Sample records for enzymatic hydrogen transfer

  1. Gold nanoparticles/4-aminothiophenol interfaces for direct electron transfer of horseradish peroxidase: Enzymatic orientation and modulation of sensitivity towards hydrogen peroxide detection.

    PubMed

    Huerta-Miranda, G A; Arrocha-Arcos, A A; Miranda-Hernández, M

    2018-08-01

    Hydrogen peroxide electrochemical detection by horseradish peroxidase has been widely studied. The use of gold nanoparticles to prepare electrode/enzyme bioconjugates has attracted attention due to their catalytic properties. In this work, it is reported the use of gold nanoparticles and 4-aminothiophenol as a scaffold to obtain a suitable matrix for enzyme bioconjugation with horseradish peroxidase. A critical factor in biosensors design and development is the enzymatic electrochemical activity understanding. Comparison of voltammetric studies of the heme prosthetic group showed a reversible electrochemical behavior when the enzymes were immobilized in a well-dispersed gold deposit; on the other hand, a discrete redox response was observed on a randomly deposited gold electrode. These results show that the distance between enzymes is essential. Hydrogen peroxide catalysis and the enzymatic behavior were analyzed considering two types of nanoparticles dispositions. The catalytic behavior observed in the well-dispersed nanoparticles configuration suggests a preserved enzyme folding, a decrease of steric impediments, and appears to be a better immobilization strategy. In contrast, the randomly electrodeposited gold electrode decreased the enzyme orientation and the electrochemical activity. The advantages of this methodology are the electrode fabrication affordable cost and the enzymatic direct electron transfer response improvement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Method for the enzymatic production of hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Woodward, Jonathan; Mattingly, Susan M.

    1999-01-01

    The present invention is an enzymatic method for producing hydrogen comprising the steps of: a) forming a reaction mixture within a reaction vessel comprising a substrate capable of undergoing oxidation within a catabolic reaction, such as glucose, galactose, xylose, mannose, sucrose, lactose, cellulose, xylan and starch. The reaction mixture further comprises an amount of glucose dehydrogenase in an amount sufficient to catalyze the oxidation of the substrate, an amount of hydrogenase sufficient to catalyze an electron-requiring reaction wherein a stoichiometric yield of hydrogen is produced, an amount of pH buffer in an amount sufficient to provide an environment that allows the hydrogenase and the glucose dehydrogenase to retain sufficient activity for the production of hydrogen to occur and also comprising an amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate sufficient to transfer electrons from the catabolic reaction to the electron-requiring reaction; b) heating the reaction mixture at a temperature sufficient for glucose dehydrogenase and the hydrogenase to retain sufficient activity and sufficient for the production of hydrogen to occur, and heating for a period of time that continues until the hydrogen is no longer produced by the reaction mixture, wherein the catabolic reaction and the electron-requiring reactions have rates of reaction dependent upon the temperature; and c) detecting the hydrogen produced from the reaction mixture.

  3. Method for the enzymatic production of hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Woodward, J.; Mattingly, S.M.

    1999-08-24

    The present invention is an enzymatic method for producing hydrogen comprising the steps of: (a) forming a reaction mixture within a reaction vessel comprising a substrate capable of undergoing oxidation within a catabolic reaction, such as glucose, galactose, xylose, mannose, sucrose, lactose, cellulose, xylan and starch; the reaction mixture also comprising an amount of glucose dehydrogenase in an amount sufficient to catalyze the oxidation of the substrate, an amount of hydrogenase sufficient to catalyze an electron-requiring reaction wherein a stoichiometric yield of hydrogen is produced, an amount of pH buffer in an amount sufficient to provide an environment that allows the hydrogenase and the glucose dehydrogenase to retain sufficient activity for the production of hydrogen to occur and also comprising an amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate sufficient to transfer electrons from the catabolic reaction to the electron-requiring reaction; (b) heating the reaction mixture at a temperature sufficient for glucose dehydrogenase and the hydrogenase to retain sufficient activity and sufficient for the production of hydrogen to occur, and heating for a period of time that continues until the hydrogen is no longer produced by the reaction mixture, wherein the catabolic reaction and the electron-requiring reactions have rates of reaction dependent upon the temperature; and (c) detecting the hydrogen produced from the reaction mixture. 8 figs.

  4. Kinetic Isotope Effects as a Probe of Hydrogen Transfers to and from Common Enzymatic Cofactors

    PubMed Central

    Roston, Daniel; Islam, Zahidul; Kohen, Amnon

    2013-01-01

    Enzymes use a number of common cofactors as sources of hydrogen to drive biological processes, but the physics of the hydrogen transfers to and from these cofactors is not fully understood. Researchers study the mechanistically important contributions from quantum tunneling and enzyme dynamics and connect those processes to the catalytic power of enzymes that use these cofactors. Here we describe some progress that has been made in studying these reactions, particularly through the use of kinetic isotope effects (KIEs). We first discuss the general theoretical framework necessary to interpret experimental KIEs, and then describe practical uses for KIEs in the context of two case studies. The first example is alcohol dehydrogenase, which uses a nicotinamide cofactor to catalyze a hydride transfer, and the second example is thymidylate synthase, which uses a folate cofactor to catalyze both a hydride and a proton transfer. PMID:24161942

  5. Iridium-Catalyzed Hydrogen Transfer Reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saidi, Ourida; Williams, Jonathan M. J.

    This chapter describes the application of iridium complexes to catalytic hydrogen transfer reactions. Transfer hydrogenation reactions provide an alternative to direct hydrogenation for the reduction of a range of substrates. A hydrogen donor, typically an alcohol or formic acid, can be used as the source of hydrogen for the reduction of carbonyl compounds, imines, and alkenes. Heteroaromatic compounds and even carbon dioxide have also been reduced by transfer hydrogenation reactions. In the reverse process, the oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds can be achieved by iridium-catalyzed hydrogen transfer reactions, where a ketone or alkene is used as a suitable hydrogen acceptor. The reversible nature of many hydrogen transfer processes has been exploited for the racemization of alcohols, where temporary removal of hydrogen generates an achiral ketone intermediate. In addition, there is a growing body of work where temporary removal of hydrogen provides an opportunity for using alcohols as alkylating agents. In this chemistry, an iridium catalyst "borrows" hydrogen from an alcohol to give an aldehyde or ketone intermediate, which can be transformed into either an imine or alkene under the reaction conditions. Return of the hydrogen from the catalyst provides methodology for the formation of amines or C-C bonds where the only by-product is typically water.

  6. CO(2) fixation through hydrogenation by chemical or enzymatic methods.

    PubMed

    Beller, Matthias; Bornscheuer, Uwe T

    2014-04-25

    Two birds with one stone: The simulaneous fixation of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and storage of the alternative fuel hydrogen can be accomplished with the formation of formic acid. In principle, this is now possible either with an enzymatic system based on a newly discovered bacterial hydrogen-dependent carbon dioxide reductase or by using organometallic catalysts at room temperature and ambient pressure. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. High-Yield Hydrogen Production from Starch and Water by a Synthetic Enzymatic Pathway

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Y.-H. Percival; Evans, Barbara R.; Mielenz, Jonathan R.; Hopkins, Robert C.; Adams, Michael W.W.

    2007-01-01

    Background The future hydrogen economy offers a compelling energy vision, but there are four main obstacles: hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, as well as fuel cells. Hydrogen production from inexpensive abundant renewable biomass can produce cheaper hydrogen, decrease reliance on fossil fuels, and achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions, but current chemical and biological means suffer from low hydrogen yields and/or severe reaction conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we demonstrate a synthetic enzymatic pathway consisting of 13 enzymes for producing hydrogen from starch and water. The stoichiometric reaction is C6H10O5 (l)+7 H2O (l)→12 H2 (g)+6 CO2 (g). The overall process is spontaneous and unidirectional because of a negative Gibbs free energy and separation of the gaseous products with the aqueous reactants. Conclusions Enzymatic hydrogen production from starch and water mediated by 13 enzymes occurred at 30°C as expected, and the hydrogen yields were much higher than the theoretical limit (4 H2/glucose) of anaerobic fermentations. Significance The unique features, such as mild reaction conditions (30°C and atmospheric pressure), high hydrogen yields, likely low production costs ($∼2/kg H2), and a high energy-density carrier starch (14.8 H2-based mass%), provide great potential for mobile applications. With technology improvements and integration with fuel cells, this technology also solves the challenges associated with hydrogen storage, distribution, and infrastructure in the hydrogen economy. PMID:17520015

  8. Path Sampling Methods for Enzymatic Quantum Particle Transfer Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Dzierlenga, M.W.; Varga, M.J.

    2016-01-01

    The mechanisms of enzymatic reactions are studied via a host of computational techniques. While previous methods have been used successfully, many fail to incorporate the full dynamical properties of enzymatic systems. This can lead to misleading results in cases where enzyme motion plays a significant role in the reaction coordinate, which is especially relevant in particle transfer reactions where nuclear tunneling may occur. In this chapter, we outline previous methods, as well as discuss newly developed dynamical methods to interrogate mechanisms of enzymatic particle transfer reactions. These new methods allow for the calculation of free energy barriers and kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) with the incorporation of quantum effects through centroid molecular dynamics (CMD) and the full complement of enzyme dynamics through transition path sampling (TPS). Recent work, summarized in this chapter, applied the method for calculation of free energy barriers to reaction in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH). It was found that tunneling plays an insignificant role in YADH but plays a more significant role in LDH, though not dominant over classical transfer. Additionally, we summarize the application of a TPS algorithm for the calculation of reaction rates in tandem with CMD to calculate the primary H/D KIE of YADH from first principles. It was found that the computationally obtained KIE is within the margin of error of experimentally determined KIEs, and corresponds to the KIE of particle transfer in the enzyme. These methods provide new ways to investigate enzyme mechanism with the inclusion of protein and quantum dynamics. PMID:27497161

  9. Imino Transfer Hydrogenation Reductions.

    PubMed

    Wills, Martin

    2016-04-01

    This review contains a summary of recent developments in the transfer hydrogenation of C=N bonds, with a particularly focus on reports from within the last 10 years and asymmetric transformations. However, earlier work in the area is also discussed in order to provide context for the more recent results described. I focus strongly on the Ru/TsDPEN class of asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions originally reported by Noyori et al., together with examples of their applications, particularly to medically valuable target molecules. The recent developments in the area of highly active imine-reduction catalysts, notably those based on iridium, are also described in some detail. I discuss diastereoselective reduction methods as a route to the synthesis of chiral amines using transfer hydrogenation. The recent development of a methodology for positioning reduction complexes within chiral proteins, permitting the generation of asymmetric reduction products through a directed modification of the protein environment in a controlled manner, is also discussed.

  10. Regio-Selective Intramolecular Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange in Gas-Phase Electron Transfer Dissociation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamuro, Yoshitomo

    2017-05-01

    Protein backbone amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) typically utilizes enzymatic digestion after the exchange reaction and before MS analysis to improve data resolution. Gas-phase fragmentation of a peptic fragment prior to MS analysis is a promising technique to further increase the resolution. The biggest technical challenge for this method is elimination of intramolecular hydrogen/deuterium exchange (scrambling) in the gas phase. The scrambling obscures the location of deuterium. Jørgensen's group pioneered a method to minimize the scrambling in gas-phase electron capture/transfer dissociation. Despite active investigation, the mechanism of hydrogen scrambling is not well-understood. The difficulty stems from the fact that the degree of hydrogen scrambling depends on instruments, various parameters of mass analysis, and peptide analyzed. In most hydrogen scrambling investigations, the hydrogen scrambling is measured by the percentage of scrambling in a whole molecule. This paper demonstrates that the degree of intramolecular hydrogen/deuterium exchange depends on the nature of exchangeable hydrogen sites. The deuterium on Tyr amide of neurotensin (9-13), Arg-Pro-Tyr-Ile-Leu, migrated significantly faster than that on Ile or Leu amides, indicating the loss of deuterium from the original sites is not mere randomization of hydrogen and deuterium but more site-specific phenomena. This more precise approach may help understand the mechanism of intramolecular hydrogen exchange and provide higher confidence for the parameter optimization to eliminate intramolecular hydrogen/deuterium exchange during gas-phase fragmentation.

  11. Regio-Selective Intramolecular Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange in Gas-Phase Electron Transfer Dissociation.

    PubMed

    Hamuro, Yoshitomo

    2017-05-01

    Protein backbone amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) typically utilizes enzymatic digestion after the exchange reaction and before MS analysis to improve data resolution. Gas-phase fragmentation of a peptic fragment prior to MS analysis is a promising technique to further increase the resolution. The biggest technical challenge for this method is elimination of intramolecular hydrogen/deuterium exchange (scrambling) in the gas phase. The scrambling obscures the location of deuterium. Jørgensen's group pioneered a method to minimize the scrambling in gas-phase electron capture/transfer dissociation. Despite active investigation, the mechanism of hydrogen scrambling is not well-understood. The difficulty stems from the fact that the degree of hydrogen scrambling depends on instruments, various parameters of mass analysis, and peptide analyzed. In most hydrogen scrambling investigations, the hydrogen scrambling is measured by the percentage of scrambling in a whole molecule. This paper demonstrates that the degree of intramolecular hydrogen/deuterium exchange depends on the nature of exchangeable hydrogen sites. The deuterium on Tyr amide of neurotensin (9-13), Arg-Pro-Tyr-Ile-Leu, migrated significantly faster than that on Ile or Leu amides, indicating the loss of deuterium from the original sites is not mere randomization of hydrogen and deuterium but more site-specific phenomena. This more precise approach may help understand the mechanism of intramolecular hydrogen exchange and provide higher confidence for the parameter optimization to eliminate intramolecular hydrogen/deuterium exchange during gas-phase fragmentation. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  12. A Simple Method To Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hershlag, Natalie; Hurley, Ian; Woodward, Jonathan

    1998-10-01

    There is current interest in and concern for the development of environmentally friendly bioprocesses whereby biomass and the biodegradable content of municipal wastes can be converted to useful forms of energy. For example, cellulose, a glucose polymer that is the principal component of biomass and paper waste, can be enzymatically degraded to glucose, which can subsequently be converted by fermentation or further enzymatic reaction to fuels such as ethanol or hydrogen. These products represent alternative energy sources to fossil fuels such as oil. Demonstration of the relevant reactions in high-school and undergraduate college laboratories would have value not only in illustrating environmentally friendly biotechnology for the utilization of renewable energy sources, such as cellulosic wastes, but could also be used to teach the principles of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. In the experimental protocol described here, it has been demonstrated that the common sugar glucose can be used to produce hydrogen using two enzymes, glucose dehydrogenase and hydrogenase. No sophisticated or expensive hydrogen detection equipment is required-only a redox dye, benzyl viologen, which turns purple when it is reduced. The color can be detected by a simple colorimeter. Furthermore, it is shown that the renewable resource cellulose, in its soluble derivative from carboxymethylcellulose, as well as aspen-wood waste, is also a source of hydrogen if the enzyme cellulase is included in the reaction mixture.

  13. Tandem ring-closing metathesis/transfer hydrogenation: practical chemoselective hydrogenation of alkenes.

    PubMed

    Connolly, Timothy; Wang, Zhongyu; Walker, Michael A; McDonald, Ivar M; Peese, Kevin M

    2014-09-05

    An operationally simple chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of alkenes using ruthenium metathesis catalysts is presented. Of great practicality, the transfer hydrogenation reagents can be added directly to a metathesis reaction and effect hydrogenation of the product alkene in a single pot at ambient temperature without the need to seal the vessel to prevent hydrogen gas escape. The reduction is applicable to a range of alkenes and can be performed in the presence of aryl halides and benzyl groups, a notable weakness of Pd-catalyzed hydrogenations. Scope and mechanistic considerations are presented.

  14. Effect of hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on the structural features and the enzymatic hydrolysis of rice straw.

    PubMed

    Wei, C J; Cheng, C Y

    1985-10-01

    Assessment was made to evaluate the effect of hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on the change of the structural features and the enzymatic hydrolysis of rice straw. Changes in the lignin content, weight loss, accessibility for Cadoxen, water holding capacity, and crystallinity of straw were measured during pretreatment to express the modification of the lignocellulosic structure of straw. The rates and the extents of enzymatic hydrolysis, cellulase adsorption, and cellobiose accumulation in the initial stage of hydrolysis were determined to study the pretreatment effect on hydrolysis. Pretreatment at 60 degrees C for 5 h in a solution with 1% (w/w) H(2)O(2) and NaOH resulted in 60% delignification, 40% weight loss, a fivefold increase in the accessibility for Cadoxen, an one times increase in the water-holding capacity, and only a slight decrease in crystallinity as compared with that of the untreated straw. Improvement on the pretreatment effect could be made by increasing the initial alkalinity and the pretreatment temperature of hydrogen peroxide solution. A saturated improvement on the structural features was found when the weight ratio of hydrogen peroxide to straw was above 0.25 g H(2)O(2)/g straw in an alkaline H(2)O(2) solution with 1% (w/w) NaOH at 32 degrees C. The initial rates and extents of hydrolysis, cellulase adsorption, and cellobiose accumulation in hydrolysis were enhanced in accordance with the improved structural features of straw pretreated. A four times increase in the extent of the enzymatic hydrolysis of straw for 24 h was attributed to the alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment.

  15. Catalytic biorefining of plant biomass to non-pyrolytic lignin bio-oil and carbohydrates through hydrogen transfer reactions.

    PubMed

    Ferrini, Paola; Rinaldi, Roberto

    2014-08-11

    Through catalytic hydrogen transfer reactions, a new biorefining method results in the isolation of depolymerized lignin--a non-pyrolytic lignin bio-oil--in addition to pulps that are amenable to enzymatic hydrolysis. Compared with organosolv lignin, the lignin bio-oil is highly susceptible to further hydrodeoxygenation under low-severity conditions and therefore establishes a unique platform for lignin valorization by heterogeneous catalysis. Overall, the potential of a catalytic biorefining method designed from the perspective of lignin utilization is reported. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Kinetic Characteristics of Hydrogen Transfer Through Palladium-Modified Membrane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petriev, I. S.; Frolov, V. Yu.; Bolotin, S. N.; Baryshev, M. G.; Kopytov, G. F.

    2018-01-01

    The paper deals with hydrogen transfer through Pd-23%Ag alloy membrane, the surface of which is modified by the electrolytic deposition of highly dispersed palladium. The dependence between the density of hydrogen flow and its excess pressure on the input surface of membrane is well approximated by the first-order curve. This fact indicates that the process of hydrogen permeability is defined by its dissociation on the input surface. Activation energy of this process is 47.9 kJ/mol which considerably exceeds that of the process of hydrogen transfer through palladium (22-30 kJ/mol). This confirms the fact that the chemisorption is a rate-controlling step of the hydrogen transfer through membrane.

  17. Gas Requirements in Pressurized Transfer of Liquid Hydrogen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gluck, D. F.; Kline, J. F.

    1961-01-01

    Of late, liquid hydrogen has become a very popular fuel for space missions. It is being used in such programs as Centaur and Saturn. Furthermore, hydrogen is the ideal working fluid for nuclear powered space vehicles currently under development. In these applications, liquid hydrogen fuel is generally transferred to the combustion chamber by a combination of pumping and pressurization. The pump forces the liquid propellant from the fuel tank to the combustion chamber; gaseous pressurant holds tank pressure sufficiently high to prevent cavitation at the pump inlet and to maintain the structural rigidity of the tank. The pressurizing system, composed of pressurant, tankage, and associated hardware can be a large portion of the total vehicle weight. Pressurant weight can be reduced by introducing the pressurizing gas at temperatures substantially greater than those of liquid hydrogen. Heat and mass transfer processes thereby induced complicate gas requirements during discharge. These requirements must be known to insure proper design of the pressurizing system. The aim of this paper is to develop from basic mass and energy transfer processes a general method to predict helium and hydrogen gas usage for the pressurized transfer of liquid hydrogen. This required an analytical and experimental investigation, the results of which are described in this paper.

  18. Characterisation of water hyacinth with microwave-heated alkali pretreatment for enhanced enzymatic digestibility and hydrogen/methane fermentation.

    PubMed

    Lin, Richen; Cheng, Jun; Song, Wenlu; Ding, Lingkan; Xie, Binfei; Zhou, Junhu; Cen, Kefa

    2015-04-01

    Microwave-heated alkali pretreatment (MAP) was investigated to improve enzymatic digestibility and H2/CH4 production from water hyacinth. SEM revealed that MAP deconstructed the lignocellulose matrix and swelled the surfaces of water hyacinth. XRD indicated that MAP decreased the crystallinity index from 16.0 to 13.0 because of cellulose amorphisation. FTIR indicated that MAP effectively destroyed the lignin structure and disrupted the crystalline cellulose to reduce crystallinity. The reducing sugar yield of 0.296 g/gTVS was achieved at optimal hydrolysis conditions (microwave temperature = 190°C, time = 10 min, and cellulase dosage = 5 wt%). The sequentially fermentative hydrogen and methane yields from water hyacinth with MAP and enzymatic hydrolysis were increased to 63.9 and 172.5 mL/gTVS, respectively. The energy conversion efficiency (40.0%) in the two-stage hydrogen and methane cogeneration was lower than that (49.5%) in the one-stage methane production (237.4 mL/gTVS) from water hyacinth with MAP and enzymatic hydrolysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A novel procedure to assess the non-enzymatic hydrogen-peroxide antioxidant capacity of metabolites with high UV absorption.

