Purification and characterization of a laccase from the white-rot fungus Trametes multicolor

The wood-degrading fungus Trametes multicolor secretes several laccase isoforms when grown on a simple medium containing copper in the millimolar range for stimulating laccase synthesis. The main isoenzyme laccase II was purified to apparent homogeneity from the culture supernatant by using anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Laccase II is a monomeric glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 63 kDa as determined by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, contains 18% glycosylation, and has a pI of 3.0. It oxidizes a variety of phenolic substrates as well as ferrocyanide and iodide. The pH optimum depends on the substrate employed and shows a bell-shaped pH activity profile with an optimum of 4.0 to 5.0 for the phenolic substrates, while the nonphenolic substrates ferrocyanide and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) show a monotonic pH profile with a rate decreasing with increasing pH.     

XPS characterization of wood chemical composition after heat‐treatment

XPS was used to characterize the chemical changes occurring after drying or applying a heat‐treatment to beech wood samples. Our results indicate that the surface of this air‐exposed material could be strongly affected either by the ambient atmosphere during storage or by the complex atmosphere in the oven during drying or heat‐treatment. However, the O/C ratio measured after removal of a thin slice of a few millimetres of an untreated sample is in reasonable agreement with that calculated from the well‐established chemical composition of beech. Through this methodology (equivalent to scraping for hard materials) it is expected to get a realistic characterization of the wood. The reliability and repeatability of the XPS measurements have been checked and the method applied to the study of the chemical changes of the beech samples subjected to heat‐treatment. Heating at 240 °C induces a significant decrease of the O/C ratio from 0.55 before to 0.44 after the treatment. Heat‐treatment induces also a decrease of the C₂ carbon contribution (carbon atom bound to a single non‐carbonyl oxygen) associated with an increase of the C₁ carbon contribution (carbon atoms bound only to carbon or hydrogen atoms), in agreement with chemical modifications reported previously in the literature. Thanks to the small analysed area of the equipment used in this study, different spots were analysed to demonstrate the presence or absence of a gradient of chemical composition due to thermal degradation or migration of extractives from within the wood structure to its surface. At the scale of our observations, the different wood samples investigated (dried or heat treated) appear to be homogeneous. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and in vitro degradation of poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone)‐based graft copolymers for biomedical applications

This work is devoted to the design of a novel family of hydrosoluble biomaterials: poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) (PVP)‐based graft copolymers. A synthesis route has been elaborated in which ω‐functionalized PVP is prepared via chain‐transfer radical polymerization, end‐group modified, and subsequently grafted onto a polyhydroxylated backbone, typically dextran or poly(vinyl alcohol). The resulting graft copolymer biomaterials are designed for use in various biomedical applications, particularly as materials with a stronger potential for plasma expansion than already existing products have. The graft copolymers are potentially degradable because the PVP grafts are connected to the polyol backbone via a hydrolytically labile carbonate or ester linkage. The degradation of the graft copolymers was performed in vitro over a period of 6 weeks. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3652–3661, 2002     

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymers containing nitroterephthalic units. III. Methanolytic degradation

The methanolytic degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) copolymers containing nitroterephthalic units was investigated. Random poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐nitroterephthalate) copolyesters (PETNT) containing 15 and 30 mol % nitrated units were prepared from ethylene glycol and a mixture of dimethyl terephthalate and dimethyl nitroterephthalate. A detailed study of the influence of the nitro group on the methanolytic degradation rate of the nitrated bis(2‐hydroxyethyl) nitroterephthalate (BHENT) model compound in comparison with the nonnitrated bis(2‐hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) model compound was carried out. The kinetics of the methanolysis of BHENT and BHET were evaluated with high‐performance liquid chromatography and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. BHENT appeared to be much more reactive than BHET. The methanolytic degradation of PET and PETNT copolyesters at 80 °C was followed by changes in the weight and viscosity, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The copolyesters degraded faster than PET, and the degradation increased with the content of nitrated units and occurred preferentially by cleavage of the ester groups placed at the meta position of the nitro group in the nitrated units. For both PET and PETNT copolyesters, an increase in crystallinity accompanied methanolysis. A surface degradation mechanism entailing solubilization of the fragmented polymer and consequent loss of mass was found to operate in the methanolysis of the copolyesters. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2276–2285, 2002     

