Volume 67, Issue 7

The presence of an unusually large number of aromatic residues in the active site gorge of acetylcholinesterase is a subject of great interest. Flexibility of these residues has been suspected to be a key player in controlling the ligand traversal in the gorge. This raises the question of whether the over-representation of aromatic residues in the gorge implies higher-than-normal flexibility of these residues. The current study suggests that it does not. Large changes in the hydrophobic cross-sectional area due to dihedral oscillations are probably the reason of their presence in the gorge.

Frutalin, a galactose-specific lectin used to detect specific tumour markers, is a protein with low expression level in breadfruit. In the present study, fed-batch fermentation in a stirred tank bioreactor was used as a strategy to enhance protein production by a recombinant Pichia pastoris KM71H. By using this process, the production of recombinant frutalin was 4-fold higher than the value obtained in shaker flasks batch assays. Supplementation of the fermentation medium with trace elements (Pichia trace minerals, PTM) was also evaluated in order to stimulate production of the recombinant protein. The addition of PTM to the minimum medium afforded a recombinant protein production of 13.4 mg L−1, which was 2.5-fold higher than that achieved from the culture medium without PTM supplementation. These results are significant as the development of strategies to improve the production of recombinant frutalin may broaden its application in cancer diagnosis.

In this paper, one-pot synthesis of 2,4,6-triarylpyridine by condensation of subsisted acetophenone (II), aromatic aldehydes (I), and ammonium acetate (III) in the presence of nanocrystalline MgAl2O4 as a new heterogeneous catalyst under solvent-free conditions is reported. Advantages of this method are the use of spatially-hindered aldehydes such as 2-methoxy-, 2-fluoro-, and 2-chlorobenzaldehydes, a new nanocatalyst with high surface area, shorter reaction time, easier workup, higher yield, and its environmental friendliness. The performance of this reaction under solvent free conditions using heterogeneous catalysts like MgAl2O4 could enhance its efficiency from an economic as well as green chemistry point of view.

A commercial lipase, “Lipolase T100”, was immobilised onto silica by means of physical adsorption. The silica-bound lipase was subsequently exposed to 1 vol. % glutaraldehyde (pentane-1,5-dial). The silica was loaded repeatedly with the Lipolase T100 in 0.05 M Tris buffer (pH 8.5) until saturation was achieved. During the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th cycles of loading of silica with the enzyme, the protein-binding on the silica achieved 51.73 %, 48.27 %, 26.92 %, 10.73 %, and 4.29 %, respectively. The synthesis of methyl salicylate (methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate) and linalyl ferulate (3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-dien-3-yl 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamate) carried out at 45°C under shaking with mole ratios of 200 mM of acid and 500 mM alcohol in DMSO using 15 mg mL−1 of hyper-activated biocatalyst resulted in yield(s) of 77.2 % of methyl salicylate and 65.3 % of linalyl ferulate in the presence of molecular sieves. The hyper-activated biocatalyst was more efficient than the previously reported silica-bound lipase with minimum leaching of the enzyme from the reaction mixture. The K m and V max of the free (0.142 mM and 38.31 μmol min−1 mL−1, respectively) and silica-bound lipase (0.043 mM and 26.32 μmol min−1 mg−1, respectively) were determined for the hydrolysis of p-NPP. During repeated esterification studies using silica-bound lipase, yields of 50.1 % of methyl salicylate after the 5th cycle, and 53.9 % of linalyl ferulate after the 7th cycle of esterification were recorded. In the presence of molecular sieves (30 mg mL−1) in the reaction mixture, the maximum syntheses of methyl salicylate (77.2 %) and linalyl ferulate (65.3 %) were also observed. In a volumetric batch scale-up, when the reaction volume was increased to 50 mL, 44.9 % and 31.4 % yields of methyl salicylate and linalyl ferulate, respectively, were achieved.

Hydroxyapatite-supported Ni-Ce-Cu catalysts were synthesised and tested to study their potential for use in the steam reforming of glycerol to produce hydrogen. The catalysts were prepared by the deposition-precipitation method with variable nickel, cerium, and copper loadings. The performance of the catalysts was evaluated in terms of hydrogen yield at 600°C in a tubular fixed-bed microreactor. All catalysts were characterised by the BET surface area, XRD, TPR, TEM, and FE-SEM techniques. The reaction time was 240 min in a fixed-bed reactor at 600°C and atmospheric pressure with a water-to-glycerol feed molar ratio of 8: 1. It was found that the Ni-Ce-Cu (3 mass %-7.5 mass %-7.5 mass %) hydroxyapatite-supported catalyst afforded the highest hydrogen yield (57.5 %), with a glycerol conversion rate of 97.3 %. The results indicate that Ni/Ce/Cu/hydroxyapatite has great potential as a catalyst for hydrogen production by steam reforming of glycerol.

Rapid and practical green acetylation and tetrahydropyranylation routes of structurally diverse alcohols and phenols were applied under solvent-free reaction conditions providing excellent yields, using catalytic amounts of environmentally friendly sulfonated ordered nanoporous carbon (CMK-5-SO3H). Non-toxic nature of the catalyst, its easy handling, recovery and reusability, and the absence of any solvent characterize the presented procedures as efficient methods. These procedures provide methods for the separation of the product by simple filtration.