    PubMed

    Csepregi, Kristóf; Hideg, Éva

    2016-12-01

    Assays assessing non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide antioxidant capacities are often hampered by the high UV absorption of the sample itself. This is a typical problem in studies using plant extracts with high polyphenol content. Our assay is based on comparing the 405 nm absorption of the product of potassium iodine and hydrogen peroxide in the presence and absence of a putative hydrogen peroxide reactive antioxidant. This method is free of interference with either hydrogen peroxide or antioxidant self-absorption and it is also suitable for high-throughput plate reader applications.

  20. Mechanism of Pd(NHC)-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of alkynes.

    PubMed

    Hauwert, Peter; Boerleider, Romilda; Warsink, Stefan; Weigand, Jan J; Elsevier, Cornelis J

    2010-12-01

    The transfer semihydrogenation of alkynes to (Z)-alkenes shows excellent chemo- and stereoselectivity when using a zerovalent palladium(NHC)(maleic anhydride)-complex as precatalyst and triethylammonium formate as hydrogen donor. Studies on the kinetics under reaction conditions showed a broken positive order in substrate and first order in catalyst and hydrogen donor. Deuterium-labeling studies on the hydrogen donor showed that both hydrogens of formic acid display a primary kinetic isotope effect, indicating that proton and hydride transfers are separate rate-determining steps. By monitoring the reaction with NMR, we observed the presence of a coordinated formate anion and found that part of the maleic anhydride remains coordinated during the reaction. From these observations, we propose a mechanism in which hydrogen transfer from coordinated formate anion to zerovalent palladium(NHC)(MA)(alkyne)-complex is followed by migratory insertion of hydride, after which the product alkene is liberated by proton transfer from the triethylammonium cation. The explanation for the high selectivity observed lies in the competition between strongly coordinating solvent and alkyne for a Pd(alkene)-intermediate.

  1. MnOx/C nanocomposite: An insight on high-performance supercapacitor and non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahuja, Preety; Kumar Ujjain, Sanjeev; Kanojia, Rajni

    2017-05-01

    In this work, we have used microemulsion method for synthesis of MnOx/C nanocomposite and investigated its electrochemical properties via fabrication of supercapacitor and non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor. In-situ inclusion of conducting carbon in manganese oxide (MnOx/C) enhances the network conductivity facilitating the charge transfer process which is beneficial for supercapacitor and sensing applications. MnOx/C provides high energy and power density, 31.6 Wh kg-1 and 3.8 kW kg-1 respectively and short relaxation time ∼3 ms for fabricated cell (MnOx/C//MnOx/C) endowing excellent power delivery capacity. Furthermore, MnOx/C as sensor, exhibits excellent catalytic activity toward the oxidation of H2O2 and shows high sensitivity (0.37 mA mM-1 cm-2) with low detection limit (0.5 μM at an S/N of 3). Hence, this study provides new avenue for high performance supercapacitor and H2O2 detection.

  2. Gas diffusion electrodes improve hydrogen gas mass transfer for a hydrogen oxidizing bioanode

    PubMed Central

    Rodenas, Pau; Zhu, Fangqi; Sleutels, Tom; Saakes, Michel; Buisman, Cees

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are capable of recovery of metals at a cathode through oxidation of organic substrate at an anode. Recently, also hydrogen gas was used as an electron donor for recovery of copper in BESs. Oxidation of hydrogen gas produced a current density of 0.8 A m‐2 and combined with Cu2+ reduction at the cathode, produced 0.25 W m‐2. The main factor limiting current production was the mass transfer of hydrogen to the biofilm due to the low solubility of hydrogen in the anolyte. Here, the mass transfer of hydrogen gas to the bioanode was improved by use of a gas diffusion electrode (GDE). Results With the GDE, hydrogen was oxidized to produce a current density of 2.9 A m‐2 at an anode potential of –0.2 V. Addition of bicarbonate to the influent led to production of acetate, in addition to current. At a bicarbonate concentration of 50 mmol L‐1, current density increased to 10.7 A m‐2 at an anode potential of –0.2 V. This increase in current density could be due to oxidation of formed acetate in addition to oxidation of hydrogen, or enhanced growth of hydrogen oxidizing bacteria due to the availability of acetate as carbon source. The effect of mass transfer was further assessed through enhanced mixing and in combination with the addition of bicarbonate (50 mmol L‐1) current density increased further to 17.1 A m‐2. Conclusion Hydrogen gas may offer opportunities as electron donor for bioanodes, with acetate as potential intermediate, at locations where excess hydrogen and no organics are available. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. PMID:29200586

  3. Scale-up and integration of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and ethanolic fermentation.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Goutami; Car, Suzana; Liu, Tongjun; Williams, Daniel L; Meza, Sarynna López; Walton, Jonathan D; Hodge, David B

    2012-04-01

    Alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) has several attractive features as a pretreatment in the lignocellulosic biomass-to-ethanol pipeline. Here, the feasibility of scaling-up the AHP process and integrating it with enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation was studied. Corn stover (1 kg) was subjected to AHP pretreatment, hydrolyzed enzymatically, and the resulting sugars fermented to ethanol. The AHP pretreatment was performed at 0.125 g H(2) O(2) /g biomass, 22°C, and atmospheric pressure for 48 h with periodic pH readjustment. The enzymatic hydrolysis was performed in the same reactor following pH neutralization of the biomass slurry and without washing. After 48 h, glucose and xylose yields were 75% and 71% of the theoretical maximum. Sterility was maintained during pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis without the use of antibiotics. During fermentation using a glucose- and xylose-utilizing strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, all of the Glc and 67% of the Xyl were consumed in 120 h. The final ethanol titer was 13.7 g/L. Treatment of the enzymatic hydrolysate with activated carbon prior to fermentation had little effect on Glc fermentation but markedly improved utilization of Xyl, presumably due to the removal of soluble aromatic inhibitors. The results indicate that AHP is readily scalable and can be integrated with enzyme hydrolysis and fermentation. Compared to other leading pretreatments for lignocellulosic biomass, AHP has potential advantages with regard to capital costs, process simplicity, feedstock handling, and compatibility with enzymatic deconstruction and fermentation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:922-931. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Accelerating the Rate-Limiting Step in Novel Enzymatic Carbohydrate-to-Hydrogen Technology by Enzyme Engineering

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-10-30

    stable phosphoglucose isomerase through immobilization of cellulose-binding module-tagged thermophilic enzyme on low- cost high-capacity celiulosic...NOVEL ENZYMATIC CARBOHYDRATE-TO-HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY BY ENZYME ENGINEERING Grant/Contract Number: FA9550-08-1-0145 Program Manager: Dr. Walt...bbtransformation (SyPaB) is the implementation of complicated biochemical reactions by in vitro assembly of enzyme and coenzymes. Different from in vivo

  5. Hydrogen-transfer and charge-transfer in photochemical and radiation induced reactions. Progress report, November 1, 1975--October 31, 1976

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cohen, S.G.

    The relative importance of light absorption, quenching of triplet, and hydrogen transfer repair has been examined in retardation by mercaptans of photoreduction of aromatic ketones by alcohols. In the reduction of benzophenone by 2-propanol, retardation is efficient and, after correction for the first two effects, is due entirely to hydrogen-transfer repair, as indicated by deuterium labeling. In reduction of acetophenone by ..cap alpha..-methylbenzyl alcohol, repair by hydrogen transfer is also operative. In reduction of benzophenone by benzhydrol, retardation is less efficient and is due to quenching, as the ketyl radical does not abstract hydrogen from mercaptan rapidly in competition withmore » coupling. Deuterium isotope effects are discussed in terms of competitive reactions. Photoreduction of benzophenone by 2-butylamine and by triethylamine is retarded by aromatic mercaptans and disulfides. Of the retardation not due to light absorption and triplet quenching by the sulfur compounds, half is due to hydrogen-transfer repair, as indicated by racemization and deuterium labeling. The remainder is attributed to quenching by the sulfur compound of the charge-transfer-complex intermediate. Photoreduction by primary and secondary amines, but not by tertiary amines, is accelerated by aliphatic mercaptans. The acceleration is attributed to catalysis of hydrogen transfer by the mercaptan in the charge-transfer complex. The effect is large in hydrocarbon solvent, less in polar organic solvents and absent in water.« less

  6. Energy-transfer processes in neon-hydrogen mixtures excited by electron beams

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Morozov, A.; Kruecken, R.; Ulrich, A.

    2005-12-15

    Energy- and charge-transfer processes in neon-hydrogen mixtures (500-1400 hPa neon and 0.001-3 hPa hydrogen partial pressures) excited by a pulsed low-energy ({approx}10 keV) electron beam were investigated using time-resolved spectroscopy. Time spectra of the hydrogen Lyman-{alpha} line, neon excimer emission (second continuum), and neon atomic lines (3p-3s transitions) were recorded. The time-integrated intensity of the Lyman-{alpha} emission was measured for the same range of gas mixtures. It is shown that direct energy transfer from Ne{sub 2}* excimers and neon atoms in the four lowest excited states as well as recombination of H{sub 3}{sup +} ions are the main channels populatingmore » atomic hydrogen in the n=2 state. A rate constant of (4.2{+-}1.4)x10{sup -11} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1} was obtained for the charge transfer from Ne{sub 2}{sup +} ions to molecular hydrogen. A lower limit for the depopulation rate constant of Ne{sub 2}* excimers by molecular hydrogen (combination of energy transfer and ionization) was found to be 1.0x10{sup -10} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1}.« less

  7. Stretchable hydrogen sensors employing palladium nanosheets transferred onto an elastomeric substrate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Namgung, Gitae; Ta, Qui Thanh Hoai; Noh, Jin-Seo

    2018-07-01

    Stretchable hydrogen sensors were fabricated from Pd nanosheets that were transferred onto a PDMS substrate. To prepare the Pd nanosheets, a Pd thin film on PDMS was first biaxially stretched and then PDMS substrate was etched off. The size of Pd nanosheets decreased as the applied strain increased and the film thickness decreased. A transfer technique was utilized to implement the stretchable hydrogen sensors. The stretchable sensors exhibited negative response behaviors upon the exposure to hydrogen gas. Interestingly, the sensors worked even under large strains up to 30%, demonstrating a potential as a high-strain-tolerable hydrogen sensor for the first time.

  8. Magnetically Recoverable Supported Ruthenium Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Alkynes and Transfer Hydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds

    EPA Science Inventory

    A ruthenium (Ru) catalyst supported on magnetic nanoparticles (NiFe2O4) has been successfully synthesized and used for hydrogenation of alkynes at room temperature as well as transfer hydrogenation of a number of carbonyl compounds under microwave irradiation conditions. The cata...

  9. Protonic transport through solitons in hydrogen-bonded systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kavitha, L.; Jayanthi, S.; Muniyappan, A.; Gopi, D.

    2011-09-01

    We offer an alternative route for investigating soliton solutions in hydrogen-bonded (HB) chains. We invoke the modified extended tangent hyperbolic function method coupled with symbolic computation to solve the governing equation of motion for proton dynamics. We investigate the dynamics of proton transfer in HB chains through bell-shaped soliton excitations, which trigger the bio-energy transport in most biological systems. This solitonic mechanism of proton transfer could play functional roles in muscular contraction, enzymatic activity and oxidative phosphorylation.

  10. Insights into the Hydrogen-Atom Transfer of the Blue Aroxyl.

    PubMed

    Bächle, Josua; Marković, Marijana; Kelterer, Anne-Marie; Grampp, Günter

    2017-10-19

    An experimental and theoretical study on hydrogen-atom transfer dynamics in the hydrogen-bonded substituted phenol/phenoxyl complex of the blue aroxyl (2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenoxyl) is presented. The experimental exchange dynamics is determined in different organic solvents from the temperature-dependent alternating line-width effect in the continuous-wave ESR spectrum. From bent Arrhenius plots, effective tunnelling contributions with parallel heavy-atom motion are concluded. To clarify the transfer mechanism, reaction paths for different conformers of the substituted phenol/phenoxyl complex are modelled theoretically. Various DFT and post-Hartree-Fock methods including multireference methods are applied. From the comparison of experimental and theoretical data it is concluded that the system favours concerted hydrogen-atom transfer along a parabolic reaction path caused by heavy-atom motion. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Proton-coupled electron transfer versus hydrogen atom transfer: generation of charge-localized diabatic states.

    PubMed

    Sirjoosingh, Andrew; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

    2011-03-24

    The distinction between proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanisms is important for the characterization of many chemical and biological processes. PCET and HAT mechanisms can be differentiated in terms of electronically nonadiabatic and adiabatic proton transfer, respectively. In this paper, quantitative diagnostics to evaluate the degree of electron-proton nonadiabaticity are presented. Moreover, the connection between the degree of electron-proton nonadiabaticity and the physical characteristics distinguishing PCET from HAT, namely, the extent of electronic charge redistribution, is clarified. In addition, a rigorous diabatization scheme for transforming the adiabatic electronic states into charge-localized diabatic states for PCET reactions is presented. These diabatic states are constructed to ensure that the first-order nonadiabatic couplings with respect to the one-dimensional transferring hydrogen coordinate vanish exactly. Application of these approaches to the phenoxyl-phenol and benzyl-toluene systems characterizes the former as PCET and the latter as HAT. The diabatic states generated for the phenoxyl-phenol system possess physically meaningful, localized electronic charge distributions that are relatively invariant along the hydrogen coordinate. These diabatic electronic states can be combined with the associated proton vibrational states to generate the reactant and product electron-proton vibronic states that form the basis of nonadiabatic PCET theories. Furthermore, these vibronic states and the corresponding vibronic couplings may be used to calculate rate constants and kinetic isotope effects of PCET reactions.

  12. Enzymatic cellulose oxidation is linked to lignin by long-range electron transfer

    PubMed Central

    Westereng, Bjørge; Cannella, David; Wittrup Agger, Jane; Jørgensen, Henning; Larsen Andersen, Mogens; Eijsink, Vincent G.H.; Felby, Claus

    2015-01-01

    Enzymatic oxidation of cell wall polysaccharides by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) plays a pivotal role in the degradation of plant biomass. While experiments have shown that LPMOs are copper dependent enzymes requiring an electron donor, the mechanism and origin of the electron supply in biological systems are only partly understood. We show here that insoluble high molecular weight lignin functions as a reservoir of electrons facilitating LPMO activity. The electrons are donated to the enzyme by long-range electron transfer involving soluble low molecular weight lignins present in plant cell walls. Electron transfer was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy showing that LPMO activity on cellulose changes the level of unpaired electrons in the lignin. The discovery of a long-range electron transfer mechanism links the biodegradation of cellulose and lignin and sheds new light on how oxidative enzymes present in plant degraders may act in concert. PMID:26686263

  13. Novel Architectures for Achieving Direct Electron Transfer in Enzymatic Biofuel Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blaik, Rita A.

    Enzymatic biofuel cells are a promising source of alternative energy for small device applications, but still face the challenge of achieving direct electron transfer with high enzyme concentrations in a simple system. In this dissertation, methods of constructing electrodes consisting of enzymes attached to nanoparticle-enhanced substrates that serve as high surface area templates are evaluated. In the first method described, glucose oxidase is covalently attached to gold nanoparticles that are assembled onto genetically engineered M13 bacteriophage. The resulting anodes achieve a high peak current per area and a significant improvement in enzyme surface coverage. In the second system, fructose dehydrogenase, a membrane-bound enzyme that has the natural ability to achieve direct electron transfer, is immobilized into a matrix consisting of binders and carbon nanotubes to extend the lifetime of the anode. For the cathode, bilirubin oxidase is immobilized in a carbon nanotube and sol-gel matrix to achieve direct electron transfer. Finally, a full fuel cell consisting of both an anode and cathode is constructed and evaluated with each system described.

  14. Inner reorganization limiting electron transfer controlled hydrogen bonding: intra- vs. intermolecular effects.

    PubMed

    Martínez-González, Eduardo; Frontana, Carlos

    2014-05-07

    In this work, experimental evidence of the influence of the electron transfer kinetics during electron transfer controlled hydrogen bonding between anion radicals of metronidazole and ornidazole, derivatives of 5-nitro-imidazole, and 1,3-diethylurea as the hydrogen bond donor, is presented. Analysis of the variations of voltammetric EpIcvs. log KB[DH], where KB is the binding constant, allowed us to determine the values of the binding constant and also the electron transfer rate k, confirmed by experiments obtained at different scan rates. Electronic structure calculations at the BHandHLYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level for metronidazole, including the solvent effect by the Cramer/Truhlar model, suggested that the minimum energy conformer is stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. In this structure, the inner reorganization energy, λi,j, contributes significantly (0.5 eV) to the total reorganization energy of electron transfer, thus leading to a diminishment of the experimental k.

  15. Microscale Enhancement of Heat and Mass Transfer for Hydrogen Energy Storage

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Drost, Kevin; Jovanovic, Goran; Paul, Brian

    2015-09-30

    The document summarized the technical progress associated with OSU’s involvement in the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence. OSU focused on the development of microscale enhancement technologies for improving heat and mass transfer in automotive hydrogen storage systems. OSU’s key contributions included the development of an extremely compact microchannel combustion system for discharging hydrogen storage systems and a thermal management system for adsorption based hydrogen storage using microchannel cooling (the Modular Adsorption Tank Insert or MATI).

  16. Arrhenius curves of hydrogen transfers: tunnel effects, isotope effects and effects of pre-equilibria

    PubMed Central

    Limbach, Hans-Heinrich; Miguel Lopez, Juan; Kohen, Amnon

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, the Arrhenius curves of selected hydrogen-transfer reactions for which kinetic data are available in a large temperature range are reviewed. The curves are discussed in terms of the one-dimensional Bell–Limbach tunnelling model. The main parameters of this model are the barrier heights of the isotopic reactions, barrier width of the H-reaction, tunnelling masses, pre-exponential factor and minimum energy for tunnelling to occur. The model allows one to compare different reactions in a simple way and prepare the kinetic data for more-dimensional treatments. The first type of reactions is concerned with reactions where the geometries of the reacting molecules are well established and the kinetic data of the isotopic reactions are available in a large temperature range. Here, it is possible to study the relation between kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and chemical structure. Examples are the tautomerism of porphyrin, the porphyrin anion and related compounds exhibiting intramolecular hydrogen bonds of medium strength. We observe pre-exponential factors of the order of kT/h≅1013 s−1 corresponding to vanishing activation entropies in terms of transition state theory. This result is important for the second type of reactions discussed in this paper, referring mostly to liquid solutions. Here, the reacting molecular configurations may be involved in equilibria with non- or less-reactive forms. Several cases are discussed, where the less-reactive forms dominate at low or at high temperature, leading to unusual Arrhenius curves. These cases include examples from small molecule solution chemistry like the base-catalysed intramolecular H-transfer in diaryltriazene, 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)-benzoxazole, 2-hydroxy-phenoxyl radicals, as well as in the case of an enzymatic system, thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase. In the latter case, temperature-dependent KIEs are interpreted in terms of a transition between two regimes with different temperature

  17. Arrhenius curves of hydrogen transfers: tunnel effects, isotope effects and effects of pre-equilibria.

    PubMed

    Limbach, Hans-Heinrich; Miguel Lopez, Juan; Kohen, Amnon

    2006-08-29

    In this paper, the Arrhenius curves of selected hydrogen-transfer reactions for which kinetic data are available in a large temperature range are reviewed. The curves are discussed in terms of the one-dimensional Bell-Limbach tunnelling model. The main parameters of this model are the barrier heights of the isotopic reactions, barrier width of the H-reaction, tunnelling masses, pre-exponential factor and minimum energy for tunnelling to occur. The model allows one to compare different reactions in a simple way and prepare the kinetic data for more-dimensional treatments. The first type of reactions is concerned with reactions where the geometries of the reacting molecules are well established and the kinetic data of the isotopic reactions are available in a large temperature range. Here, it is possible to study the relation between kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and chemical structure. Examples are the tautomerism of porphyrin, the porphyrin anion and related compounds exhibiting intramolecular hydrogen bonds of medium strength. We observe pre-exponential factors of the order of kT/h congruent with 10(13) s-1 corresponding to vanishing activation entropies in terms of transition state theory. This result is important for the second type of reactions discussed in this paper, referring mostly to liquid solutions. Here, the reacting molecular configurations may be involved in equilibria with non- or less-reactive forms. Several cases are discussed, where the less-reactive forms dominate at low or at high temperature, leading to unusual Arrhenius curves. These cases include examples from small molecule solution chemistry like the base-catalysed intramolecular H-transfer in diaryltriazene, 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-benzoxazole, 2-hydroxy-phenoxyl radicals, as well as in the case of an enzymatic system, thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase. In the latter case, temperature-dependent KIEs are interpreted in terms of a transition between two regimes with different temperature

  18. Optimizing Phosphoric Acid plus Hydrogen Peroxide (PHP) Pretreatment on Wheat Straw by Response Surface Method for Enzymatic Saccharification.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Jingwen; Wang, Qing; Shen, Fei; Yang, Gang; Zhang, Yanzong; Deng, Shihuai; Zhang, Jing; Zeng, Yongmei; Song, Chun

    2017-03-01

    Wheat straw was pretreated by phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide (PHP), in which temperature, time, and H 3 PO 4 proportion for pretreatment were investigated by using response surface method. Results indicated that hemicellulose and lignin removal positively responded to the increase of pretreatment temperature, H 3 PO 4 proportion, and time. H 3 PO 4 proportion was the most important variable to control cellulose recovery, followed by pretreatment temperature and time. Moreover, these three variables all negatively related to cellulose recovery. Increasing H 3 PO 4 proportion can improve enzymatic hydrolysis; however, reduction on cellulose recovery results in decrease of glucose yield. Extra high temperature or long time for pretreatment was not beneficial to enzymatic hydrolysis and glucose yield. Based on the criterion for minimizing H 3 PO 4 usage and maximizing glucose yield, the optimized pretreatment conditions was 40 °C, 2.0 h, and H 3 PO 4 proportion of 70.2 % (H 2 O 2 proportion of 5.2 %), by which glucose yielded 299 mg/g wheat straw (946.2 mg/g cellulose) after 72-h enzymatic hydrolysis.