Determination of C1−C4 fatty acids as p-bromophenacyl esters using glass-capillary gas chromatography and electron-capture detection

Summary A method for the determination of low relative molecular mass carboxylic acids (C₁–C₄) in water is reported. The acids are converted to p-bromophenacyl esters prior to a glass-capillary gas chromatographic separation. By utilizing electron-caputre detection the detectability is substantially improved compared to flame-ionization detection. A comparison of three different ways to treat the water samples and to produce the derivatives is made. It is shown that the , p-dibromoacetophenone reagent decomposes to a small extent which limits the utility of the reagent. Nevertheless a detection limit for formic acid of approximately 2.5 mgl^–1 is obtained. The method is applied to the determination of formic and acetic acids in a paper kraft water sample.     

The thermal degradation of poly(diethyl fumarate)

The kinetics and mechanism of the thermal degradation of poly(diethyl fumarate) (PDEF) were studied by thermogravimetry, as well as by analysis of the thermolysis volatiles and polymer residue. The characteristic mass loss temperatures were determined, as were the overall thermal degradation activation energies of three PDEF samples of varying molar mass. Ethylene and ethanol were present in the thermolysis volatiles at degradation temperatures below 300 °C, while diethyl fumarate was also evidenced at higher degradation temperatures. The amount of monomer increased with increasing degradation temperature. The dependence of the molar mass of the residual polymer on the degradation time and temperature was established and the number of main-chain scissions per monomer unit, s/P₀, calculated. A thermal degradation mechanism including de-esterification and random main-chain scission is proposed. The thermal degradation of PDEF was compared to the thermolysis of poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA), poly(diethyl itaconate) (PDEI) and poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA).     

H2O2氧化降解壳聚糖的动力学

为制备分子量分布较窄的可溶性低分子量壳聚糖，研究了简单均相体系下双氧水降解壳聚糖的过程与机理，考察了温度、双氧水浓度和时间对降解反应的影响，实验结果显示均相条件下壳聚糖的氧化降解符合无规降解动力学规律．同一降解体系中，同一反应时刻下，水解产物的分子量的倒数与反应温度成正比．     

TiO2薄膜光催化降解二氯乙酸和三氯乙酸水溶液

用常压化学气相沉积法镀TiO2薄膜,以紫外灯为光源,对二氯乙酸和三氯乙酸溶液进行光催化降解,并证实了此过程符合一级反应动力学方程。结果表明:卤代度以及不同的半导体化合物底物均对二氯乙酸和三氯乙酸溶液的降解有影响,卤代度低的二氯乙酸比卤代度高的三氯乙酸降解效果要好;同样条件下半导体的带隙能越低,降解效果越好。     

莠去津在填充土柱中的运移

用土柱实验模拟莠去津在土壤中的运移、实验结果表明相当浓度的莠去津被淋溶到土柱的底部，说明莠去津对地下水存在很大威胁、应用CXTFIT的平衡与非平衡模型模拟莠去津在土柱中的运移，模拟结果表明CXTFIT的非平衡模型能很好地模拟莠去津的穿透曲线．由CXTFIT率定得到的莠去津在土柱实验中的吸附和降解参数和从批次实验得到的吸附和降解参数有较好的一致性．     

聚联苯醚二甲酰十二碳二胺的热降解过程与机理

利用热重法研究了半芳香尼龙聚联苯醚二甲酰十二碳二胺(PA12-O)在N2气氛中以不同速率β升温时的热降解过程及热降解动力学.结果表明,PA12-O的热降解是一步反应,随着β的增大,降解温度呈指数关系升高.其起始平衡降解温度为439.4℃,终止时的平衡降解温度为468.33℃,最大降解速率时的平衡降解温度为459.17℃.为确定PA12-O的热降解机理,比较了用Kissinger、 Flynn-Wall-Ozawa和 Coats-Redfern方法求得的PA12-O的热降解表观活化能,证明PA12-O的热降解机理为减速类型.