastatic cancer cells are crucial for diagnosis and treatment of malignant neoplasm. Here, we report the use of folic acid (FA) modified electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) nanofibers for cancer cell capture applications. Electrospun PVA/PEI nanofibers crosslinked by glutaraldehyde vapor were modified with FA via a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) spacer, followed by acetylation of the fiber surface PEI amines. The formed FA-modified nanofibers were well characterized. The morphology of the electrospun PVA/PEI nanofibers is smooth and uniform despite the surface modification. In addition, the FA-modified nanofibers display good hemocompatibility as confirmed by hemolysis assay. Importantly, the developed FA-modified nanofibers are able to specifically capture cancer cells overexpressing FA receptors, which were validated by quantitative cell counting assay and qualitative confocal microscopy analysis. The developed FA-modified PVA/PEI nanofibers may be used for capturing circulating tumor cells for cancer diagnosis applications.