  19. Concise synthesis of the bryostatin A-ring via consecutive C-C bond forming transfer hydrogenations.

    PubMed

    Lu, Yu; Krische, Michael J

    2009-07-16

    Under the conditions of C-C bond forming transfer hydrogenation, 1,3-propanediol 1 engages in double asymmetric carbonyl allylation to furnish the C(2)-symmetric diol 2. Double ozonolysis of 2 followed by TBS protection delivers aldehyde 3, which is subject to catalyst directed carbonyl reverse prenylation via transfer hydrogenation to deliver neopentyl alcohol 4 and, ultimately, the bryostatin A-ring 7. Through use of two consecutive C-C bond forming transfer hydrogenations, the Evans' bryostatin A-ring 7 is prepared in less than half the manipulations previously reported.

  20. Uncertainty Analysis of Heat Transfer to Supercritical Hydrogen in Cooling Channels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Locke, Justin M.; Landrum, D. Brian

    2005-01-01

    Sound understanding of the cooling efficiency of supercritical hydrogen is crucial to the development of high pressure thrust chambers for regeneratively cooled LOX/LH2 rocket engines. This paper examines historical heat transfer correlations for supercritical hydrogen and the effects of uncertainties in hydrogen property data. It is shown that uncertainty due to property data alone can be as high as 10%. Previous heated tube experiments with supercritical hydrogen are summarized, and data from a number of heated tube experiments are analyzed to evaluate conditions for which the available correlations are valid.

  1. Hydrogen transfer reactions of interstellar Complex Organic Molecules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Álvarez-Barcia, S.; Russ, P.; Kästner, J.; Lamberts, T.

    2018-06-01

    Radical recombination has been proposed to lead to the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in CO-rich ices in the early stages of star formation. These COMs can then undergo hydrogen addition and abstraction reactions leading to a higher or lower degree of saturation. Here, we have studied 14 hydrogen transfer reactions for the molecules glyoxal, glycoaldehyde, ethylene glycol, and methylformate and an additional three reactions where CHnO fragments are involved. Over-the-barrier reactions are possible only if tunneling is invoked in the description at low temperature. Therefore the rate constants for the studied reactions are calculated using instanton theory that takes quantum effects into account inherently. The reactions were characterized in the gas phase, but this is expected to yield meaningful results for CO-rich ices due to the minimal alteration of reaction landscapes by the CO molecules. We found that rate constants should not be extrapolated based on the height of the barrier alone, since the shape of the barrier plays an increasingly larger role at decreasing temperature. It is neither possible to predict rate constants based only on considering the type of reaction, the specific reactants and functional groups play a crucial role. Within a single molecule, though, hydrogen abstraction from an aldehyde group seems to be always faster than hydrogen addition to the same carbon atom. Reactions that involve heavy-atom tunneling, e.g., breaking or forming a C-C or C-O bond, have rate constants that are much lower than those where H transfer is involved.

  2. Ruthenium supported on magnetic nanoparticles: An efficient and recoverable catalyst for hydrogenation of alkynes and transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ruthenium supported on surface modified magnetic nanoparticles (NiFe2O4) has been successfully synthesized and applied for hydrogenation of alkynes at room temperature as well as transfer hydrogenation of a number of carbonyl compounds under microwave irradiation conditions. The ...

  3. Non-catalytic transfer hydrogenation in supercritical CO2 for coal liquefaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elhussien, Hussien

    This thesis presents the results of the investigation on developing and evaluating a low temperature (<150°C) non - catalytic process using a hydrogen transfer agent (instead of molecu-lar hydrogen) for coal dissolution in supercritical CO2. The main idea behind the thesis was that one hydrogen atom from water and one hydrogen atom from the hydrogen transfer agent (HTA) were used to hydrogenate the coal. The products of coal dissolution were non-polar and polar while the supercritical CO2, which enhanced the rates of hydrogenation and dissolution of the non-polar molecules and removal from the reaction site, was non-polar. The polar modifier (PM) for CO2 was added to the freed to aid in the dissolution and removal of the polar components. The addition of a phase transfer agent (PTA) allowed a seamless transport of the ions and by-product between the aqueous and organic phases. DDAB, used as the PTA, is an effective phase transfer catalyst and showed enhancement to the coal dissolution process. COAL + DH- +H 2O → COAL.H2 + DHO-- This process has a great feature due to the fact that the chemicals were obtained without requir-ing to first convert coal to CO and H2 units as in indirect coal liquefaction. The experiments were conducted in a unique reactor set up that can be connected through two lines. one line to feed the reactor with supercritical CO 2 and the other connected to gas chromatograph. The use of the supercritical CO2 enhanced the solvent option due to the chemical extraction, in addition to the low environmental impact and energy cost. In this thesis the experiment were conducted at five different temperatures from atmos-pheric to 140°C, 3000 - 6000 psi with five component of feed mixture, namely water, HTA, PTA, coal, and PM in semi batch vessels reactor system with a volume of 100 mL. The results show that the chemicals were obtained without requiring to first convert coal to CO and H2 units as in indirect coal liquefaction. The results show that

  4. Ab Initio Vibrational Levels For HO2 and Vibrational Splittings for Hydrogen Atom Transfer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barclay, V. J.; Dateo, Christopher E.; Hamilton, I. P.; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    We calculate vibrational levels and wave functions for HO2 using the recently reported ab initio potential energy surface of Walch and Duchovic. There is intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer when the hydrogen atom tunnels through a T-shaped saddle point separating two equivalent equilibrium geometries, and correspondingly, the energy levels are split. We focus on vibrational levels and wave functions with significant splitting. The first three vibrational levels with splitting greater than 2/cm are (15 0), (0 7 1) and (0 8 0) where V(sub 2) is the O-O-H bend quantum number. We discuss the dynamics of hydrogen atom transfer; in particular, the O-O distances at which hydrogen atom transfer is most probable for these vibrational levels. The material of the proposed presentation was reviewed and the technical content will not reveal any information not already in the public domain and will not give any foreign industry or government a competitive advantage.

  5. Hydrogen Transfer during Liquefaction of Elbistan Lignite to Biomass; Total Reaction Transformation Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koyunoglu, Cemil; Karaca, Hüseyin

    2017-12-01

    Given the high cost of the tetraline solvent commonly used in liquefaction, the use of manure with EL is an important factor when considering the high cost of using tetraline as a hydrogen transfer source. In addition, due to the another cost factor which is the catalyst prices, red mud (commonly used, produced as a byproduct in the production of aluminium) is reduced cost in the work of liquefaction of coal, biomass, even coal combined biomass, corresponding that making the EL liquefaction an agenda for our country is another important factor. Conditions for liquefaction experiments conducted for hydrogen transfer from manure to coal; Catalyst concentration of 9%, liquid/solid ratio of 3/1, reaction time of 60 min, fertilizer/lignite ratio of 1/3, and the reaction temperature of 400 °C, the stirred speed of 400 rpm and the initial nitrogen pressure of 20 bar was fixed. In order to demonstrate the hydrogen, transfer from manure to coal, coal is used solely, by using tetraline (also known as a hydrogen carrier) and distilled water which is not hydrogen donor as a solvent in the co-liquefaction of experiments, and also the liquefaction conditions are carried out under an inert (N2) gas atmosphere. According to the results of the obtained liquefaction test; using tetraline solvent the total liquid product conversion percentage of the oil + gas conversion was 38.3 %, however, the results of oil+gas conversion obtained using distilled water and EL combined with manure the total liquid product conversion percentage was 7.4 %. According to the results of calorific value and elemental analysis, only the ratio of (H/C)atomic of coal obtained by using tetraline increased with the liquefaction of manure and distilled water. The reason of the increase in the amount of hydrogen due to hydrogen transfer from the manure on the solid surface of the coal, and also on the surface of the inner pore of the coal during the liquefaction, brings about the evaluation of the coal as a

  6. Regulating energy transfer of excited carriers and the case for excitation-induced hydrogen dissociation on hydrogenated graphene

    PubMed Central

    Bang, Junhyeok; Meng, Sheng; Sun, Yi-Yang; West, Damien; Wang, Zhiguo; Gao, Fei; Zhang, S. B.

    2013-01-01

    Understanding and controlling of excited carrier dynamics is of fundamental and practical importance, particularly in photochemistry and solar energy applications. However, theory of energy relaxation of excited carriers is still in its early stage. Here, using ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) coupled with time-dependent density functional theory, we show a coverage-dependent energy transfer of photoexcited carriers in hydrogenated graphene, giving rise to distinctively different ion dynamics. Graphene with sparsely populated H is difficult to dissociate due to inefficient transfer of the excitation energy into kinetic energy of the H. In contrast, H can easily desorb from fully hydrogenated graphane. The key is to bring down the H antibonding state to the conduction band minimum as the band gap increases. These results can be contrasted to those of standard ground-state MD that predict H in the sparse case should be much less stable than that in fully hydrogenated graphane. Our findings thus signify the importance of carrying out explicit electronic dynamics in excited-state simulations. PMID:23277576

  7. Coupling Glucose Dehydrogenation with CO2 Hydrogenation by Hydrogen Transfer in Aqueous Media at Room Temperature.

    PubMed

    Ding, Guodong; Su, Ji; Zhang, Cheng; Tang, Kan; Yang, Lisha; Lin, Hongfei

    2018-05-08

    Conversion of carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals and fuels provides a direct solution to reduce excessive CO2 in the atmosphere. Herein, a novel catalytic reaction system is presented by coupling the dehydrogenation of glucose with the hydrogenation of a CO2 derived salt, ammonium carbonate, in the ethanol-water mixture. For the first time, the hydrogenation of CO2 into formate by glucose has been achieved under ambient conditions. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the highest yield of formate reached ~ 46 %. We find that the apparent pH value in the ethanol-water mixture plays a central role in determining the performance of the hydrogen transfer reaction. Based on the 13C NMR and ESI-MS results, a possible pathway of the coupled glucose dehydrogenation and CO2 hydrogenation reactions was proposed. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. A new hydrogen peroxide--based medical-device detergent with germicidal properties: comparison with enzymatic cleaners.

    PubMed

    Alfa, M J; Jackson, M

    2001-06-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the cleaning and bacterial killing ability of a new non-enzyme-based formulation (killing detergent solution [KDS]) compared with commercially available enzymatic detergents that included Metrizyme (Metrex Research Division of Sybron Canada Ltd. Morrisburg, Ontario) and Gzyme (Germiphene Corp, Brantford, Ontario). KDS is a hydrogen peroxide-based detergent formulation that combines cleaning efficacy with the ability to kill microorganisms. The KDS formulation helps ensure the protection of the health care worker from infectious risk during the soaking and cleaning stages of medical device reprocessing and reduces the bioburden on devices before sterilization/disinfection. Test organisms that included Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella choleraesuis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were suspended in artificial test soil (ATS-B; patent submitted), inoculated at 10(6) colonyforming units per carrier and dried overnight before detergent exposure. The ATS-B mimics the blood, protein, carbohydrate, and endotoxin levels of patient-used medical devices. Plastic lumen carriers and a flexible colonoscope were used for surface and simulated-use testing, respectively. The results for the microbial challenge dried onto polyvinyl chloride (PVC) carriers demonstrated that the ability of KDS to remove protein, blood, carbohydrate, and endotoxin from surface test carriers was as effective as the enzyme detergents that were evaluated. Furthermore, KDS was able to effect approximately a 5-Log(10) reduction in microbial loads with a 3-minute exposure at room temperature, whereas none of the other detergents were as effective. In simulated-use testing of a soiled colonoscope, KDS was significantly better at ensuring microbial killing compared with Gzyme and Metrizyme and was equivalent to the enzymatic detergents in cleaning ability. In summary the KDS has excellent microbial-killing ability in 3-minute

  9. Enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of dilute acid pretreated cornstalk to biohydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, C. M.; Fan, Y. T.; Hou, H. W.

    2010-03-01

    The coupling method of acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstalk for hydrogen production was investigated in this study. Experimental results showed that temperature, pH and enzyme loading all had an individual significant influence on soluble sugar yield and Ps. The optimum condition for soluble sugar was close to that for Ps. The maximum hydrogen yield from cornstalk by anaerobic mixed microflora was 209.8 ml/g-TVS on the optimum enzymatic hydrolysis condition which was 52 °C of temperature, pH4.8 and 9.4 IU/g of enzyme loading.

  10. Cobamide-mediated enzymatic reductive dehalogenation via long-range electron transfer

    PubMed Central

    Kunze, Cindy; Bommer, Martin; Hagen, Wilfred R.; Uksa, Marie; Dobbek, Holger; Schubert, Torsten; Diekert, Gabriele

    2017-01-01

    The capacity of metal-containing porphyrinoids to mediate reductive dehalogenation is implemented in cobamide-containing reductive dehalogenases (RDases), which serve as terminal reductases in organohalide-respiring microbes. RDases allow for the exploitation of halogenated compounds as electron acceptors. Their reaction mechanism is under debate. Here we report on substrate–enzyme interactions in a tetrachloroethene RDase (PceA) that also converts aryl halides. The shape of PceA’s highly apolar active site directs binding of bromophenols at some distance from the cobalt and with the hydroxyl substituent towards the metal. A close cobalt–substrate interaction is not observed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Nonetheless, a halogen substituent para to the hydroxyl group is reductively eliminated and the path of the leaving halide is traced in the structure. Based on these findings, an enzymatic mechanism relying on a long-range electron transfer is concluded, which is without parallel in vitamin B12-dependent biochemistry and represents an effective mode of RDase catalysis. PMID:28671181

  11. Cobamide-mediated enzymatic reductive dehalogenation via long-range electron transfer.

    PubMed

    Kunze, Cindy; Bommer, Martin; Hagen, Wilfred R; Uksa, Marie; Dobbek, Holger; Schubert, Torsten; Diekert, Gabriele

    2017-07-03

    The capacity of metal-containing porphyrinoids to mediate reductive dehalogenation is implemented in cobamide-containing reductive dehalogenases (RDases), which serve as terminal reductases in organohalide-respiring microbes. RDases allow for the exploitation of halogenated compounds as electron acceptors. Their reaction mechanism is under debate. Here we report on substrate-enzyme interactions in a tetrachloroethene RDase (PceA) that also converts aryl halides. The shape of PceA's highly apolar active site directs binding of bromophenols at some distance from the cobalt and with the hydroxyl substituent towards the metal. A close cobalt-substrate interaction is not observed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Nonetheless, a halogen substituent para to the hydroxyl group is reductively eliminated and the path of the leaving halide is traced in the structure. Based on these findings, an enzymatic mechanism relying on a long-range electron transfer is concluded, which is without parallel in vitamin B 12 -dependent biochemistry and represents an effective mode of RDase catalysis.

  12. Influence of fluid dynamic conditions on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass: Effect of mass transfer rate.

    PubMed

    Wojtusik, Mateusz; Zurita, Mauricio; Villar, Juan C; Ladero, Miguel; Garcia-Ochoa, Felix

    2016-09-01

    The effect of fluid dynamic conditions on enzymatic hydrolysis of acid pretreated corn stover (PCS) has been assessed. Runs were performed in stirred tanks at several stirrer speed values, under typical conditions of temperature (50°C), pH (4.8) and solid charge (20% w/w). A complex mixture of cellulases, xylanases and mannanases was employed for PCS saccharification. At low stirring speeds (<150rpm), estimated mass transfer coefficients and rates, when compared to chemical hydrolysis rates, lead to results that clearly show low mass transfer rates, being this phenomenon the controlling step of the overall process rate. However, for stirrer speed from 300rpm upwards, the overall process rate is controlled by hydrolysis reactions. The ratio between mass transfer and overall chemical reaction rates changes with time depending on the conditions of each run. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. A qualitative quantum rate model for hydrogen transfer in soybean lipoxygenase

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jevtic, S.; Anders, J.

    2017-09-01

    The hydrogen transfer reaction catalysed by soybean lipoxygenase (SLO) has been the focus of intense study following observations of a high kinetic isotope effect (KIE). Today high KIEs are generally thought to indicate departure from classical rate theory and are seen as a strong signature of tunnelling of the transferring particle, hydrogen or one of its isotopes, through the reaction energy barrier. In this paper, we build a qualitative quantum rate model with few free parameters that describes the dynamics of the transferring particle when it is exposed to energetic potentials exerted by the donor and the acceptor. The enzyme's impact on the dynamics is modelled by an additional energetic term, an oscillatory contribution known as "gating." By varying two key parameters, the gating frequency and the mean donor-acceptor separation, the model is able to reproduce well the KIE data for SLO wild-type and a variety of SLO mutants over the experimentally accessible temperature range. While SLO-specific constants have been considered here, it is possible to adapt these for other enzymes.

  14. CNN pincer ruthenium catalysts for hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation of ketones: experimental and computational studies.

    PubMed

    Baratta, Walter; Baldino, Salvatore; Calhorda, Maria José; Costa, Paulo J; Esposito, Gennaro; Herdtweck, Eberhardt; Magnolia, Santo; Mealli, Carlo; Messaoudi, Abdelatif; Mason, Sax A; Veiros, Luis F

    2014-10-13

    Reaction of [RuCl(CNN)(dppb)] (1-Cl) (HCNN=2-aminomethyl-6-(4-methylphenyl)pyridine; dppb=Ph2 P(CH2 )4 PPh2 ) with NaOCH2 CF3 leads to the amine-alkoxide [Ru(CNN)(OCH2 CF3 )(dppb)] (1-OCH2 CF3 ), whose neutron diffraction study reveals a short RuO⋅⋅⋅HN bond length. Treatment of 1-Cl with NaOEt and EtOH affords the alkoxide [Ru(CNN)(OEt)(dppb)]⋅(EtOH)n (1-OEt⋅n EtOH), which equilibrates with the hydride [RuH(CNN)(dppb)] (1-H) and acetaldehyde. Compound 1-OEt⋅n EtOH reacts reversibly with H2 leading to 1-H and EtOH through dihydrogen splitting. NMR spectroscopic studies on 1-OEt⋅n EtOH and 1-H reveal hydrogen bond interactions and exchange processes. The chloride 1-Cl catalyzes the hydrogenation (5 atm of H2 ) of ketones to alcohols (turnover frequency (TOF) up to 6.5×10(4) h(-1) , 40 °C). DFT calculations were performed on the reaction of [RuH(CNN')(dmpb)] (2-H) (HCNN'=2-aminomethyl-6-(phenyl)pyridine; dmpb=Me2 P(CH2 )4 PMe2 ) with acetone and with one molecule of 2-propanol, in alcohol, with the alkoxide complex being the most stable species. In the first step, the Ru-hydride transfers one hydrogen atom to the carbon of the ketone, whereas the second hydrogen transfer from NH2 is mediated by the alcohol and leads to the key "amide" intermediate. Regeneration of the hydride complex may occur by reaction with 2-propanol or with H2 ; both pathways have low barriers and are alcohol assisted. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Electrodeposition of flower-like platinum on electrophoretically grown nitrogen-doped graphene as a highly sensitive electrochemical non-enzymatic biosensor for hydrogen peroxide detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tajabadi, M. T.; Sookhakian, M.; Zalnezhad, E.; Yoon, G. H.; Hamouda, A. M. S.; Azarang, Majid; Basirun, W. J.; Alias, Y.

    2016-11-01

    An efficient non-enzymatic biosensor electrode consisting of nitrogen-doped graphene (N-graphene) and platinum nanoflower (Pt NF) with different N-graphene loadings were fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass using a simple layer-by-layer electrophoretic and electrochemical sequential deposition approach. N-graphene was synthesized by annealing graphene oxide with urea at 900 °C. The structure and morphology of the as-fabricated non-enzymatic biosensor electrodes were determined using X-ray diffraction, field emission electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra. The as-fabricated Pt NF-N-graphene-modified ITO electrodes with different N-graphene loadings were utilized as a non-enzymatic biosensor electrode for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The behaviors of the hybrid electrodes towards H2O2 reduction were assessed using chronoamperometry, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. The Pt NF-N-graphene-modified ITO electrode with a 0.05 mg ml-1 N-graphene loading exhibited the lowest detection limit, fastest amperometric sensing, a wide linear response range, excellent stability and reproducibility for the non-enzymatic H2O2 detection, due to the synergistic effect between the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt NF and the high conductivity and large surface area of N-graphene.

  16. Optimal information transfer in enzymatic networks: A field theoretic formulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samanta, Himadri S.; Hinczewski, Michael; Thirumalai, D.

