Selection of thermotolerant yeasts for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of cellulose to ethanol

A total of 27 yeast strains belonging to the groupsCandida, Saccharomyces, andKluyveromyces were screened for their ability to grow and ferment glucose at temperatures ranging 32-45°C. K. marxianus andK. fragilis were found to be the best ethanol producing organisms at the higher temperature tested and, so, were selected for subsequent simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) studies.     

Preparation of apolar glass capillary columns by the barium carbonate procedure

As an extension of previous reports, the barium carbonate procedure has been optimized in detail for the preparation of apolar columns. The aim was to produce optimum overall column characteristics, and to maintain them unchanged under the prolonged influence of the highest possible temperature. The main parameters under optimization were glass variety, leaching of glass surface with aqueous HCl, and amount of barium carbonate deposited, while deactivation and coating were kept constant. The basic column characteristics were adsorption properties and thermostability of deactivation, acid/base behaviour and separation efficiency. They were determined by a new, quantitative testing procedure. Intense leaching was able to eliminate almost totally the differences between glass varieties and to create a well-defined glass surface. While untreated glass, leached glass, and barium carbonate treated glass showed specific weak points in the respective column quality, the combination of leaching and barium carbonate treatment yielded the highest and most stable quality. Some technical modifications of the preparation procedure are described, including deactivation in the gas phase, and use of pentane as a solvent for static coating.     

Acid-catalyzed attack of the dinitrogen ligand in thecis-(Me2PhP)4Mo(N2)2 andtrans-(Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2W(N2)2 complexes by nitronium and nitrosonium cations with the formation of nitrogen oxides

The interaction of labeled dinitrogen complexescis-(Me₂PhP)₄Mo(¹⁵N₂)₂ andtrans-(dppe)₂W(¹⁵N₂)₂ with non-labeled nitronium and nitrosonium fluoroborates,¹⁴NO₂BF₄ and¹⁴NOBF₄, in sulfolane at room temperature in the presence of H₂SO₄ results in rapid formation of labeled nitrous and nitric oxides (¹⁵N¹⁴NO,¹⁵NO), as well as¹⁵N¹⁴N. The yield of the products depends on the reagent ratio and reaches 10–20 mol. % per mole of a complex under optimum conditions. The mechanism of the reactions found is proposed. It involves the step of protonation of the dinitrogen ligand to form the corresponding hydrazido(2–) derivatives, which are then attacked by nitronium or nitrosonium cations. In accordance with the mechanism proposed, it was established that the hydrazido(2–) complexes, (Me₂PhP)₃Mo(¹⁵N₂H₂)Cl₂ and (dppe)₂W(¹⁵N₂H₂)Cl₂, are capable of forming¹⁵N¹⁴NO,¹⁵NO, and¹⁵N¹⁴N under the action of¹⁴NO₂BF₄ and¹⁴NOBF₄ in the absence of an acid.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 13–13, July, 1995.     

Solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-fluorimetry for organotin speciation in natural waters

Summary A method is reported for the determination of dibutyltin (DBT), diphenyltin (DPhT), tributyltin (TBT), and triphenyltin (TPhT) species at the nanogram per litre concentration level in natural water samples. Analytes were isolated from samples by solid-phase extraction and analysed both off-line and on-line by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization and fluorimetric detection. Several SPE cartridges and eluents were evaluated; C₁₈ enrichment and elution with a mixture of methanol, acetic acid, and water was found most suitable. Preconcentration factors up to 250 can be achieved when a 500-mL sample is processed. Detection limits, recovery rates, and the precision of the whole process have been determined. The method has been applied to the determination of organotin species in spiked natural water samples collected on the NW Mediterranean coast. Recovery rates range from 75 to 110% and detection limits are at the low ng L⁻¹ level (1–3 ng Sn L⁻¹ for DPhT, DBT, and PhT and 40 ng Sn L⁻¹ for TBT when 250 mL spiked sea water is processed.)     

Analytical applications of picolinealdehyde salicyloylhydrazone: Spectrophotometric determination of nickel and zinc

With a view to the use of picolinealdehyde salicyloylhydrazone as analytical reagent, a study of the physical properties and chemical reactions of this substance has been carried out. It reacts with nickel (λ_max = 375 nm, ? = 3.9 × 10⁴M^?1cm^?1) or zinc (λ_max = 365 nm, ? = 4.8 × 10⁴M^?1cm^?1) to produce a yellow 1:2 complex in both cases. Spectrophotometric determinations of trace amounts of nickel and zinc have been established.     

Itinerant electron ferromagnetism in Sr2+-, Ca2+-, and Ba2+-doped rare-earth orthocobaltites (Ln3+1−xM2+xCoO3)

Electronic and magnetic properties of Ln_1?xSr_xCoO₃ (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd) systems show that above a critical value of x, the d electrons become itinerant while the materials become ferromagnetic at low temperatures. The ferromagnetic component increases with increase in x and decrease in temperature. The Curie temperature increases with x and decreases with decrease in the size of the rare-earth ion. Incorporation of Ba²⁺ in LaCoO₃ favors itinerant electron ferromagnetism relative to Sr²⁺ while Ca²⁺ is less favorable than Sr²⁺.     

Influence des impuretés sur la conductivité cationique dans l'oxyde de magnesium monocristallin

The measurement of the cationic transport numbers in MgO single crystals has been performed, using the dilatocoulometric method. In the oxygen partial pressure range 1 to 10^?10 atm at temperatures of 1100 to 1300°C the ionic conduction in MgO is extrinsic.     

Graph—theoretical approach to the calculation of physico-chemical properties of polymers

A topological extrapolation method for the calculation of various properties (melting points, refractive indices, specific rotation, etc.) of infinite linear polymers is developed. The rapid convergence of the oligomer extrapolation series results in very good agreement between calculated and experimental values. Comparison between the proposed method and other empirical or semi-empirical methods (the group addition method and the Pade-approximation) is also presented.