An experimental study on the pertraction of methylene blue (MB) through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) using a mixture of mono-(2-etylhexyl) ester of phosphoric acid (M2EHPA) and bis-(2-etylhexyl) ester of phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and sesame oil as the liquid membrane (LM) was performed. Parameters affecting the pertraction of MB such as initial MB concentration, carrier concentration, feed phase pH, and stripping phase concentration were analyzed. Optimal experimental conditions for MB pertraction (permeability of 5.63 × 10−6) were obtained after a 7 h separation with the MB concentration in the feed phase of 80 mg L−1, D2EHPA/M2EHPA concentration in membrane phase of 40 vol. %, feed pH of 6, and acetic acid concentration in the stripping phase of 0.4 mol L−1. Kinetics of transport and stability of the SLM system were also studied and the mass transfer coefficient for this system was evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to morphologically characterize the membrane surface.

Olive oil mill wastewater (OMWW) is very rich in phenolic compounds especially the key compounds of caffeic acid (CA), hydroxytyrosol (HTY), and tyrosol (TY). Therefore, the development of new and effective analytical and industrial methods for the separation and concentration of these valuable compounds has attracted great attention in the last decades. In this study, a selective transport and separation method for CA, HTY, and TY from OMWW samples, obtained from different olive orchards, using a new bulk liquid membrane (BLM) procedure was developed. Various factors influencing the transport efficiency such as pH of the source and receiving phases, nature and volume of the organic membrane, stirring rate, and transport time were investigated and optimized. Under optimal experimental conditions, the transport efficiencies of CA, HTY, and TY from the OMWW samples of 90.1 %, 28.4 %, and 34.9 % were obtained, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 7) were found to be 4.1 %, 3.8 %, and 3.0 % and the limits of detection (LODs) obtained were 0.001 mg L−1, 0.011 mg L−1, and 0.008 mg L−1, for CA, HTY, and TY, respectively.

The application of secondary temperature models on growth rates of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, the much studied probiotic bacterium, is investigated. Growth parameters resulting from a primary fitting were modelled against temperature using the following models: Hinshelwood model (H), Ratkowsky extended model (RTK2), Zwietering model (ZWT), and cardinal temperature model with inflection (CTMI). As experienced by other authors, the RTK2, ZWT, and CTMI models provided the best statistical indices related to fitting the experimental data. Moreover, with the biological background, the following cardinal temperatures of L. rhamnosus GG resulted from the study by the model application: t min = 2.7°C, t opt = 44.4°C, t max = 52.0°C. The growth rate of the strain under study at optimal temperature was 0.88 log10(CFU mL−1 h−1).

Chlorido-bridged chain complexes of dinuclear ruthenium benzoate analogues, [Ru2{3,4,5-(CmH2m+1O)3C6H2CO2}4Cl]n (mCl) (m = 3, 5–7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17), were synthesised and the crystal structure of 3Cl · 2nH2O was revealed. The magnetic measurements for a series of the complexes mCl (m = 2–18) revealed that all the complexes show an antiferromagnetic interaction between the dinuclear unit, with a fastener effect giving the stronger interaction as the alkyl-chain length m increases.

Fluorene-functionalised nanoporous silica (FL-NH2-SBA-15) was prepared using the post-synthesis grafting method of SBA-15. The material thus obtained was characterised by means of small- and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis. The results showed that the organised structure is preserved after the post-grafting procedure. Surface area and pore-size decreased by attaching functional groups to the pore surface. In addition, the pore volume was reduced with functionalisation. The amount of fluorene grafted onto the surface of SBA-15 was 0.55 mmol with a yield of approximately 46 %. The emission spectra of FL-NH2-SBA-15 in acidic media were studied and are discussed in detail. The structural change between FL-NH2-SBA-15 and the protonated form might be an effective candidate for acid-dependent molecular-sensor models for advanced application in molecular sensors in the future.

The Heck coupling of haloarenes with various alkenes was successfully performed in the presence of 0.5 mole % Pd(OAc)2 and 1.0 mole % d-glucosamine as an additive with K2CO3 as the optimal base in a mixture of H2O/iPrOH (φ r = 2: 1) as the reaction solvent at 80°C after 6 h. d-Glucosamine was found to be an inexpensive, air-stable, easy to available, and efficient additive in palladium-catalyzed Heck reactions of aryl iodides (67–95 % conversion) and bromides (38–72 % conversion).

The anti-oxidative properties of bitriazines (BTs) were evaluated using HPLC and cyclic voltammetry. In the first case, a RP-HPLC assay was made, using a fluorescence detector, hydroxyl radicals generated in Fenton reaction, and terephthalic acid as a spin trap. The measurements were performed using aqueous or methanolic solutions. It was found that when the BTs were dissolved in water they were antioxidants, while dissolved in methanol they were pro-oxidants. Their different physicochemical properties in both solvents were confirmed by voltammetric, chromatographic as well as spectrophotometric measurements.