    2017-07-01

    Signaling in enzymatic networks is typically triggered by environmental fluctuations, resulting in a series of stochastic chemical reactions, leading to corruption of the signal by noise. For example, information flow is initiated by binding of extracellular ligands to receptors, which is transmitted through a cascade involving kinase-phosphatase stochastic chemical reactions. For a class of such networks, we develop a general field-theoretic approach to calculate the error in signal transmission as a function of an appropriate control variable. Application of the theory to a simple push-pull network, a module in the kinase-phosphatase cascade, recovers the exact results for error in signal transmission previously obtained using umbral calculus [Hinczewski and Thirumalai, Phys. Rev. X 4, 041017 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevX.4.041017]. We illustrate the generality of the theory by studying the minimal errors in noise reduction in a reaction cascade with two connected push-pull modules. Such a cascade behaves as an effective three-species network with a pseudointermediate. In this case, optimal information transfer, resulting in the smallest square of the error between the input and output, occurs with a time delay, which is given by the inverse of the decay rate of the pseudointermediate. Surprisingly, in these examples the minimum error computed using simulations that take nonlinearities and discrete nature of molecules into account coincides with the predictions of a linear theory. In contrast, there are substantial deviations between simulations and predictions of the linear theory in error in signal propagation in an enzymatic push-pull network for a certain range of parameters. Inclusion of second-order perturbative corrections shows that differences between simulations and theoretical predictions are minimized. Our study establishes that a field theoretic formulation of stochastic biological signaling offers a systematic way to understand error propagation in

  17. Graphene Derivative in Magnetically Recoverable Catalyst Determines Catalytic Properties in Transfer Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes to Anilines with 2-Propanol.

    PubMed

    Das, Vijay Kumar; Mazhar, Sumaira; Gregor, Lennon; Stein, Barry D; Morgan, David Gene; Maciulis, Nicholas A; Pink, Maren; Losovyj, Yaroslav; Bronstein, Lyudmila M

    2018-06-14

    Here, we report transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes to aminoarenes using 2-propanol as a hydrogen source and Ag-containing magnetically recoverable catalysts based on partially reduced graphene oxide (pRGO) sheets. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data demonstrated that, during the one-pot catalyst synthesis, formation of magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) is accompanied by the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) to pRGO. The formation of Ag 0 NPs on top of magnetite nanoparticles does not change the pRGO structure. At the same time, the catalyst structure is further modified during the transfer hydrogenation, leading to a noticeable increase of sp 2 carbons. These carbons are responsible for the adsorption of substrate and intermediates, facilitating a hydrogen transfer from Ag NPs and creating synergy between the components of the catalyst. The nitroarenes with electron withdrawing and electron donating substituents allow for excellent yields of aniline derivatives with high regio and chemoselectivity, indicating that the reaction is not disfavored by these functionalities. The versatility of the catalyst synthetic protocol was demonstrated by a synthesis of an Ru-containing graphene derivative based catalyst, also allowing for efficient transfer hydrogenation. Easy magnetic separation and stable catalyst performance in the transfer hydrogenation make this catalyst promising for future applications.

  18. Copper-containing monooxygenases: enzymatic and biomimetic studies of the O-atom transfer catalysis.

    PubMed

    Blain, Ingrid; Slama, Patrick; Giorgi, Michel; Tron, Thierry; Réglier, Marius

    2002-04-01

    This review reports our recent studies or the mechanism of O-atom transfer to a benzylic C-H bond promoted by Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase (DBH) and its biomimetic models. We demonstrate that it is possible to carry out parallel and comparative studies on this enzyme (DBH) and its biomimetic models with the same substrate: 2-aminoindane (3). It was chosen because its two stereogenic centers, both in benzylic positions, make it very powerful for studying the stereochemistry of an O-atom transfer reaction. DBH-catalyzed hydroxylation of 3 produced exclusively 14% of trans-(1S,2S)-2-amino-1-indanol (4) (93% ee). Studies with stereospecifically deuterium-labeled 2-aminoindanes (1R,2S)-3b and (1S,2S)-3a showed that the formation of 4 was the rcsult of an overall process with retention of configuration where an O-atom is stereospecifically inserted in the trans pro-S position of the substrate. With copper(I) and (II) complexes of IndPY2 ligands we studied the reaction with dioxygen and observed an O-atom transfer to a benzylic C-H bond which was performed in the same manner as that of DBH. With the deuterium-labeled cis-2-d-IndPY2 ligand, we demonstrated that the reaction occurs by a stereospecific process with retention of configuration. In both cases (enzymatic vs. biomimetic) the O-atom transfers occur in a two-step process involving radical intermediates.

  19. Inner hydrogen atom transfer in benzo-fused low symmetrical metal-free tetraazaporphyrin and phthalocyanine analogues: density functional theory studies.

    PubMed

    Qi, Dongdong; Zhang, Yuexing; Cai, Xue; Jiang, Jianzhuang; Bai, Ming

    2009-02-01

    Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to study the inner hydrogen atom transfer in low symmetrical metal-free tetrapyrrole analogues ranging from tetraazaporphyrin H(2)TAP (A(0)B(0)C(0)D(0)) to naphthalocyanine H(2)Nc (A(2)B(2)C(2)D(2)) via phthalocyanine H(2)Pc (A(1)B(1)C(1)D(1)). All the transition paths of sixteen different compounds (A(0)B(0)C(0)D(0)-A(2)B(2)C(2)D(2) and A(0)B(0)C(m)D(n), m hydrogen atom transfer. Introducing fused benzene rings onto the hydrogen-releasing pyrrole rings can increase the transitivity of inner hydrogen atom and thus lower the transfer barrier of this inner hydrogen atom while fusing benzene rings onto the hydrogen-accepting pyrrole rings will increase the hydrogen transfer barrier to this pyrrole ring. The transient cis-isomer intermediate with hydrogen atoms joined to the two adjacent pyrrole rings with less fused benzene rings is much stable than the others. It is also found that the benzene rings fused directly onto pyrrole rings have more effect on the inner hydrogen atom transfer than the outer benzene rings fused onto the periphery of isoindole rings. The present work, representing the first effort towards systematically understanding the effect of ring enlargement through asymmetrical peripheral fusion of benzene ring(s) onto the TAP skeleton on the inner hydrogen transfer of tetrapyrrole derivatives, will be helpful in clarifying the N-H tautomerization phenomenon and detecting the cis-porphyrin isomer in bio-systems.

  20. Microscale Synthesis of Chiral Alcohols via Asymmetric Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peeters, Christine M.; Deliever, Rik; De Vos, Dirk

    2009-01-01

    Synthesis of pure enantiomers is a key issue in industry, especially in areas connected to life sciences. Catalytic asymmetric synthesis has emerged as a powerful and practical tool. Here we describe an experiment on racemic reduction and asymmetric reduction via a catalytic hydrogen transfer process. Acetophenone and substituted acetophenones are…

  1. A novel enzymatic method for determination of homocysteine using electrochemical hydrogen sulfide sensor.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Dong; Liu, Tsan-Zon; Chan, Err-Cheng; Fein, Harry; Zhang, Xueji

    2007-05-01

    Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing compound produced during metabolism process of methionine. Its uptake in human plasma is believed to be the cause of cardiovascular diseases and many other diseases. An electrochemical method was proposed for selective and quantitative measurement of homocysteine by employing hydrogen sulfide sensor coupled with methionine a, g-lyase. The principle of this method is to measure the evolved hydrogen sulfide from the enzymatic reaction between homocysteine and methionine a, g-lyase. The sensitivities of the measurements at different pH values of the tris buffer solutions and at room temperature peaked to 275 pA/mM at pH 6.5 with detection limit of 150 nM (based on 3 s cutoff). The linearity measurements at pH 6.5 were performed for the homocysteine concentrations range from 0.5 to 200 mM, which is wider than the human blood plasma total homocysteine level of 5 to 100 mM, and the regressive analysis of the experiments gave R2=0.9987. The enzyme also showed the fastest response to homocysteine in the tris buffer solution of pH 7.5 with the current approaching its maximum at 134 seconds. The interference tests against several common agents were carried out, and found that cysteine and methionine were the major two species to introduce measurement problem. The solution to this interference problem was explored and discussed thoroughly based on the preliminary tests. The sensitivities of the experiments against several enzyme concentrations were also performed.

  2. Liquid Transfer Cryogenic Test Facility: Initial hydrogen and nitrogen no-vent fill data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moran, Matthew E.; Nyland, Ted W.; Papell, S. Stephen

    1990-03-01

    The Liquid Transfer Cryogenic Test Facility is a versatile testbed for ground-based cryogenic fluid storage, handling, and transfer experimentation. The test rig contains two well instrumented tanks, and a third interchangeable tank, designed to accommodate liquid nitrogen or liquid hydrogen testing. The internal tank volumes are approx. 18, 5, and 1.2 cu. ft. Tank pressures can be varied from 2 to 30 psia. Preliminary no vent fill tests with nitrogen and hydrogen were successfully completed with the test rig. Initial results indicate that no vent fills of nitrogen above 90 percent full are achievable using this test configuration, in a 1-g environment, and with inlet liquid temperatures as high as 143 R, and an average tank wall temperature of nearly 300 R. This inlet temperature corresponds to a saturation pressure of 19 psia for nitrogen. Hydrogen proved considerably more difficult to transfer between tanks without venting. The highest temperature conditions resulting in a fill level greater than 90 percent were with an inlet liquid temperature of 34 R, and an estimated tank wall temperature of slightly more than 100 R. Saturation pressure for hydrogen at this inlet temperature is 10 psia. All preliminary no vent fill tests were performed with a top mounted full cone nozzle for liquid injection. The nozzle produces a 120 degree conical droplet spray at a differential pressure of 10 psi. Pressure in the receiving tank was held to less than 30 psia for all tests.

  3. Liquid Transfer Cryogenic Test Facility: Initial hydrogen and nitrogen no-vent fill data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moran, Matthew E.; Nyland, Ted W.; Papell, S. Stephen

    1990-01-01

    The Liquid Transfer Cryogenic Test Facility is a versatile testbed for ground-based cryogenic fluid storage, handling, and transfer experimentation. The test rig contains two well instrumented tanks, and a third interchangeable tank, designed to accommodate liquid nitrogen or liquid hydrogen testing. The internal tank volumes are approx. 18, 5, and 1.2 cu. ft. Tank pressures can be varied from 2 to 30 psia. Preliminary no vent fill tests with nitrogen and hydrogen were successfully completed with the test rig. Initial results indicate that no vent fills of nitrogen above 90 percent full are achievable using this test configuration, in a 1-g environment, and with inlet liquid temperatures as high as 143 R, and an average tank wall temperature of nearly 300 R. This inlet temperature corresponds to a saturation pressure of 19 psia for nitrogen. Hydrogen proved considerably more difficult to transfer between tanks without venting. The highest temperature conditions resulting in a fill level greater than 90 percent were with an inlet liquid temperature of 34 R, and an estimated tank wall temperature of slightly more than 100 R. Saturation pressure for hydrogen at this inlet temperature is 10 psia. All preliminary no vent fill tests were performed with a top mounted full cone nozzle for liquid injection. The nozzle produces a 120 degree conical droplet spray at a differential pressure of 10 psi. Pressure in the receiving tank was held to less than 30 psia for all tests.

  4. Altering intra- to inter-molecular hydrogen bonding by dimethylsulfoxide: A TDDFT study of charge transfer for coumarin 343

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Xiaochun; Yin, Hang; Li, Hui; Shi, Ying

    2017-04-01

    DFT and TDDFT methods were carried out to investigate the influences of intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding on excited state charge transfer for coumarin 343 (C343). Intramolecular hydrogen bonding is formed between carboxylic acid group and carbonyl group in C343 monomer. However, in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solution, DMSO 'opens up' the intramolecular hydrogen bonding and forms solute-solvent intermolecular hydrogen bonded C343-DMSO complex. Analysis of frontier molecular orbitals reveals that intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) occurs in the first excited state both for C343 monomer and complex. The results of optimized geometric structures indicate that the intramolecular hydrogen bonding interaction is strengthened while the intermolecular hydrogen bonding is weakened in excited state, which is confirmed again by monitoring the shifts of characteristic peaks of infrared spectra. We demonstrated that DMSO solvent can not only break the intramolecular hydrogen bonding to form intermolecular hydrogen bonding with C343 but also alter the mechanism of excited state hydrogen bonding strengthening.

  5. What’s New in Enzymatic Halogenations

    PubMed Central

    Fujimori, Danica Galoniæ; Walsh, Christopher T.

    2007-01-01

    Summary The halogenation of thousands of natural products occurs during biosynthesis and often confers important functional properties. While haloperoxidases had been the default paradigm for enzymatic incorporation of halogens, via X+ equivalents into organic scaffolds, a combination of microbial genome sequencing, enzymatic studies and structural biology have provided deep new insights into enzymatic transfer of halide equivalents in three oxidation states. These are: (1) the halide ions (X−) abundant in nature, (2) halogen atoms (X•), and (3) the X+ equivalents. The mechanism of halogen incorporation is tailored to the electronic demands of specific substrates and involves enzymes with distinct redox coenzyme requirements. PMID:17881282

  6. Detoxification of acid pretreated spruce hydrolysates with ferrous sulfate and hydrogen peroxide improves enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation.

    PubMed

    Soudham, Venkata Prabhakar; Brandberg, Tomas; Mikkola, Jyri-Pekka; Larsson, Christer

    2014-08-01

    The aim of the present work was to investigate whether a detoxification method already in use during waste water treatment could be functional also for ethanol production based on lignocellulosic substrates. Chemical conditioning of spruce hydrolysate with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) was shown to be an efficient strategy to remove significant amounts of inhibitory compounds and, simultaneously, to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentability of the substrates. Without treatment, the hydrolysates were hardly fermentable with maximum ethanol concentration below 0.4 g/l. In contrast, treatment by 2.5 mM FeSO₄ and 150 mM H₂O₂ yielded a maximum ethanol concentration of 8.3 g/l. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Optimal control of fuel overpressure in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with hydrogen transfer leak during load change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ebadighajari, Alireza; DeVaal, Jake; Golnaraghi, Farid

    2017-02-01

    Formation of membrane pinholes is a common defect in fuel cells, inflicting more cost and making less durable cells. This work focuses on mitigating this issue, and offers a continuous online treatment instead of attempting to dynamically model the hydrogen transfer leak rate. This is achieved by controlling the differential pressure between the anode and cathode compartments at the inlet side of the fuel cell stack, known as the fuel overpressure. The model predictive control approach is used to attain the objectives in a Ballard 9-cell Mk1100 polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with inclusion of hydrogen transfer leak. Furthermore, the pneumatic modeling technique is used to model the entire anode side of a fuel cell station. The hydrogen transfer leak is embedded in the model in a novel way, and is considered as a disturbance during the controller design. Experimental results for different sizes of hydrogen transfer leaks are provided to show the benefits of fuel overpressure control system in alleviating the effects of membrane pinholes, which in turn increases membrane longevity, and reduces hydrogen emissions in the eventual presence of transfer leaks. Moreover, the model predictive controller provides an optimal control input while satisfying the problem constraints.

  8. Reactivity of propene, n-butene, and isobutene in the hydrogen transfer steps of n-hexane cracking over zeolites of different structure

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lukyanov, D.B.

    The reaction of n-hexane cracking over HZSM-5, HY zeolite and mordenite (HM) was studied in accordance with the procedure of the [beta]-test recently proposed for quantitative characterization of zeolite hydrogen transfer activity. It is shown that this procedure allows one to obtain quantitative data on propene, n-butene, and isobutene reactivities in the hydrogen transfer steps of the reaction. The results demonstrate that in the absence of steric constraints (large pore HY and HM zeolites) isobutene is approximately 5 times more reactive in hydrogen transfer than n-butene. The latter, in turn, is about 1.3 times more reactive than propene. With mediummore » pore HZSM-5, steric inhibition of the hydrogen transfer between n-hexane and isobutene is observed. This results in a sharp decrease in the isobutene reactivity: over HZSM-5 zeolites isobutene is only 1.2 times more reactive in hydrogen transfer than n-butene. On the basis of these data it is concluded that the [beta]-test measures the [open quotes]real[close quotes] hydrogen transfer activity of zeolites, i.e., the activity that summarizes the effects of the acidic and structural properties of zeolites. An attempt is made to estimate the [open quotes]ideal[close quotes] zeolite hydrogen transfer activity, i.e., the activity determined by the zeolite acidic properties only. The estimations obtained show that this activity is approximately 1.8 and 1.6 times higher for HM zeolite in comparison with HZSM-5 and HY zeolites, respectively. 16 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.« less

  9. Efficient and Adaptive Methods for Computing Accurate Potential Surfaces for Quantum Nuclear Effects: Applications to Hydrogen-Transfer Reactions.

    PubMed

    DeGregorio, Nicole; Iyengar, Srinivasan S

    2018-01-09

    We present two sampling measures to gauge critical regions of potential energy surfaces. These sampling measures employ (a) the instantaneous quantum wavepacket density, an approximation to the (b) potential surface, its (c) gradients, and (d) a Shannon information theory based expression that estimates the local entropy associated with the quantum wavepacket. These four criteria together enable a directed sampling of potential surfaces that appears to correctly describe the local oscillation frequencies, or the local Nyquist frequency, of a potential surface. The sampling functions are then utilized to derive a tessellation scheme that discretizes the multidimensional space to enable efficient sampling of potential surfaces. The sampled potential surface is then combined with four different interpolation procedures, namely, (a) local Hermite curve interpolation, (b) low-pass filtered Lagrange interpolation, (c) the monomial symmetrization approximation (MSA) developed by Bowman and co-workers, and (d) a modified Shepard algorithm. The sampling procedure and the fitting schemes are used to compute (a) potential surfaces in highly anharmonic hydrogen-bonded systems and (b) study hydrogen-transfer reactions in biogenic volatile organic compounds (isoprene) where the transferring hydrogen atom is found to demonstrate critical quantum nuclear effects. In the case of isoprene, the algorithm discussed here is used to derive multidimensional potential surfaces along a hydrogen-transfer reaction path to gauge the effect of quantum-nuclear degrees of freedom on the hydrogen-transfer process. Based on the decreased computational effort, facilitated by the optimal sampling of the potential surfaces through the use of sampling functions discussed here, and the accuracy of the associated potential surfaces, we believe the method will find great utility in the study of quantum nuclear dynamics problems, of which application to hydrogen-transfer reactions and hydrogen

  10. Enzymatic reactions in confined environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Küchler, Andreas; Yoshimoto, Makoto; Luginbühl, Sandra; Mavelli, Fabio; Walde, Peter

    2016-05-01

    Within each biological cell, surface- and volume-confined enzymes control a highly complex network of chemical reactions. These reactions are efficient, timely, and spatially defined. Efforts to transfer such appealing features to in vitro systems have led to several successful examples of chemical reactions catalysed by isolated and immobilized enzymes. In most cases, these enzymes are either bound or adsorbed to an insoluble support, physically trapped in a macromolecular network, or encapsulated within compartments. Advanced applications of enzymatic cascade reactions with immobilized enzymes include enzymatic fuel cells and enzymatic nanoreactors, both for in vitro and possible in vivo applications. In this Review, we discuss some of the general principles of enzymatic reactions confined on surfaces, at interfaces, and inside small volumes. We also highlight the similarities and differences between the in vivo and in vitro cases and attempt to critically evaluate some of the necessary future steps to improve our fundamental understanding of these systems.

  11. Fast reductive amination by transfer hydrogenation "on water".

    PubMed

    Lei, Qian; Wei, Yawen; Talwar, Dinesh; Wang, Chao; Xue, Dong; Xiao, Jianliang

    2013-03-18

    Reductive amination of various ketones and aldehydes by transfer hydrogenation under aqueous conditions has been developed, by using cyclometallated iridium complexes as catalysts and formate as hydrogen source. The pH value of the solution is shown to be critical for a high catalytic chemoselectivity and activity, with the best pH value being 4.8. In comparison with that in organic solvents, the reductive amination in an aqueous phase is faster, and the molar ratio of the substrate to the catalyst (S/C) can be set as high as 1×10(5) , the highest S/C value ever reported in reductive amination reactions. The catalyst is easy to access and the reaction is operationally simple, allowing a wide range of ketones and aldehydes to react with various amines in high yields. The protocol provides a practical and environmental friendly new method for the synthesis of amine compounds. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Coolant-side heat-transfer rates for a hydrogen-oxygen rocket and a new technique for data correlation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schacht, R. L.; Quentmeyer, R. J.

    1973-01-01

    An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the coolant-side, heat transfer coefficients for a liquid cooled, hydrogen-oxygen rocket thrust chamber. Heat transfer rates were determined from measurements of local hot gas wall temperature, local coolant temperature, and local coolant pressure. A correlation incorporating an integration technique for the transport properties needed near the pseudocritical temperature of liquid hydrogen gives a satisfactory prediction of hot gas wall temperatures.

  13. Evidence for Coherent Transfer of para-Hydrogen-Induced Polarization at Low Magnetic Fields.

    PubMed

    Kiryutin, Alexey S; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V; Kaptein, Robert; Vieth, Hans-Martin; Ivanov, Konstantin L

    2013-08-01

    We have investigated the mechanism of para-hydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) transfer from the original strongly aligned protons to other nuclei at low external magnetic fields. Although it is known that PHIP is efficiently transferred at low fields, the nature of the transfer mechanism, that is, coherent spin mixing or cross-relaxation, is not well established. Polarization transfer kinetics for individual protons of styrene was, for the first time, measured and modeled theoretically. Pronounced oscillations were observed indicating a coherent transfer mechanism. Spin coherences were excited by passing through an avoided level crossing of the nuclear spin energy levels. Transfer at avoided level crossings is selective with respect to spin order. Our work provides evidence that the coherent PHIP transfer mechanism is dominant at low magnetic fields.

