Data Formats for Elementary Gas Phase Kinetics,Part 1: Unique Representations of Species at the Molecular Level

Standardized electronic formats for data are needed to efficiently and transparently communicate the results of scientific studies. A format for the unique identification of chemical species is a requirement in the field of chemistry, and the IUPAC International Chemical Identifier (InChI) has been widely adopted for this purpose. The InChI identifier has proved to be very useful. The InChI identifier, however, is currently insufficient to uniquely specify some types of molecular entities at a detailed molecular level needed to fully characterize their chemical nature, to differentiate between chemically distinct conformers, to uniquely identify structures used in quantum chemical calculations, and to completely describe elementary chemical reactions. To address this limitation, we propose an augmented form of InChI, denoted as InChI–ER, which contains additional optional layers that allow the unique and unambiguous identification of molecules at a detailed molecular level. The new layers proposed herein are optional extensions of the existing InChI formalism and, like all other InChI layers, would not interfere with InChI identifiers currently in use. The focus of the present work is the better specification of required molecular entities such as rotational conformations, ring conformations, and electronic states. In companion articles, we propose additional reaction layers using an extended InChI format that will enable the unique identification of elementary chemical reactions, including specification of associated transition states, specification of the changes in bonds that occur during reaction, and classification of reaction types.     

CO2 removal by high-density culture of a marine cyanobacterium synechococcus sp. using an improved photobioreactor employing light-diffusing optical fibers

A light diffusing optical fiber (LDOF) photobioreactor with an improved gas input system has been used for the high-density culture of a marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. Optimum conditions for CO2 removal and biomass production were investigated. Maximum CO2 removal of 4.44 g/L/d was achieved using an initial cell concentration of 6.8 g/L. The biomass yield was 0.97 g/L for a 12-culture time. Continuous cultures, in which medium was filtered using a ceramic membrane module, showed enhanced growth, with a final cell concentration of 11.2 g/L. These results demonstrate the potential of LDOF photobioreactor units for CO2 removal and biomass production using marine cyanobacteria.