  14. The Enzymatic Oxidation of Graphene Oxide

    PubMed Central

    Kotchey, Gregg P.; Allen, Brett L.; Vedala, Harindra; Yanamala, Naveena; Kapralov, Alexander A.; Tyurina, Yulia Y.; Klein-Seetharaman, Judith; Kagan, Valerian E.; Star, Alexander

    2011-01-01

    Two-dimensional graphitic carbon is a new material with many emerging applications, and studying its chemical properties is an important goal. Here, we reported a new phenomenon – the enzymatic oxidation of a single layer of graphitic carbon by horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In the presence of low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (~40 µM), HRP catalyzed the oxidation of graphene oxide, which resulted in the formation of holes on its basal plane. During the same period of analysis, HRP failed to oxidize chemically reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The enzymatic oxidation was characterized by Raman, UV-Vis, EPR and FT-IR spectroscopy, TEM, AFM, SDS-PAGE, and GC-MS. Computational docking studies indicated that HRP was preferentially bound to the basal plane rather than the edge for both graphene oxide and RGO. Due to the more dynamic nature of HRP on graphene oxide, the heme active site of HRP was in closer proximity to graphene oxide compared to RGO, thereby facilitating the oxidation of the basal plane of graphene oxide. We also studied the electronic properties of the reduced intermediate product, holey reduced graphene oxide (hRGO), using field-effect transistor (FET) measurements. While RGO exhibited a V-shaped transfer characteristic similar to a single layer of graphene that was attributed to its zero band gap, hRGO demonstrated a p-type semiconducting behavior with a positive shift in the Dirac points. This p-type behavior rendered hRGO, which can be conceptualized as interconnected graphene nanoribbons, as a potentially attractive material for FET sensors. PMID:21344859

  15. A nanocomposite-based electrochemical sensor for non-enzymatic detection of hydrogen peroxide

    PubMed Central

    Du, Xin; Chen, Yuan; Dong, Wenhao; Han, Bingkai; Liu, Min; Chen, Qiang; Zhou, Jun

    2017-01-01

    Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays important signaling roles in normal physiology and disease. However, analyzing the actions of H2O2 is often impeded by the difficulty in detecting this molecule. Herein, we report a novel nanocomposite-based electrochemical sensor for non-enzymatic detection of H2O2. Graphene oxide (GO) was selected as the dopant for the synthesis of polyaniline (PANI), leading to the successful fabrication of a water-soluble and stable GO-PANI composite. GO-PANI was subsequently subject to cyclic voltammetry to generate reduced GO-PANI (rGO-PANI), enhancing the conductivity of the material. Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) were then electrodeposited on the surface of the rGO-PANI-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form an electrochemical H2O2 sensor. Compared to previously reported sensors, the rGO-PANI-PtNP/GCE exhibited an expanded linear range, higher sensitivity, and lower detection limit in the quantification of H2O2. In addition, the sensor displayed outstanding reproducibility and selectivity in real-sample examination. Our study suggests that the rGO-PANI-PtNP/GCE may have broad utility in H2O2 detection under physiological and pathological conditions. PMID:28035076

  16. Enzyme-immobilized SiO2-Si electrode: Fast interfacial electron transfer with preserved enzymatic activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Gang; Yau, Siu-Tung

    2005-12-01

    The enzyme, glucose oxidase (GOx), is immobilized using electrostatic interaction on the native oxide of heavily doped n-type silicon. Voltammetric measurement shows that the immobilized GOx gives rise to a very fast enzyme-silicon interfacial electron transfer rate constant of 7.9s-1. The measurement also suggests that the enzyme retains its native conformation when immobilized on the silicon surface. The preserved native conformation of GOx is further confirmed by testing the enzymatic activity of the immobilized GOx using glucose. The GOx-immobilized silicon is shown to behave as a glucose sensor that detects glucose with concentrations as low as 50μM.

  17. Production of MAG via enzymatic glycerolysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jamlus, Norul Naziraa Ahmad; Derawi, Darfizzi; Salimon, Jumat

    2015-09-01

    Enzymatic glycerolysis of a medium chain methyl ester, methyl laurate was performed using lipase Candida antarctica (Novozyme 435) for 6 hours at 55°C. The percentage of components mixture of product were determined by using gas chromatography technique. The enzymatic reaction was successfully produced monolaurin (45.9 %), dilaurin (47.1 %) and trilaurin (7.0 %) respectively. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) plate also showed a good separation of component spots. Fourier transformation infra-red (FTIR) spectrum showed the presence of ester carbonyl at wavenumber 1739.99 cm-1 and hydrogen bonded O-H at 3512.03 cm-1. The product is potentially to be used as emulsifier and additive in food industry, pharmaceutical, as well as antibacterial.

  18. Electron, proton and hydrogen-atom transfers in photosynthetic water oxidation.

    PubMed Central

    Tommos, Cecilia

    2002-01-01

    When photosynthetic organisms developed so that they could use water as an electron source to reduce carbon dioxide, the stage was set for efficient proliferation. Algae and plants spread globally and provided the foundation for our atmosphere and for O(2)-based chemistry in biological systems. Light-driven water oxidation is catalysed by photosystem II, the active site of which contains a redox-active tyrosine denoted Y(Z), a tetramanganese cluster, calcium and chloride. In 1995, Gerald Babcock and co-workers presented the hypothesis that photosynthetic water oxidation occurs as a metallo-radical catalysed process. In this model, the oxidized tyrosine radical is generated by coupled proton/electron transfer and re-reduced by abstracting hydrogen atoms from substrate water or hydroxide-ligated to the manganese cluster. The proposed function of Y(Z) requires proton transfer from the tyrosine site upon oxidation. The oxidation mechanism of Y(Z) in an inhibited and O(2)-evolving photosystem II is discussed. Domino-deprotonation from Y(Z) to the bulk solution is shown to be consistent with a variety of data obtained on metal-depleted samples. Experimental data that suggest that the oxidation of Y(Z) in O(2)-evolving samples is coupled to proton transfer in a hydrogen-bonding network are described. Finally, a dielectric-dependent model for the proton release that is associated with the catalytic cycle of photosystem II is discussed. PMID:12437877

  19. Heat and mass transfer rates during flow of dissociated hydrogen gas over graphite surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nema, V. K.; Sharma, O. P.

    1986-01-01

    To improve upon the performance of chemical rockets, the nuclear reactor has been applied to a rocket propulsion system using hydrogen gas as working fluid and a graphite-composite forming a part of the structure. Under the boundary layer approximation, theoretical predictions of skin friction coefficient, surface heat transfer rate and surface regression rate have been made for laminar/turbulent dissociated hydrogen gas flowing over a flat graphite surface. The external stream is assumed to be frozen. The analysis is restricted to Mach numbers low enough to deal with the situation of only surface-reaction between hydrogen and graphite. Empirical correlations of displacement thickness, local skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number and local non-dimensional heat transfer rate have been obtained. The magnitude of the surface regression rate is found low enough to ensure the use of graphite as a linear or a component of the system over an extended period without loss of performance.

  20. Salt-assisted clean transfer of continuous monolayer MoS2 film for hydrogen evolution reaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cho, Heung-Yeol; Nguyen, Tri Khoa; Ullah, Farman; Yun, Jong-Won; Nguyen, Cao Khang; Kim, Yong Soo

    2018-03-01

    The transfer of two-dimensional (2D) materials from one substrate to another is challenging but of great importance for technological applications. Here, we propose a facile etching and residue-free method for transferring a large-area monolayer MoS2 film continuously grown on a SiO2/Si by chemical vapor deposition. Prior to synthesis, the substrate is dropped with water- soluble perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylic acid tetrapotassium salt (PTAS). The as-grown MoS2 on the substrate is simply dipped in water to quickly dissolve PTAS to yield the MoS2 film floating on the water surface, which is subsequently transferred to the desired substrate. The morphological, optical and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic results show that our method is useful for fast and clean transfer of the MoS2 film. Specially, we demonstrate that monolayer MoS2 film transferred onto a conducting substrate leads to excellent performance for hydrogen evolution reaction with low overpotential (0.29 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode) and Tafel slope (85.5 mV/decade).

  1. Mediation of donor–acceptor distance in an enzymatic methyl transfer reaction

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Jianyu; Kulik, Heather J.; Martinez, Todd J.; Klinman, Judith P.

    2015-01-01

    Enzymatic methyl transfer, catalyzed by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), is investigated using binding isotope effects (BIEs), time-resolved fluorescence lifetimes, Stokes shifts, and extended graphics processing unit (GPU)-based quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approaches. The WT enzyme is compared with mutants at Tyr68, a conserved residue that is located behind the reactive sulfur of cofactor. Small (>1) BIEs are observed for an S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-binary and abortive ternary complex containing 8-hydroxyquinoline, and contrast with previously reported inverse (<1) kinetic isotope effects (KIEs). Extended GPU-based computational studies of a ternary complex containing catecholate show a clear trend in ground state structures, from noncanonical bond lengths for WT toward solution values with mutants. Structural and dynamical differences that are sensitive to Tyr68 have also been detected using time-resolved Stokes shift measurements and molecular dynamics. These experimental and computational results are discussed in the context of active site compaction that requires an ionization of substrate within the enzyme ternary complex. PMID:26080432

  2. Enzymatic Kinetic Isotope Effects from First-Principles Path Sampling Calculations.

    PubMed

    Varga, Matthew J; Schwartz, Steven D

    2016-04-12

    In this study, we develop and test a method to determine the rate of particle transfer and kinetic isotope effects in enzymatic reactions, specifically yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH), from first-principles. Transition path sampling (TPS) and normal mode centroid dynamics (CMD) are used to simulate these enzymatic reactions without knowledge of their reaction coordinates and with the inclusion of quantum effects, such as zero-point energy and tunneling, on the transferring particle. Though previous studies have used TPS to calculate reaction rate constants in various model and real systems, it has not been applied to a system as large as YADH. The calculated primary H/D kinetic isotope effect agrees with previously reported experimental results, within experimental error. The kinetic isotope effects calculated with this method correspond to the kinetic isotope effect of the transfer event itself. The results reported here show that the kinetic isotope effects calculated from first-principles, purely for barrier passage, can be used to predict experimental kinetic isotope effects in enzymatic systems.

  3. Enantioselective synthesis of anti-β-hydroxy-α-amido esters via transfer hydrogenation.

    PubMed

    Seashore-Ludlow, Brinton; Villo, Piret; Häcker, Christine; Somfai, Peter

    2010-11-19

    The asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of α-amido-β-keto esters to provide the corresponding anti-β-hydroxy-α-amido esters in good to excellent yields, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity is reported. The procedure is operationally simple, and delicate handling of the catalyst is not necessary.

  4. Competition between Hydrogen Bonding and Proton Transfer during Specific Anion Recognition by Dihomooxacalix[4]arene Bidentate Ureas.

    PubMed

    Martínez-González, Eduardo; González, Felipe J; Ascenso, José R; Marcos, Paula M; Frontana, Carlos

    2016-08-05

    Competition between hydrogen bonding and proton transfer reactions was studied for systems composed of electrogenerated dianionic species from dinitrobenzene isomers and substituted dihomooxacalix[4]arene bidentate urea derivatives. To analyze this competition, a second-order ErCrCi mechanism was considered where the binding process is succeeded by proton transfer and the voltammetric responses depend on two dimensionless parameters: the first related to hydrogen bonding reactions, and the second one to proton transfer processes. Experimental results indicated that, upon an increase in the concentration of phenyl-substituted dihomooxacalix[4]arene bidentate urea, voltammetric responses evolve from diffusion-controlled waves (where the binding process is at chemical equilibrium) into irreversible kinetic responses associated with proton transfer. In particular, the 1,3-dinitrobenzene isomer showed a higher proton transfer rate constant (∼25 M(-1) s(-1)) compared to that of the 1,2-dinitrobenzene (∼5 M(-1) s(-1)), whereas the 1,4-dinitrobenzene did not show any proton transfer effect in the experimental conditions employed.

  5. Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Furfural to 2-Methylfuran and 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran over Bimetallic Copper-Palladium Catalysts.

    PubMed

    Chang, Xin; Liu, An-Feng; Cai, Bo; Luo, Jin-Yue; Pan, Hui; Huang, Yao-Bing

    2016-12-08

    The catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural to the fuel additives 2-methylfuran (2-MF) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) was investigated over various bimetallic catalysts in the presence of the hydrogen donor 2-propanol. Of all the as-prepared catalysts, bimetallic Cu-Pd catalysts showed the highest catalytic activities towards the formation of 2-MF and 2-MTHF with a total yield of up to 83.9 % yield at 220 °C in 4 h. By modifying the Pd ratios in the Cu-Pd catalyst, 2-MF or 2-MTHF could be obtained selectively as the prevailing product. The other reaction conditions also had a great influence on the product distribution. Mechanistic studies by reaction monitoring and intermediate conversion revealed that the reaction proceeded mainly through the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol, which was followed by deoxygenation to 2-MF in parallel to deoxygenation/ring hydrogenation to 2-MTHF. Finally, the catalyst showed a high reactivity and stability in five catalyst recycling runs, which represents a significant step forward toward the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. The enzymatic oxidation of graphene oxide.

    PubMed

    Kotchey, Gregg P; Allen, Brett L; Vedala, Harindra; Yanamala, Naveena; Kapralov, Alexander A; Tyurina, Yulia Y; Klein-Seetharaman, Judith; Kagan, Valerian E; Star, Alexander

    2011-03-22

    Two-dimensional graphitic carbon is a new material with many emerging applications, and studying its chemical properties is an important goal. Here, we reported a new phenomenon--the enzymatic oxidation of a single layer of graphitic carbon by horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In the presence of low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (∼40 μM), HRP catalyzed the oxidation of graphene oxide, which resulted in the formation of holes on its basal plane. During the same period of analysis, HRP failed to oxidize chemically reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The enzymatic oxidation was characterized by Raman, ultraviolet-visible, electron paramagnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Computational docking studies indicated that HRP was preferentially bound to the basal plane rather than the edge for both graphene oxide and RGO. Owing to the more dynamic nature of HRP on graphene oxide, the heme active site of HRP was in closer proximity to graphene oxide compared to RGO, thereby facilitating the oxidation of the basal plane of graphene oxide. We also studied the electronic properties of the reduced intermediate product, holey reduced graphene oxide (hRGO), using field-effect transistor (FET) measurements. While RGO exhibited a V-shaped transfer characteristic similar to a single layer of graphene that was attributed to its zero band gap, hRGO demonstrated a p-type semiconducting behavior with a positive shift in the Dirac points. This p-type behavior rendered hRGO, which can be conceptualized as interconnected graphene nanoribbons, as a potentially attractive material for FET sensors.

  7. Laboratory Measurements of Charge Transfer on Atomic Hydrogen at Thermal Energies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Havener, C. C.; Vane, C. R.; Krause, H. F.; Stancil, P. C.; Mroczkowski, T.; Savin, D. W.

    2002-01-01

    We describe our ongoing program to measure velocity dependent charge transfer (CT) cross sections for selected ions on atomic hydrogen using the ion-aloin merged-beams apparatus at Oak Ridge Natioiial Laboralory. Our focus is on those ions for which CT plays an important role in determining the ionization structure, line emis sion, and thermal structure of observed cosmic photoionized plasmas.

  8. Biohydrogen production from enzymatic hydrolysis of food waste in batch and continuous systems

    PubMed Central

    Han, Wei; Yan, Yingting; Shi, Yiwen; Gu, Jingjing; Tang, Junhong; Zhao, Hongting

    2016-01-01

    In this study, the feasibility of biohydrogen production from enzymatic hydrolysis of food waste was investigated. Food waste (solid-to-liquid ratio of 10%, w/v) was first hydrolyzed by commercial glucoamylase to release glucose (24.35 g/L) in the food waste hydrolysate. Then, the obtained food waste hydrolysate was used as substrate for biohydrogen production in the batch and continuous (continuous stirred tank reactor, CSTR) systems. It was observed that the maximum cumulative hydrogen production of 5850 mL was achieved with a yield of 245.7 mL hydrogen/g glucose (1.97 mol hydrogen/mol glucose) in the batch system. In the continuous system, the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on biohydrogen production from food waste hydrolysate was investigated. The optimal HRT obtained from this study was 6 h with the highest hydrogen production rate of 8.02 mmol/(h·L). Ethanol and acetate were the major soluble microbial products with low propionate production at all HRTs. Enzymatic hydrolysis of food waste could effectively accelerate hydrolysis speed, improve substrate utilization rate and increase hydrogen yield. PMID:27910937

  9. Biomimetic Production of Hydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gust, Devens

    2004-03-01

    . Subsequent electron transfer reactions further separate the electron and hole spatially, reducing the electronic coupling, slowing charge recombination, and lengthening the useful lifetime of the charge separation.(3) Still following the example of natural bacterial photosynthesis, these artificial reaction centers may be inserted into the lipid bilayer membranes of liposomes. There, they are used to power transmembrane proton pumps based on a redox loop that employs a lipid-soluble quinone molecule to shuttle hydrogen ions across the membrane, acidifying the interior of the liposome.(4) Finally, ATP synthase isolated from spinach can be inserted into the liposomal bilayer. Protons flow out of the liposome through the enzyme, driven by the gradient produced by the proton pump. The energy released is used to convert adenosine diphosphate into adenosine triphosphate, which is a major biological energy currency.(5) The chromophores used in these artificial photosynthetic reaction centers may also be attached to wide band gap nanoparticulate semiconductor electrodes, where their excited states inject electrons into the semiconductor, generating the radical cation of the chromophore. Such electrodes have been incorporated into a photoelectrochemical biofuel cell.(6) In the cell, NADH reduces the radical cation, regenerating the chromophore and ultimately producing NAD+. The NAD+ is recycled by converting it back to NADH via dehydrogenase enzymes that oxidize carbohydrates and similar reduced carbon compounds, including glucose, ethanol and methanol. Addition of a suitable cathode produces a cell that generates electric current through the combined action of light and enzymatic oxidation. The two examples of artificial photosynthesis discussed above are potential sources of the reducing power necessary for hydrogen production. A biomimetic approach to this goal is to couple an artificial photosynthetic system to an enzymatic system for hydrogen production isolated from a suitable

  10. Role of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer (ESIDPT) of calix[4]arene: A TDDFT study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Se; Wang, Zhuang; Hao, Ce

    2016-01-01

    The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method was performed to investigate the excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer (ESIDPT) reaction of calix[4] arene (C4A) and the role of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the ESIDPT process. The geometries of C4A in the ground state and excited states (S1, S2 and T1) were optimized. Four intramolecular hydrogen bonds formed in the C4A are strengthened or weakened in the S2 and T1 states compared to those in the ground state. Interestingly, upon excitation to the S1 state of C4A, two protons H1 and H2 transfer along the two intramolecular hydrogen bonds O1-H1···O2 and O2-H2···O3, while the other two protons do not transfer. The ESIDPT reaction breaks the primary symmetry of C4A in the ground state. The potential energy curves of proton transfer demonstrate that the ESIDPT process follows the stepwise mechanism but not the concerted mechanism. Findings indicate that intramolecular hydrogen bonding is critical to the ESIDPT reactions in intramolecular hydrogen-bonded systems.

  11. Excitation and charge transfer in low-energy hydrogen atom collisions with neutral iron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barklem, P. S.

    2018-05-01

    Data for inelastic processes due to hydrogen atom collisions with iron are needed for accurate modelling of the iron spectrum in late-type stars. Excitation and charge transfer in low-energy Fe+H collisions is studied theoretically using a previously presented method based on an asymptotic two-electron linear combination of atomic orbitals model of ionic-covalent interactions in the neutral atom-hydrogen-atom system, together with the multi-channel Landau-Zener model. An extensive calculation including 166 covalent states and 25 ionic states is presented and rate coefficients are calculated for temperatures in the range 1000-20 000 K. The largest rates are found for charge transfer processes to and from two clusters of states around 6.3 and 6.6 eV excitation, corresponding in both cases to active 4d and 5p electrons undergoing transfer. Excitation and de-excitation processes among these two sets of states are also significant. Full Tables and rate coefficient data are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A90

  12. Catalytic Carbonyl Allylation, Propargylation and Vinylation from the Alcohol or Aldehyde Oxidation Level via C-C Bond Forming Hydrogenation and Transfer Hydrogenation: A Departure from Preformed Organometallic Reagents**

    PubMed Central

    Bower, John F.; Kim, In Su; Patman, Ryan L.; Krische, Michael J.

    2009-01-01

    Classical protocols for carbonyl allylation, propargylation and vinylation typically rely upon the use of preformed allyl metal, allenyl metal and vinyl metal reagents, respectively, mandating stoichiometric generation of metallic byproducts. Through transfer hydrogenative C-C coupling, carbonyl addition may be achieved from the aldehyde or alcohol oxidation level in the absence of stoichiometric organometallic reagents or metallic reductants. Here, we review transfer hydrogenative methods for carbonyl addition, which encompass the first cataltyic protocols enabling direct C–H functionalization of alcohols. PMID:19040235

  13. Evidence of quantum correlations in the H/D-transfer dynamics in the hydrogen bonds in partially deuterated benzoic acid crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takeda, Sadamu; Tsuzumitani, Akihiko; Chatzidimitriou-Dreismann, C. A.

    1992-10-01

    A precise investigation of spin—lattice relaxation rates for protons and deuterons of partially deuterated benzoic acid crystals showed a remarkable quenching of the transfer rate of an HD pair in hydrogen-bonded dimeric units of carboxyl groups with increasing concentration of D in the surrounding hydrogen bonds. A similar effect was also observed for partially deuterated crystals of acetylenedicarboxylic acid. This finding supports recent theoretical predictions of thermally activated protonic quantum correlation in condensed matter and proposes a new mechanism for the proton transfer in hydrogen bonds in condensed matter.

  14. Hybrid Quantum/Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Proton Transfer Reactions Catalyzed by Ketosteroid Isomerase: Analysis of Hydrogen Bonding, Conformational Motions, and Electrostatics

    PubMed Central

    Chakravorty, Dhruva K.; Soudackov, Alexander V.; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

    2009-01-01

    Hybrid quantum/classical molecular dynamics simulations of the two proton transfer reactions catalyzed by ketosteroid isomerase are presented. The potential energy surfaces for the proton transfer reactions are described with the empirical valence bond method. Nuclear quantum effects of the transferring hydrogen increase the rates by a factor of ~8, and dynamical barrier recrossings decrease the rates by a factor of 3–4. For both proton transfer reactions, the donor-acceptor distance decreases substantially at the transition state. The carboxylate group of the Asp38 side chain, which serves as the proton acceptor and donor in the first and second steps, respectively, rotates significantly between the two proton transfer reactions. The hydrogen bonding interactions within the active site are consistent with the hydrogen bonding of both Asp99 and Tyr14 to the substrate. The simulations suggest that a hydrogen bond between Asp99 and the substrate is present from the beginning of the first proton transfer step, whereas the hydrogen bond between Tyr14 and the substrate is virtually absent in the first part of this step but forms nearly concurrently with the formation of the transition state. Both hydrogen bonds are present throughout the second proton transfer step until partial dissociation of the product. The hydrogen bond between Tyr14 and Tyr55 is present throughout both proton transfer steps. The active site residues are more mobile during the first step than during the second step. The van der Waals interaction energy between the substrate and the enzyme remains virtually constant along the reaction pathway, but the electrostatic interaction energy is significantly stronger for the dienolate intermediate than for the reactant and product. Mobile loop regions distal to the active site exhibit significant structural rearrangements and, in some cases, qualitative changes in the electrostatic potential during the catalytic reaction. These results suggest that

  15. Liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen boost/vane pump for the advanced orbit transfer vehicles auxiliary propulsion system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gluzek, F.; Mokadam, R. G.; To, I. H.; Stanitz, J. D.; Wollschlager, J.

    1979-01-01

    A rotating, positive displacement vane pump with an integral boost stage was designed to pump saturated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for auxiliary propulsion system of orbit transfer vehicle. This unit is designed to ingest 10% vapor by volume, contamination free liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The final pump configuration and the predicted performance are included.

  16. Identifying and overcoming the effect of mass transfer limitation on decreased yield in enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose at high solid concentrations.

    PubMed

    Du, Jian; Cao, Yuan; Liu, Guodong; Zhao, Jian; Li, Xuezhi; Qu, Yinbo

    2017-04-01

    Cellulose conversion decreases significantly with increasing solid concentrations during enzymatic hydrolysis of insoluble lignocellulosic materials. Here, mass transfer limitation was identified as a significant determining factor of this decrease by studying the hydrolysis of delignified corncob residue in shake flask, the most used reaction vessel in bench scale. Two mass transfer efficiency-related factors, mixing speed and flask filling, were shown to correlate closely with cellulose conversion at solid loadings higher than 15% DM. The role of substrate characteristics in mass transfer performance was also significant, which was revealed by the saccharification of two corn stover substrates with different pretreatment methods at the same solid loading. Several approaches including premix, fed-batch operation, and particularly the use of horizontal rotating reactor were shown to be valid in facilitating cellulose conversion via improving mass transfer efficiency at solid concentrations higher than 15% DM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Kinetics of self-decomposition and hydrogen atom transfer reactions of substituted phthalimide N-oxyl radicals in acetic acid.

    PubMed

    Cai, Yang; Koshino, Nobuyoshi; Saha, Basudeb; Espenson, James H

    2005-01-07

    Kinetic data have been obtained for three distinct types of reactions of phthalimide N-oxyl radicals (PINO(.)) and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) derivatives. The first is the self-decomposition of PINO(.) which was found to follow second-order kinetics. In the self-decomposition of 4-methyl-N-hydroxyphthalimide (4-Me-NHPI), H-atom abstraction competes with self-decomposition in the presence of excess 4-Me-NHPI. The second set of reactions studied is hydrogen atom transfer from NHPI to PINO(.), e.g., PINO(.) + 4-Me-NHPI <=> NHPI + 4-Me-PINO(.). The substantial KIE, k(H)/k(D) = 11 for both forward and reverse reactions, supports the assignment of H-atom transfer rather than stepwise electron-proton transfer. These data were correlated with the Marcus cross relation for hydrogen-atom transfer, and good agreement between the experimental and the calculated rate constants was obtained. The third reaction studied is hydrogen abstraction by PINO(.) from p-xylene and toluene. The reaction becomes regularly slower as the ring substituent on PINO(.) is more electron donating. Analysis by the Hammett equation gave rho = 1.1 and 1.8 for the reactions of PINO(.) with p-xylene and toluene, respectively.

  18. Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Engineering Development Unit Hydrogen Tank

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Werkheiser, Arthur

    2015-01-01

    The Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) project has been a long-running program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate to enhance the knowledge and technology related to handling cryogenic propellants, specifically liquid hydrogen. This particular effort, the CPST engineering development unit (EDU), was a proof of manufacturability effort in support of a flight article. The EDU was built to find and overcome issues related to manufacturability and collect data to anchor the thermal models for use on the flight design.

  19. Hydrodehalogenation of alkyl iodides with base-mediated hydrogenation and catalytic transfer hydrogenation: application to the asymmetric synthesis of N-protected α-methylamines.

    PubMed

    Mandal, Pijus K; Birtwistle, J Sanderson; McMurray, John S

    2014-09-05

    We report a very mild synthesis of N-protected α-methylamines from the corresponding amino acids. Carboxyl groups of amino acids are reduced to iodomethyl groups via hydroxymethyl intermediates. Reductive deiodination to methyl groups is achieved by hydrogenation or catalytic transfer hydrogenation under alkaline conditions. Basic hydrodehalogenation is selective for the iodomethyl group over hydrogenolysis-labile protecting groups, such as benzyloxycarbonyl, benzyl ester, benzyl ether, and 9-fluorenyloxymethyl, thus allowing the conversion of virtually any protected amino acid into the corresponding N-protected α-methylamine.

  20. Hydrodehalogenation of Alkyl Iodides with Base-Mediated Hydrogenation and Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation: Application to the Asymmetric Synthesis of N-Protected α-Methylamines

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    We report a very mild synthesis of N-protected α-methylamines from the corresponding amino acids. Carboxyl groups of amino acids are reduced to iodomethyl groups via hydroxymethyl intermediates. Reductive deiodination to methyl groups is achieved by hydrogenation or catalytic transfer hydrogenation under alkaline conditions. Basic hydrodehalogenation is selective for the iodomethyl group over hydrogenolysis-labile protecting groups, such as benzyloxycarbonyl, benzyl ester, benzyl ether, and 9-fluorenyloxymethyl, thus allowing the conversion of virtually any protected amino acid into the corresponding N-protected α-methylamine. PMID:25116734

  1. Ultrafast forward and backward electron transfer dynamics of coumarin 337 in hydrogen-bonded anilines as studied with femtosecond UV-pump/IR-probe spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, Hirendra N; Verma, Sandeep; Nibbering, Erik T J

    2011-02-10

    Femtosecond infrared spectroscopy is used to study both forward and backward electron transfer (ET) dynamics between coumarin 337 (C337) and the aromatic amine solvents aniline (AN), N-methylaniline (MAN), and N,N-dimethylaniline (DMAN), where all the aniline solvents can donate an electron but only AN and MAN can form hydrogen bonds with C337. The formation of a hydrogen bond with AN and MAN is confirmed with steady state FT-IR spectroscopy, where the C═O stretching vibration is a direct marker mode for hydrogen bond formation. Transient IR absorption measurements in all solvents show an absorption band at 2166 cm(-1), which has been attributed to the C≡N stretching vibration of the C337 radical anion formed after ET. Forward electron transfer dynamics is found to be biexponential with time constants τ(ET)(1) = 500 fs, τ(ET)(2) = 7 ps in all solvents. Despite the presence of hydrogen bonds of C337 with the solvents AN and MAN, no effect has been found on the forward electron transfer step. Because of the absence of an H/D isotope effect on the forward electron transfer reaction of C337 in AN, hydrogen bonds are understood to play a minor role in mediating electron transfer. In contrast, direct π-orbital overlap between C337 and the aromatic amine solvents causes ultrafast forward electron transfer dynamics. Backward electron transfer dynamics, in contrast, is dependent on the solvent used. Standard Marcus theory explains the observed backward electron transfer rates.

  2. Stepwise vs concerted excited state tautomerization of 2-hydroxypyridine: Ammonia dimer wire mediated hydrogen/proton transfer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Esboui, Mounir, E-mail: mounir.esboui@fst.rnu.tn; Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, Hail College of Technology, P.O. Box 1960, Hail 81441

    The stepwise and concerted excited state intermolecular proton transfer (PT) and hydrogen transfer (HT) reactions in 2-hydroxypyridine-(NH{sub 3}){sub 2} complex in the gas phase under Cs symmetry constraint and without any symmetry constraints were performed using quantum chemical calculations. It shows that upon excitation, the hydrogen bonded in 2HP-(NH{sub 3}){sub 2} cluster facilitates the releasing of both hydrogen and proton transfer reactions along ammonia wire leading to the formation of the 2-pyridone tautomer. For the stepwise mechanism, it has been found that the proton and the hydrogen may transfer consecutively. These processes are distinguished from each other through charge translocationmore » analysis and the coupling between the motion of the proton and the electron density distribution along ammonia wire. For the complex under Cs symmetry, the excited state HT occurs on the A″({sup 1}πσ{sup ∗}) and A′({sup 1}nσ{sup ∗}) states over two accessible energy barriers along reaction coordinates, and excited state PT proceeds mainly through the A′({sup 1}ππ{sup ∗}) and A″({sup 1}nπ{sup ∗}) potential energy surfaces. For the unconstrained complex, potential energy profiles show two {sup 1}ππ{sup ∗}-{sup 1}πσ{sup ∗} conical intersections along enol → keto reaction path indicating that proton and H atom are localized, respectively, on the first and second ammonia of the wire. Moreover, the concerted excited state PT is competitive to take place with the stepwise process, because it proceeds over low barriers of 0.14 eV and 0.11 eV with respect to the Franck-Condon excitation of enol tautomer, respectively, under Cs symmetry and without any symmetry constraints. These barriers can be probably overcome through tunneling effect.« less

  3. Ultrafast Spectroscopy Reveals Electron-Transfer Cascade That Improves Hydrogen Evolution with Carbon Nitride Photocatalysts.

    PubMed

    Corp, Kathryn L; Schlenker, Cody W

    2017-06-14

    Solar hydrogen generation from water represents a compelling component of a future sustainable energy portfolio. Recently, chemically robust heptazine-based polymers known as graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C 3 N 4 ) have emerged as promising photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution using visible light while withstanding harsh chemical environments. However, since g-C 3 N 4 electron-transfer dynamics are poorly understood, rational design rules for improving activity remain unclear. Here, we use visible and near-infrared femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy to reveal an electron-transfer cascade that correlates with a near-doubling in photocatalytic activity from 2050 to 3810 μmol h -1 g -1 when we infuse a suspension of bulk g-C 3 N 4 with 10% mass loading of chemically exfoliated carbon nitride. TA spectroscopy indicates that exfoliated carbon nitride quenches photogenerated electrons on g-C 3 N 4 at rates approaching the molecular diffusion limit. The TA signal for photogenerated electrons on g-C 3 N 4 decays with a time constant of 1/k e ' = 660 ps in the mixture versus 1/k e = 4.1 ns in g-C 3 N 4 alone. Our TA measurements suggest that the charge generation efficiency in g-C 3 N 4 is greater than 65%. Exfoliated carbon nitride, which liberates only trace hydrogen levels when photoexcited directly, does not appear to independently sustain appreciable long-lived charge generation. Thus, the activity enhancement in the two-component infusion evidently results from a cooperative effect in which charge is generated on g-C 3 N 4 , followed by electron transfer to exfoliated carbon nitride containing photocatalytic chain terminations. This correlation between electron transfer and photocatalytic activity provides new insight into structural modifications for controlling charge separation dynamics and activity of carbon-based photocatalysts.

  4. Theoretical insights of proton transfer and hydrogen bonded charge transfer complex of 1,2-dimethylimidazolium-3,5-dinitrobenzoate crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Afroz, Ziya; Faizan, Mohd.; Alam, Mohammad Jane; Ahmad, Shabbir; Ahmad, Afaq

    2018-04-01

    Proton transfer (PT) and hydrogen bonded charge transfer (HBCT) 1:1 complex of 1,2-dimethylimidazole (DMI) and 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (DNBA) have been theoretically analyzed and compared with reported experimental results. Both the structures in the isolated gaseous state have been optimized at DFT/B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory and further, the PT energy barrier has been calculated from potential energy surface scan. Along with structural investigations, theoretical vibrational spectra have been inspected and compared with the FTIR spectrum. Moreover, frontier molecular analysis has also been carried out.

  5. Quantitative dissection of hydrogen bond-mediated proton transfer in the ketosteroid isomerase active site

    PubMed Central

    Sigala, Paul A.; Fafarman, Aaron T.; Schwans, Jason P.; Fried, Stephen D.; Fenn, Timothy D.; Caaveiro, Jose M. M.; Pybus, Brandon; Ringe, Dagmar; Petsko, Gregory A.; Boxer, Steven G.; Herschlag, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    Hydrogen bond networks are key elements of protein structure and function but have been challenging to study within the complex protein environment. We have carried out in-depth interrogations of the proton transfer equilibrium within a hydrogen bond network formed to bound phenols in the active site of ketosteroid isomerase. We systematically varied the proton affinity of the phenol using differing electron-withdrawing substituents and incorporated site-specific NMR and IR probes to quantitatively map the proton and charge rearrangements within the network that accompany incremental increases in phenol proton affinity. The observed ionization changes were accurately described by a simple equilibrium proton transfer model that strongly suggests the intrinsic proton affinity of one of the Tyr residues in the network, Tyr16, does not remain constant but rather systematically increases due to weakening of the phenol–Tyr16 anion hydrogen bond with increasing phenol proton affinity. Using vibrational Stark spectroscopy, we quantified the electrostatic field changes within the surrounding active site that accompany these rearrangements within the network. We were able to model these changes accurately using continuum electrostatic calculations, suggesting a high degree of conformational restriction within the protein matrix. Our study affords direct insight into the physical and energetic properties of a hydrogen bond network within a protein interior and provides an example of a highly controlled system with minimal conformational rearrangements in which the observed physical changes can be accurately modeled by theoretical calculations. PMID:23798390

  6. The influences of shape and structure of MnO2 nanomaterials over the non-enzymatic sensing ability of hydrogen peroxide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babu, K. Justice; Zahoor, Awan; Nahm, Kee Suk; Ramachandran, R.; Rajan, M. A. Jothi; Gnana kumar, G.

    2014-02-01

    The different morphologies of MnO2 nanomaterials such as rod, belt, and flower were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method, and their phases were also effectively controlled without employing any organic surfactants. The growth mechanisms of prepared nanostructures has been rationalized through the observed morphologic and structural characterizations. The prepared MnO2 nanostructures improved the electron transfer kinetics and minimized the overpotential and exhibited good electrocatalytic activities in detecting the hydrogen peroxide. Among the studied nanostructures, r-MnO2 exhibited an excellent sensing behavior toward hydrogen peroxide, and a linear current response was observed for the hydrogen peroxide, ranging from 1 micromolar to 1.5 mM with a high-sensitivity and low-level detection limit of 62.9 μAmM-1 cm-2 and 0.1 μM, respectively. Moreover, r-MnO2-modified electrode exhibited high selectivity toward hydrogen peroxide and interference-free phenomenon for the other electroactive species.

  7. Enzymatic Synthesis of Psilocybin.

    PubMed

    Fricke, Janis; Blei, Felix; Hoffmeister, Dirk

    2017-09-25

    Psilocybin is the psychotropic tryptamine-derived natural product of Psilocybe carpophores, the so-called "magic mushrooms". Although its structure has been known for 60 years, the enzymatic basis of its biosynthesis has remained obscure. We characterized four psilocybin biosynthesis enzymes, namely i) PsiD, which represents a new class of fungal l-tryptophan decarboxylases, ii) PsiK, which catalyzes the phosphotransfer step, iii) the methyltransferase PsiM, catalyzing iterative N-methyl transfer as the terminal biosynthetic step, and iv) PsiH, a monooxygenase. In a combined PsiD/PsiK/PsiM reaction, psilocybin was synthesized enzymatically in a step-economic route from 4-hydroxy-l-tryptophan. Given the renewed pharmaceutical interest in psilocybin, our results may lay the foundation for its biotechnological production. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Au nanoparticles-ZnO composite nanotubes using natural silk fibroin fiber as template for electrochemical non-enzymatic sensing of hydrogen peroxide.

    PubMed

    Chen, Liangliang; Xu, Xiaolong; Cui, Feng; Qiu, Qianying; Chen, Xiaojun; Xu, Jinzhong

    2018-05-23

    A novel electrochemical sensor based on the composite of gold nanoparticles/zinc oxide nanotube (AuNPs/ZnO-NTs) was constructed and its application as hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) non-enzymatic sensor was investigated. ZnO-NTs were prepared by a biomineralization strategy in which silk fibroin fiber (SFF) was used as template, and thus the ZnO-NTs inherited the advantages of SFF such as mechanical stability, flexible biomimetic morphology and biocompatibility. The AuNPs/ZnO-NTs was further prepared by the electrostatic absorption of AuNPs onto the surface of ZnO-NTs, and found to be capable to catalyze the reduction of H 2 O 2 . The working potential was 0.05 V, which was far higher than those in literatures, indicating the strong anti-interference ability in the real application. The catalytic current was linearly proportional in the concentration range of 1 μM-3.0 mM with a sensitivity of 1336.7 μA mM -1  cm -2 . The detection limit was estimated to be 0.1 μM (S/N = 3). Such a high sensitivity was attributed to the electrocatalytic property of ZnO and high electron transfer ability of AuNPs/ZnO-NTs structure. Moreover, the final detection results of H 2 O 2 in real samples showed the acceptable accuracy compared with the traditional potassium permanganate titration, exhibiting the prospect to be used as an applicable sensor in actual detections. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production from cashew apple bagasse pretreated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide.

    PubMed

    da Costa, Jessyca Aline; Marques, José Edvan; Gonçalves, Luciana Rocha Barros; Rocha, Maria Valderez Ponte

    2015-03-01

    The effect of combinations and ratios between different enzymes has been investigated in order to assess the optimal conditions for hydrolysis of cashew apple bagasse pretreated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide (the solids named CAB-AHP). The separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes were evaluated in the ethanol production. The enzymatic hydrolysis conducted with cellulase complex and β-glucosidase in a ratio of 0.61:0.39, enzyme loading of 30FPU/g(CAB-AHP) and 66CBU/g(CAB-AHP), respectively, using 4% cellulose from CAB-AHP, turned out to be the most effective conditions, with glucose and xylose yields of 511.68 mg/g(CAB-AHP) and 237.8 mg/g(CAB-AHP), respectively. Fermentation of the pure hydrolysate by Kluyveromyces marxianus ATCC 36907 led to an ethanol yield of 61.8kg/ton(CAB), corresponding to 15 g/L ethanol and productivity of 3.75 g/( Lh). The ethanol production obtained for SSF process using K. marxianus ATCC 36907 was 18 g/L corresponding to 80% yield and 74.2kg/ton(CAB). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Hydrogen sulfide inhibits enzymatic browning of fresh-cut lotus root slices by regulating phenolic metabolism.

    PubMed

    Sun, Ying; Zhang, Wei; Zeng, Tao; Nie, Qixing; Zhang, Fengying; Zhu, Liqin

    2015-06-15

    The effect of fumigation with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas on inhibiting enzymatic browning of fresh-cut lotus root slices was investigated. Browning degree, changes in color, total phenol content, superoxide anion production rate (O2(-)), H2O2 content, antioxidant capacities (DPPH radical scavenging ability, ABTS radical scavenging activity and the reducing power) and activities of the phenol metabolism-associated enzymes including phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were evaluated. The results showed that treatment with 15 μl L(-1) H2S significantly inhibited the browning of fresh-cut lotus root slices (P<0.05), reduced significantly O2(-) production rate and H2O2 content, and enhanced antioxidant capacities (P<0.05). PPO and POD activities in the fresh-cut lotus root slices were also significantly inhibited by treatment with H2S (P<0.05). This study suggested that treatment with exogenous H2S could inhibit the browning of fresh-cut lotus root slices by enhancing antioxidant capacities to alleviate the oxidative damage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Magnetic Silica-Supported Ruthenium Nanoparticles: An Efficient Catalyst for Transfer Hydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds

    EPA Science Inventory

    One-pot synthesis of ruthenium nanoparticles on magnetic silica is described which involve the in situ generation of magnetic silica (Fe3O4@ SiO2) and ruthenium nano particles immobilization; the hydration of nitriles and transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds occurs in hi...

  12. Charge transfer between O6+ and atomic hydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Y.; Stancil, P. C.; Liebermann, H. P.; Buenker, R. J.; Schultz, D. R.; Hui, Y.

    2011-05-01

    The charge exchange process has been found to play a dominant role in the production of X-rays and/or EUV photons observed in cometary and planetary atmospheres and from the heliosphere. Charge transfer cross sections, especially state-selective cross sections, are necessary parameters in simulations of X-ray emission. In the present work, charge transfer due to collisions of ground state O6+(1s2 1 S) with atomic hydrogen has been investigated theoretically using the quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling method (QMOCC). The multi-reference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction approach (MRDCI) has been applied to compute the adiabatic potential and nonadiabatic couplings, and the atomic basis sets used have been optimized with the method proposed previously to obtain precise potential data. Total and state-selective cross sections are calculated for energies between 10 meV/u and 10 keV/u. The QMOCC results are compared to available experimental and theoretical data as well as to new atomic-orbital close-coupling (AOCC) and classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) calculations. A recommended set of cross sections, based on the MOCC, AOCC, and CTMC calculations, is deduced which should aid in X-ray modeling studies.

  13. Reversible Hydrogen Transfer Reactions in Thiyl Radicals From Cysteine and Related Molecules: Absolute Kinetics and Equilibrium Constants Determined by Pulse Radiolysis

    PubMed Central

    Koppenol, Willem H.

    2013-01-01

    The mercapto group of cysteine (Cys) is a predominant target for oxidative modification, where one-electron oxidation leads to the formation of Cys thiyl radicals, CysS•. These Cys thiyl radicals enter 1,2- and 1,3-hydrogen transfer reactions, for which rate constants are reported in this paper. The products of these 1,2- and 1,3-hydrogen transfer reactions are carbon-centered radicals at position C3 (α-mercaptoalkyl radicals) and C2 (•Cα radicals) of Cys, respectively. Both processes can be monitored separately in Cys analogues such as cysteamine (CyaSH) and penicillamine (PenSH). At acidic pH, thiyl radicals from CyaSH permit only the 1,2-hydrogen transfer according to equilibrium 12, +H3NCH2CH2S• ⇌ +H3NCH2 •CH–SH, where rate constants for forward and reverse reaction are k12 ≈ 105 s−1 and k−12 ≈ 1.5 × 105s−1, respectively. In contrast, only the 1,3-hydrogen transfer is possible for thiyl radicals from PenSH according to equilibrium 14, (+H3N/CO2H)Cα–C(CH3)2–S• ⇌ (+H3N/CO2H)•Cα–C(CH3)2–SH, where rate constants for the forward and the reverse reaction are k14 = 8 × 104 s−1 and k−14 = 1.4 × 106 s−1. The •Cα radicals from PenSH and Cys have the additional opportunity for β-elimination of HS•/S•−, which proceeds with k39 ≈ (3 ± 1) × 104 s−1 from •Cα radicals from PenSH and k−34 ≈ 5 × 103 s−1 from •Cα radicals from Cys. The rate constants quantified for the 1,2- and 1,3-hydrogen transfer reactions can be used as a basis to calculate similar processes for Cys thiyl radicals in proteins, where hydrogen transfer reactions, followed by the addition of oxygen, may lead to the irreversible modification of target proteins. PMID:22483034

  14. [Mechanism of oxidation reaction of NADH models and phynylglyoxal with hydrogen peroxide. Hypothesis on separate transport of hydrogen and electron atom in certain enzymatic reactions with the participation of NADH and NADPH].

    PubMed

    Iasnikov, A A; Ponomarenko, S P

    1976-05-01

    Kinetics of co-oxidation of 1-benzen-3-carbamido-1,4-dihydropyridine (BDN) and phenylglyoxal (PG) with hydrogen peroxide is studied. Dimeric product (di-e11-benzen-5-carbamido-1,2-dihydropyridyl-2]) is found to be formed at pH 9, and quaternal pyridinium salt (BNA)--at pH 7. Molecular oxigen is determined to participate in the reaction at pH 7. Copper (II) ions catalyze this process. Significant catalytic effect of p-dinitrobenzen (p-DNB) is found. The reaction mechanism is postulated to form hydroperoxide from PG and hydrogen peroxide which are capable to split the hydrogen attom from dihydropyridine, molecular oxigen or p-DNB being an acceptor of the electrone. Hypothesis on separate transfer of hydrogen atom and electrone in biological systems are proposed.

  15. Enzymatic reaction paths as determined by transition path sampling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masterson, Jean Emily

    Enzymes are biological catalysts capable of enhancing the rates of chemical reactions by many orders of magnitude as compared to solution chemistry. Since the catalytic power of enzymes routinely exceeds that of the best artificial catalysts available, there is much interest in understanding the complete nature of chemical barrier crossing in enzymatic reactions. Two specific questions pertaining to the source of enzymatic rate enhancements are investigated in this work. The first is the issue of how fast protein motions of an enzyme contribute to chemical barrier crossing. Our group has previously identified sub-picosecond protein motions, termed promoting vibrations (PVs), that dynamically modulate chemical transformation in several enzymes. In the case of human heart lactate dehydrogenase (hhLDH), prior studies have shown that a specific axis of residues undergoes a compressional fluctuation towards the active site, decreasing a hydride and a proton donor--acceptor distance on a sub-picosecond timescale to promote particle transfer. To more thoroughly understand the contribution of this dynamic motion to the enzymatic reaction coordinate of hhLDH, we conducted transition path sampling (TPS) using four versions of the enzymatic system: a wild type enzyme with natural isotopic abundance; a heavy enzyme where all the carbons, nitrogens, and non-exchangeable hydrogens were replaced with heavy isotopes; and two versions of the enzyme with mutations in the axis of PV residues. We generated four separate ensembles of reaction paths and analyzed each in terms of the reaction mechanism, time of barrier crossing, dynamics of the PV, and residues involved in the enzymatic reaction coordinate. We found that heavy isotopic substitution of hhLDH altered the sub-picosecond dynamics of the PV, changed the favored reaction mechanism, dramatically increased the time of barrier crossing, but did not have an effect on the specific residues involved in the PV. In the mutant systems

  16. Numerical modeling of heat transfer during hydrogen absorption in thin double-layered annular ZrCo beds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cui, Yehui; Zeng, Xiangguo; Kou, Huaqin; Ding, Jun; Wang, Fang

    2018-06-01

    In this work a three-dimensional (3D) hydrogen absorption model was proposed to study the heat transfer behavior in thin double-layered annular ZrCo beds. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the effects of conversion layer thickness, thermal conductivity, cooling medium and its flow velocity on the efficiency of heat transfer. Results reveal that decreasing the layer thickness and improving the thermal conductivity enhance the ability of heat transfer. Compared with nitrogen and helium, water appears to be a better medium for cooling. In order to achieve the best efficiency of heat transfer, the flow velocity needs to be maximized.

  17. Photoinduced triplet-triplet energy transfer via the 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone self-complementary quadruple hydrogen-bonded module.

    PubMed

    Wang, Su-Min; Yu, Mao-Lin; Ding, Jie; Tung, Chen-Ho; Wu, Li-Zhu

    2008-05-01

    Phosphorescence quenching and flash photolysis experiments demonstrate that photoinduced intra-assembly triplet-triplet energy transfer can take place via a 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone-bridged benzophenone-naphthalene assembly I with a rate constant of 3.0 x 106 s-1 and an efficiency of 95% in CH2Cl2. This new finding suggests that with high binding strength and directionality, the 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone hydrogen-bonded module may serve as a new model to illustrate the fundamental principles governing the triplet-triplet energy-transfer process through hydrogen bonds.

  18. The change in hydrogen bond strength accompanying charge rearrangement: Implications for enzymatic catalysis

    PubMed Central

    Shan, Shu-ou; Herschlag, Daniel

    1996-01-01

    The equilibrium for formation of the intramolecular hydrogen bond (KHB) in a series of substituted salicylate monoanions was investigated as a function of ΔpKa, the difference between the pKa values of the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor, in both water and dimethyl sulfoxide. The dependence of log KHB upon ΔpKa is linear in both solvents, but is steeper in dimethyl sulfoxide (slope = 0.73) than in water (slope = 0.05). Thus, hydrogen bond strength can undergo substantially larger increases in nonaqueous media than aqueous solutions as the charge density on the donor or acceptor atom increases. These results support a general mechanism for enzymatic catalysis, in which hydrogen bonding to a substrate is strengthened as charge rearranges in going from the ground state to the transition state; the strengthening of the hydrogen bond would be greater in a nonaqueous enzymatic active site than in water, thus providing a rate enhancement for an enzymatic reaction relative to the solution reaction. We suggest that binding energy of an enzyme is used to fix the substrate in the low-dielectric active site, where the strengthening of the hydrogen bond in the course of a reaction is increased. PMID:8962076

  19. Hydrogen atom transfer reactions in thiophenol: photogeneration of two new thione isomers.

    PubMed

    Reva, Igor; Nowak, Maciej J; Lapinski, Leszek; Fausto, Rui

    2015-02-21

    Photoisomerization reactions of monomeric thiophenol have been investigated for the compound isolated in low-temperature argon matrices. The initial thiophenol population consists exclusively of the thermodynamically most stable thiol form. Phototransformations were induced by irradiation of the matrices with narrowband tunable UV light. Irradiation at λ > 290 nm did not induce any changes in isolated thiophenol molecules. Upon irradiation at 290-285 nm, the initial thiol form of thiophenol converted into its thione isomer, cyclohexa-2,4-diene-1-thione. This conversion occurs by transfer of an H atom from the SH group to a carbon atom at the ortho position of the ring. Subsequent irradiation at longer wavelengths (300-427 nm) demonstrated that this UV-induced hydrogen-atom transfer is photoreversible. Moreover, upon irradiation at 400-425 nm, the cyclohexa-2,4-diene-1-thione product converts, by transfer of a hydrogen atom from the ortho to para position, into another thione isomer, cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1-thione. The latter thione isomer is also photoreactive and is consumed if irradiated at λ < 332 nm. The obtained results clearly show that H-atom-transfer isomerization reactions dominate the unimolecular photochemistry of thiophenol confined in a solid argon matrix. A set of low-intensity infrared bands, observed in the spectra of UV irradiated thiophenol, indicates the presence of a phenylthiyl radical with an H- atom detached from the SH group. Alongside the H-atom-transfer and H-atom-detachment processes, the ring-opening photoreaction occurred in cyclohexa-2,4-diene-1-thione by the cleavage of the C-C bond at the alpha position with respect to the thiocarbonyl C[double bond, length as m-dash]S group. The resulting open-ring conjugated thioketene adopts several isomeric forms, differing by orientations around single and double bonds. The species photogenerated upon UV irradiation of thiophenol were identified by comparison of their experimental infrared

  20. Transfer Hydrogenation and Antiproliferative Activity of Tethered Half-Sandwich Organoruthenium Catalysts

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    We report the synthesis and characterization of four neutral organometallic tethered complexes, [Ru(η6-Ph(CH2)3-ethylenediamine-N-R)Cl], where R = methanesulfonyl (Ms, 1), toluenesulfonyl (Ts, 2), 4-trifluoromethylbenzenesulfonyl (Tf, 3), and 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl (Nb, 4), including their X-ray crystal structures. These complexes exhibit moderate antiproliferative activity toward human ovarian, lung, hepatocellular, and breast cancer cell lines. Complex 2 in particular exhibits a low cross-resistance with cisplatin. The complexes show potent catalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation of NAD+ to NADH with formate as hydride donor in aqueous solution (310 K, pH 7). Substituents on the chelated ligand decreased the turnover frequency in the order Nb > Tf > Ts > Ms. An enhancement of antiproliferative activity (up to 22%) was observed on coadministration with nontoxic concentrations of sodium formate (0.5–2 mM). Complex 2 binds to nucleobase guanine (9-EtG), but DNA appears not to be the target, as little binding to calf thymus DNA or bacterial plasmid DNA was observed. In addition, complex 2 reacts rapidly with glutathione (GSH), which might hamper transfer hydrogenation reactions in cells. Complex 2 induced a dose-dependent G1 cell cycle arrest after 24 h exposure in A2780 human ovarian cancer cells while promoting an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is likely to contribute to its antiproliferative activity.

  1. Direct Observation of Double Hydrogen Transfer via Quantum Tunneling in a Single Porphycene Molecule on a Ag(110) Surface.

    PubMed

    Koch, Matthias; Pagan, Mark; Persson, Mats; Gawinkowski, Sylwester; Waluk, Jacek; Kumagai, Takashi

    2017-09-13

    Quantum tunneling of hydrogen atoms (or protons) plays a crucial role in many chemical and biological reactions. Although tunneling of a single particle has been examined extensively in various one-dimensional potentials, many-particle tunneling in high-dimensional potential energy surfaces remains poorly understood. Here we present a direct observation of a double hydrogen atom transfer (tautomerization) within a single porphycene molecule on a Ag(110) surface using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The tautomerization rates are temperature independent below ∼10 K, and a large kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is observed upon substituting the transferred hydrogen atoms by deuterium, indicating that the process is governed by tunneling. The observed KIE for three isotopologues and density functional theory calculations reveal that a stepwise transfer mechanism is dominant in the tautomerization. It is also found that the tautomerization rate is increased by vibrational excitation via an inelastic electron tunneling process. Moreover, the STM tip can be used to manipulate the tunneling dynamics through modification of the potential landscape.

  2. Tunneling in hydrogen-transfer isomerization of n-alkyl radicals.

    PubMed

    Sirjean, Baptiste; Dames, Enoch; Wang, Hai; Tsang, Wing

    2012-01-12

    The role of quantum tunneling in hydrogen shift in linear heptyl radicals is explored using multidimensional, small-curvature tunneling method for the transmission coefficients and a potential energy surface computed at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. Several one-dimensional approximations (Wigner, Skodje and Truhlar, and Eckart methods) were compared to the multidimensional results. The Eckart method was found to be sufficiently accurate in comparison to the small-curvature tunneling results for a wide range of temperature, but this agreement is in fact fortuitous and caused by error cancellations. High-pressure limit rate constants were calculated using the transition state theory with treatment of hindered rotations and Eckart transmission coefficients for all hydrogen-transfer isomerizations in n-pentyl to n-octyl radicals. Rate constants are found in good agreement with experimental kinetic data available for n-pentyl and n-hexyl radicals. In the case of n-heptyl and n-octyl, our calculated rates agree well with limited experimentally derived data. Several conclusions made in the experimental studies of Tsang et al. (Tsang, W.; McGivern, W. S.; Manion, J. A. Proc. Combust. Inst. 2009, 32, 131-138) are confirmed theoretically: older low-temperature experimental data, characterized by small pre-exponential factors and activation energies, can be reconciled with high-temperature data by taking into account tunneling; at low temperatures, transmission coefficients are substantially larger for H-atom transfers through a five-membered ring transition state than those with six-membered rings; channels with transition ring structures involving greater than 8 atoms can be neglected because of entropic effects that inhibit such transitions. The set of computational kinetic rates were used to derive a general rate rule that explicitly accounts for tunneling. The rate rule is shown to reproduce closely the theoretical rate constants.

  3. Easy To Synthesize, Robust Organo‐osmium Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysts

    PubMed Central

    Coverdale, James P. C.; Sanchez‐Cano, Carlos; Clarkson, Guy J.; Soni, Rina

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) is an important process in organic synthesis for which the Noyori‐type RuII catalysts [(arene)Ru(Tsdiamine)] are now well established and widely used. We now demonstrate for the first time the catalytic activity of the osmium analogues. X‐ray crystal structures of the 16‐electron OsII catalysts are almost identical to those of RuII. Intriguingly the precursor complex was isolated as a dichlorido complex with a monodentate amine ligand. The OsII catalysts are readily synthesised (within 1 h) and exhibit excellent enantioselectivity in ATH reactions of ketones. PMID:25853228

  4. Manganese-Oxygen Intermediates in O-O Bond Activation and Hydrogen-Atom Transfer Reactions.

    PubMed

    Rice, Derek B; Massie, Allyssa A; Jackson, Timothy A

    2017-11-21

    Biological systems capitalize on the redox versatility of manganese to perform reactions involving dioxygen and its derivatives superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and water. The reactions of manganese enzymes influence both human health and the global energy cycle. Important examples include the detoxification of reactive oxygen species by manganese superoxide dismutase, biosynthesis by manganese ribonucleotide reductase and manganese lipoxygenase, and water splitting by the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II. Although these enzymes perform very different reactions and employ structurally distinct active sites, manganese intermediates with peroxo, hydroxo, and oxo ligation are commonly proposed in catalytic mechanisms. These intermediates are also postulated in mechanisms of synthetic manganese oxidation catalysts, which are of interest due to the earth abundance of manganese. In this Account, we describe our recent efforts toward understanding O-O bond activation pathways of Mn III -peroxo adducts and hydrogen-atom transfer reactivity of Mn IV -oxo and Mn III -hydroxo complexes. In biological and synthetic catalysts, peroxomanganese intermediates are commonly proposed to decay by either Mn-O or O-O cleavage pathways, although it is often unclear how the local coordination environment influences the decay mechanism. To address this matter, we generated a variety of Mn III -peroxo adducts with varied ligand environments. Using parallel-mode EPR and Mn K-edge X-ray absorption techniques, the decay pathway of one Mn III -peroxo complex bearing a bulky macrocylic ligand was investigated. Unlike many Mn III -peroxo model complexes that decay to oxo-bridged-Mn III Mn IV dimers, decay of this Mn III -peroxo adduct yielded mononuclear Mn III -hydroxo and Mn IV -oxo products, potentially resulting from O-O bond activation of the Mn III -peroxo unit. These results highlight the role of ligand sterics in promoting the formation of mononuclear products and mark an important

  5. Hydrogen sulfide production from cysteine and homocysteine by periodontal and oral bacteria.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Akihiro; Yoshimura, Mamiko; Ohara, Naoya; Yoshimura, Shigeru; Nagashima, Shiori; Takehara, Tadamichi; Nakayama, Koji

    2009-11-01

    Hydrogen sulfide is one of the predominant volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) produced by oral bacteria. This study developed and evaluated a system for detecting hydrogen sulfide production by oral bacteria. L-methionine-alpha-deamino-gamma-mercaptomethane-lyase (METase) and beta carbon-sulfur (beta C-S) lyase were used to degrade homocysteine and cysteine, respectively, to produce hydrogen sulfide. Enzymatic reactions resulting in hydrogen sulfide production were assayed by reaction with bismuth trichloride, which forms a black precipitate when mixed with hydrogen sulfide. The enzymatic activities of various oral bacteria that result in hydrogen sulfide production and the capacity of bacteria from periodontal sites to form hydrogen sulfide in reaction mixtures containing L-cysteine or DL-homocysteine were assayed. With L-cysteine as the substrate, Streptococcus anginosus FW73 produced the most hydrogen sulfide, whereas Porphyromonas gingivalis American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 33277 and W83 and Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953 produced approximately 35% of the amount produced by the P. gingivalis strains. Finally, the hydrogen sulfide found in subgingival plaque was analyzed. Using bismuth trichloride, the hydrogen sulfide produced by oral bacteria was visually detectable as a black precipitate. Hydrogen sulfide production by oral bacteria was easily analyzed using bismuth trichloride. However, further innovation is required for practical use.

  6. Transfer hydrogenation over sodium-modified ceria: Enrichment of redox sites active for alcohol dehydrogenation

    DOE PAGES

    Nelson, Nicholas C.; Boote, Brett W.; Naik, Pranjali; ...

    2017-01-17

    Ceria (CeO 2) and sodium-modified ceria (Ce-Na) were prepared through combustion synthesis. Palladium was deposited onto the supports (Pd/CeO 2 and Pd/Ce-Na) and their activity for the aqueous-phase transfer hydrogenation of phenol using 2-propanol under liquid flow conditions was studied. Pd/Ce-Na showed a marked increase (6×) in transfer hydrogenation activity over Pd/CeO 2. Material characterization indicated that water-stable sodium species were not doped into the ceria lattice, but rather existed as subsurface carbonates. Modification of ceria by sodium provided more adsorption and redox active sites (i.e. defects) for 2-propanol dehydrogenation. This effect was an intrinsic property of the Ce-Na supportmore » and independent of Pd. The redox sites active for 2-propanol dehydrogenation were thermodynamically equivalent on both supports/catalysts. At high phenol concentrations, the reaction was limited by 2-propanol adsorption. Furthermore, the difference in catalytic activity was attributed to the different numbers of 2-propanol adsorption and redox active sites on each catalyst.« less

  7. The construction, fouling and enzymatic cleaning of a textile dye surface.

    PubMed

    Onaizi, Sagheer A; He, Lizhong; Middelberg, Anton P J

    2010-11-01

    The enzymatic cleaning of a rubisco protein stain bound onto Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensor chips having a dye-bound upper layer is investigated. This novel method allowed, for the first time, a detailed kinetic study of rubisco cleanability (defined as fraction of adsorbed protein removed from a surface) from dyed surfaces (mimicking fabrics) at different enzyme concentrations. Analysis of kinetic data using an established mathematical model able to decouple enzyme transfer and reaction processes [Onaizi, He, Middelberg, Chem. Eng. Sci. 64 (2008) 3868] revealed a striking effect of dyeing on enzymatic cleaning performance. Specifically, the absolute rate constants for enzyme transfer to and from a dye-bound rubisco stain were significantly higher than reported previously for un-dyed surfaces. These increased transfer rates resulted in higher surface cleanability. Higher enzyme mobility (i.e., higher enzyme adsorption and desorption rates) at the liquid-dye interface was observed, consistent with previous suggestions that enzyme surface mobility is likely correlated with overall enzyme cleaning performance. Our results show that reaction engineering models of enzymatic action at surfaces may provide insight able to guide the design of better stain-resistant surfaces, and may also guide efforts to improve cleaning formulations. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Biofunctional Properties of Enzymatic Squid Meat Hydrolysate

    PubMed Central

    Choi, Joon Hyuk; Kim, Kyung-Tae; Kim, Sang Moo

    2015-01-01

    Squid is one of the most important commercial fishes in the world and is mainly utilized or consumed as sliced raw fish or as processed products. The biofunctional activities of enzymatic squid meat hydrolysate were determined to develop value-added products. Enzymatic squid hydrolysate manufactured by Alcalase effectively quenched 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, hydroxyl radical, and hydrogen peroxide radical with IC50 values of 311, 3,410, and 111.5 μg/mL, respectively. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity of squid hydrolysate was strong with an IC50 value of 145.1 μg/mL, while tyrosinase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 4.72 mg/mL was moderately low. Overall, squid meat hydrolysate can be used in food or cosmetic industries as a bioactive ingredient and possibly be used in the manufacture of seasoning, bread, noodle, or cosmetics. PMID:25866752

  9. Concerted electron-proton transfer in the optical excitation of hydrogen-bonded dyes.

    PubMed

    Westlake, Brittany C; Brennaman, M Kyle; Concepcion, Javier J; Paul, Jared J; Bettis, Stephanie E; Hampton, Shaun D; Miller, Stephen A; Lebedeva, Natalia V; Forbes, Malcolm D E; Moran, Andrew M; Meyer, Thomas J; Papanikolas, John M

    2011-05-24

    The simultaneous, concerted transfer of electrons and protons--electron-proton transfer (EPT)--is an important mechanism utilized in chemistry and biology to avoid high energy intermediates. There are many examples of thermally activated EPT in ground-state reactions and in excited states following photoexcitation and thermal relaxation. Here we report application of ultrafast excitation with absorption and Raman monitoring to detect a photochemically driven EPT process (photo-EPT). In this process, both electrons and protons are transferred during the absorption of a photon. Photo-EPT is induced by intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) excitation of hydrogen-bonded-base adducts with either a coumarin dye or 4-nitro-4'-biphenylphenol. Femtosecond transient absorption spectral measurements following ICT excitation reveal the appearance of two spectroscopically distinct states having different dynamical signatures. One of these states corresponds to a conventional ICT excited state in which the transferring H(+) is initially associated with the proton donor. Proton transfer to the base (B) then occurs on the picosecond time scale. The other state is an ICT-EPT photoproduct. Upon excitation it forms initially in the nuclear configuration of the ground state by application of the Franck-Condon principle. However, due to the change in electronic configuration induced by the transition, excitation is accompanied by proton transfer with the protonated base formed with a highly elongated (+)H ─ B bond. Coherent Raman spectroscopy confirms the presence of a vibrational mode corresponding to the protonated base in the optically prepared state.

  10. Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Natural Isoflavans: Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation/Deoxygenation of Isoflavanones with Dynamic Kinetic Resolution.

    PubMed

    Keßberg, Anton; Lübken, Tilo; Metz, Peter

    2018-05-02

    A concise and highly enantioselective synthesis of structurally diverse isoflavans from a single chromone is described. The key transformation is a single-step conversion of racemic isoflavanones into virtually enantiopure isoflavans by domino asymmetric transfer hydrogenation/deoxygenation with dynamic kinetic resolution.

  11. Electron transfer in proton-hydrogen collisions under dense quantum plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nayek, Sujay; Bhattacharya, Arka; Kamali, Mohd Zahurin Mohamed; Ghoshal, Arijit; Ratnavelu, Kurunathan

    2017-09-01

    The effects of dense quantum plasma on 1 s → nlm charge transfer, for arbitrary n,l,m, in proton-hydrogen collisions have been studied by employing a distorted wave approximation. The interactions among the charged particles in the plasma have been represented by modified Debye-Huckel potentials. A detailed study has been made to explore the effects of background plasma environment on the differential and total cross sections for electron capture into different angular momentum states for the incident energy in the range 10-1000 keV. For the unscreened case, our results agree well with some of the most accurate results available in the literature.

  12. Non-enzymatic depolymerization of cotton cellulose by fungal mimicking metabolites

    Treesearch

    Anne Christine Steenkjaer Hastrup; Caitlin Howell; Bo Jensen; Frederick Green

    2011-01-01

    Small, low molecular weight, non-enzymatic compounds have been linked to the early stages of brown rot decay as the enzymes involved with holocellulose degradation are too large to penetrate the S3 layer of intact wood cells. We investigated the most notable of these compounds, i.e. hydrogen peroxide, iron, and oxalic acid. The former two are involved in the Fenton...

  13. Selective conversion of polyenes to monoenes by RuCl(3) -catalyzed transfer hydrogenation: the case of cashew nutshell liquid.

    PubMed

    Perdriau, Sébastien; Harder, Sjoerd; Heeres, Hero J; de Vries, Johannes G

    2012-12-01

    Cardanol, a constituent of cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), was subjected to transfer hydrogenation catalyzed by RuCl(3) using isopropanol as a reductant. The side chain of cardanol, which is a mixture of a triene, a diene, and a monoene, was selectively reduced to the monoene. Surprisingly, it is the C8-C9 double bond that is retained with high selectivity. A similar transfer hydrogenation of linoleic acid derivatives succeeded only if the substrate contained an aromatic ring, such as a benzyl ester. TEM and a negative mercury test showed that the catalyst was homogeneous. By using ESI-MS, ruthenium complexes were identified that contained one, two, or even three molecules of substrate, most likely as allyl complexes. The interaction between ruthenium and the aromatic ring determines selectivity in the hydrogenation reaction. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Enzymatic mechanisms of biological magnetic sensitivity.

    PubMed

    Letuta, Ulyana G; Berdinskiy, Vitaly L; Udagawa, Chikako; Tanimoto, Yoshifumi

    2017-10-01

    Primary biological magnetoreceptors in living organisms is one of the main research problems in magnetobiology. Intracellular enzymatic reactions accompanied by electron transfer have been shown to be receptors of magnetic fields, and spin-dependent ion-radical processes can be a universal mechanism of biological magnetosensitivity. Magnetic interactions in intermediate ion-radical pairs, such as Zeeman and hyperfine (HFI) interactions, in accordance with proposed strict quantum mechanical theory, can determine magnetic-field dependencies of reactions that produce biologically important molecules needed for cell growth. Hyperfine interactions of electrons with nuclear magnetic moments of magnetic isotopes can explain the most important part of biomagnetic sensitivities in a weak magnetic field comparable to the Earth's magnetic field. The theoretical results mean that magnetic-field dependencies of enzymatic reaction rates in a weak magnetic field that can be independent of HFI constant a, if H < a, and are determined by the rate constant of chemical transformations in the enzyme active site. Both Zeeman and HFI interactions predict strong magnetic-field dependence in weak magnetic fields and magnetic-field independence of enzymatic reaction rate constants in strong magnetic fields. The theoretical results can explain the magnetic sensitivity of E. coli cell and demonstrate that intracellular enzymatic reactions are primary magnetoreceptors in living organisms. Bioelectromagnetics. 38:511-521, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Revisiting the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley Reduction: A Sustainable Protocol for Transfer Hydrogenation of Aldehydes and Ketones

    EPA Science Inventory

    The metal-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds has received much interest because of the immense number of opportunities that exist to prepare high-value products. This reaction is featured in numerous multi-step organic syntheses and is arguably the most import...

  16. Alkaline peroxide pretreatment of corn stover for enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification were evaluated for conversion of corn stover cellulose and hemicellulose to fermentable sugars. Corn stover used in this study contained 37.0±0.2% cellulose, 26.8±0.2% hemicellulose and 18.0±0.1% lignin on dry basis. Unde...

  17. Excitation and charge transfer in low-energy hydrogen atom collisions with neutral oxygen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barklem, P. S.

    2018-02-01

    Excitation and charge transfer in low-energy O+H collisions is studied; it is a problem of importance for modelling stellar spectra and obtaining accurate oxygen abundances in late-type stars including the Sun. The collisions have been studied theoretically using a previously presented method based on an asymptotic two-electron linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) model of ionic-covalent interactions in the neutral atom-hydrogen-atom system, together with the multichannel Landau-Zener model. The method has been extended to include configurations involving excited states of hydrogen using an estimate for the two-electron transition coupling, but this extension was found to not lead to any remarkably high rates. Rate coefficients are calculated for temperatures in the range 1000-20 000 K, and charge transfer and (de)excitation processes involving the first excited S-states, 4s.5So and 4s.3So, are found to have the highest rates. Data are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/vizbin/qcat?J/A+A/610/A57. The data are also available at http://https://github.com/barklem/public-data

  18. Concerted electron-proton transfer in the optical excitation of hydrogen-bonded dyes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Westlake, Brittany C.; Brennaman, Kyle M.; Concepcion, Javier J.

    2011-05-24

    The simultaneous, concerted transfer of electrons and protons—electron-proton transfer (EPT)—is an important mechanism utilized in chemistry and biology to avoid high energy intermediates. There are many examples of thermally activated EPT in ground-state reactions and in excited states following photoexcitation and thermal relaxation. Here we report application of ultrafast excitation with absorption and Raman monitoring to detect a photochemically driven EPT process (photo-EPT). In this process, both electrons and protons are transferred during the absorption of a photon. Photo-EPT is induced by intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) excitation of hydrogen-bonded-base adducts with either a coumarin dye or 4-nitro-4'-biphenylphenol. Femtosecond transient absorption spectralmore » measurements following ICT excitation reveal the appearance of two spectroscopically distinct states having different dynamical signatures. One of these states corresponds to a conventional ICT excited state in which the transferring H⁺ is initially associated with the proton donor. Proton transfer to the base (B) then occurs on the picosecond time scale. The other state is an ICT-EPT photoproduct. Upon excitation it forms initially in the nuclear configuration of the ground state by application of the Franck–Condon principle. However, due to the change in electronic configuration induced by the transition, excitation is accompanied by proton transfer with the protonated base formed with a highly elongated ⁺H–B bond. Coherent Raman spectroscopy confirms the presence of a vibrational mode corresponding to the protonated base in the optically prepared state.« less

  19. Influence of hydrogen oxidation kinetics on hydrogen environment embrittlement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walter, R. J.; Kendig, M. W.; Meisels, A. P.

    1992-01-01

    Results are presented from experiments performed to determine the roles of hydrogen absorption and hydrogen electron transfer on the susceptibility of Fe- and Ni-base alloys to ambient-temperature hydroen embrittlement. An apparent independence is noted between hydrogen environment embrittlement and internal hydrogen embrittlement. The experiments were performed on Inconel 718, Incoloy 903, and A286. The electrochemical results obtained indicate that Inconel 718 either adsorbs hydrogen more rapidly and/or the electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed hydrogen occurred more rapidly than in the other two materials.

  20. Nanoparticles based on quantum dots and a luminol derivative: implications for in vivo imaging of hydrogen peroxide by chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer.

    PubMed

    Lee, Eun Sook; Deepagan, V G; You, Dong Gil; Jeon, Jueun; Yi, Gi-Ra; Lee, Jung Young; Lee, Doo Sung; Suh, Yung Doug; Park, Jae Hyung

    2016-03-18

    Overproduction of hydrogen peroxide is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as cancer and arthritis. To image hydrogen peroxide via chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer in the near-infrared wavelength range, we prepared quantum dots functionalized with a luminol derivative.

  1. Insight into the stereospecificity of short-chain thermus thermophilus alcohol dehydrogenase showing pro-S hydride transfer and prelog enantioselectivity.

    PubMed

    Pennacchio, Angela; Giordano, Assunta; Esposito, Luciana; Langella, Emma; Rossi, Mosè; Raia, Carlo A

    2010-04-01

    The stereochemistry of the hydride transfer in reactions catalyzed by NAD(H)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermus thermophilus HB27 was determined by means of (1)H-NMR spectroscopy. The enzyme transfers the pro-S hydrogen of [4R-(2)H]NADH and exhibits Prelog specificity. Enzyme-substrate docking calculations provided structural details about the enantioselectivity of this thermophilic enzyme. These results give additional insights into the diverse active site architectures of the largely versatile short-chain dehydrogenase superfamily enzymes. A feasible protocol for the synthesis of [4R-(2)H]NADH with high yield was also set up by enzymatic oxidation of 2-propanol-d(8) catalyzed by Bacillus stearothermophilus alcohol dehydrogenase.

  2. Another Look at the Mechanisms of Hydride Transfer Enzymes with Quantum and Classical Transition Path Sampling.

    PubMed

    Dzierlenga, Michael W; Antoniou, Dimitri; Schwartz, Steven D

    2015-04-02

    The mechanisms involved in enzymatic hydride transfer have been studied for years, but questions remain due, in part, to the difficulty of probing the effects of protein motion and hydrogen tunneling. In this study, we use transition path sampling (TPS) with normal mode centroid molecular dynamics (CMD) to calculate the barrier to hydride transfer in yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) and human heart lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Calculation of the work applied to the hydride allowed for observation of the change in barrier height upon inclusion of quantum dynamics. Similar calculations were performed using deuterium as the transferring particle in order to approximate kinetic isotope effects (KIEs). The change in barrier height in YADH is indicative of a zero-point energy (ZPE) contribution and is evidence that catalysis occurs via a protein compression that mediates a near-barrierless hydride transfer. Calculation of the KIE using the difference in barrier height between the hydride and deuteride agreed well with experimental results.

  3. Isoprene Production on Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Peanut Hull Using Different Pretreatment Methods.

    PubMed

    Wang, Sumeng; Li, Ruichao; Yi, Xiaohua; Fang, Tigao; Yang, Jianming; Bae, Hyeun-Jong

    2016-01-01

    The present study is about the use of peanut hull for isoprene production. In this study, two pretreatment methods, hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HPAC) and popping, were employed prior to enzymatic hydrolysis, which could destroy the lignocellulosic structure and accordingly improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. It is proven that the isoprene production on enzymatic hydrolysate with HPAC pretreatment is about 1.9-fold higher than that of popping pretreatment. Moreover, through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the amount and category of inhibitors such as formic acid, acetic acid, and HMF were assayed and were varied in different enzymatic hydrolysates, which may be the reason leading to a decrease in isoprene production during fermentation. To further increase the isoprene yield, the enzymatic hydrolysate of HPAC was detoxified by activated carbon. As a result, using the detoxified enzymatic hydrolysate as the carbon source, the engineered strain YJM21 could accumulate 297.5 mg/L isoprene, which accounted for about 90% of isoprene production by YJM21 fermented on pure glucose (338.6 mg/L). This work is thought to be the first attempt on isoprene production by E. coli using peanut hull as the feedstock. More importantly, it also shows the prospect of peanut hull to be considered as an alternative feedstock for bio-based chemicals or biofuels production due to its easy access and high polysaccharide content.

  4. Catalytic transfer hydrogenation for stabilization of bio-oil oxygenates: reduction of p-cresol and furfural over bimetallic Ni-Cu catalysts using isopropanol

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Transfer hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of model bio-oil compounds (p-cresol and furfural) and bio-oils derived from biomass via traditional pyrolysis and tail-gas reactive pyrolysis (TGRP) were conducted. Mild batch reaction conditions were employed, using isopropanol as a hydrogen donor over...

  5. Sequential enzymatic derivatization coupled with online microdialysis sampling for simultaneous profiling of mouse tumor extracellular hydrogen peroxide, lactate, and glucose.

    PubMed

    Su, Cheng-Kuan; Tseng, Po-Jen; Chiu, Hsien-Ting; Del Vall, Andrea; Huang, Yu-Fen; Sun, Yuh-Chang

    2017-03-01

    Probing tumor extracellular metabolites is a vitally important issue in current cancer biology. In this study an analytical system was constructed for the in vivo monitoring of mouse tumor extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), lactate, and glucose by means of microdialysis (MD) sampling and fluorescence determination in conjunction with a smart sequential enzymatic derivatization scheme-involving a loading sequence of fluorogenic reagent/horseradish peroxidase, microdialysate, lactate oxidase, pyruvate, and glucose oxidase-for step-by-step determination of sampled H 2 O 2 , lactate, and glucose in mouse tumor microdialysate. After optimization of the overall experimental parameters, the system's detection limit reached as low as 0.002 mM for H 2 O 2 , 0.058 mM for lactate, and 0.055 mM for glucose, based on 3 μL of microdialysate, suggesting great potential for determining tumor extracellular concentrations of lactate and glucose. Spike analyses of offline-collected mouse tumor microdialysate and monitoring of the basal concentrations of mouse tumor extracellular H 2 O 2 , lactate, and glucose, as well as those after imparting metabolic disturbance through intra-tumor administration of a glucose solution through a prior-implanted cannula, were conducted to demonstrate the system's applicability. Our results evidently indicate that hyphenation of an MD sampling device with an optimized sequential enzymatic derivatization scheme and a fluorescence spectrometer can be used successfully for multi-analyte monitoring of tumor extracellular metabolites in living animals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Kinetics and the mass transfer mechanism of hydrogen sulfide removal by biochar derived from rice hull.

    PubMed

    Shang, Guofeng; Liu, Liang; Chen, Ping; Shen, Guoqing; Li, Qiwu

    2016-05-01

    The biochar derived from rice hull was evaluated for its abilities to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gas phase. The surface area and pH of the biochar were compared. The biochar derived from rice hull was evaluated for its abilities to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gas phase. The surface area and pH of the biochar were compared. The different pyrolysis temperature has great influence on the adsorption of H2S. At the different pyrolysis temperature, the H2S removal efficiency of rice hull-derived biochar was different. The adsorption capacities of biochar were 2.09 mg·g(-1), 2.65 mg·g(-1), 16.30 mg·g(-1), 20.80 mg·g(-1), and 382.70 mg·g(-1), which their pyrolysis temperatures were 100 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C respectively. Based on the Yoon-Nelson model, it analyzed the mass transfer mechanism of hydrogen sulfide adsorption by biochar. The paper focuses on the biochar derived from rice hull-removed hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gas phase. The surface area and pH of the biochar were compared. The different pyrolysis temperatures have great influence on the adsorption of H2S. At the different pyrolysis temperatures, the H2S removal efficiency of rice hull-derived biohar was different. The adsorption capacities of biochar were 2.09, 2.65, 16.30, 20.80, and 382.70 mg·g(-1), and their pyrolysis temperatures were 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 °C, respectively. Based on the Yoon-Nelson model, the mass transfer mechanism of hydrogen sulfide adsorption by biochar was analyzed.

  7. Batch dark fermentation from enzymatic hydrolyzed food waste for hydrogen production.

    PubMed

    Han, Wei; Ye, Min; Zhu, Ai Jun; Zhao, Hong Ting; Li, Yong Feng

    2015-09-01

    A combination bioprocess of solid-state fermentation (SSF) and dark fermentative hydrogen production from food waste was developed. Aspergillus awamori and Aspergillus oryzae were utilized in SSF from food waste to generate glucoamylase and protease which were used to hydrolyze the food waste suspension to get the nutrients-rich (glucose and free amino nitrogen (FAN)) hydrolysate. Both glucose and FAN increased with increasing of food waste mass ratio from 4% to 10% (w/v) and the highest glucose (36.9 g/L) and FAN (361.3mg/L) were observed at food waste mass ratio of 10%. The food waste hydrolysates were then used as the feedstock for dark fermentative hydrogen production by heat pretreated sludge. The best hydrogen yield of 39.14 ml H2/g food waste (219.91 ml H2/VSadded) was achieved at food waste mass ratio of 4%. The proposed combination bioprocess could effectively accelerate the hydrolysis rate, improve raw material utilization and enhance hydrogen yield. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Reactivity of hydropersulfides toward the hydroxyl radical unraveled: disulfide bond cleavage, hydrogen atom transfer, and proton-coupled electron transfer.

    PubMed

    Anglada, Josep M; Crehuet, Ramon; Adhikari, Sarju; Francisco, Joseph S; Xia, Yu

    2018-02-14

    Hydropersulfides (RSSH) are highly reactive as nucleophiles and hydrogen atom transfer reagents. These chemical properties are believed to be key for them to act as antioxidants in cells. The reaction involving the radical species and the disulfide bond (S-S) in RSSH, a known redox-active group, however, has been scarcely studied, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the chemical nature of RSSH. We have performed a high-level theoretical investigation on the reactions of the hydroxyl radical (˙OH) toward a set of RSSH (R = -H, -CH 3 , -NH 2 , -C(O)OH, -CN, and -NO 2 ). The results show that S-S cleavage and H-atom abstraction are the two competing channels. The electron inductive effect of R induces selective ˙OH substitution at one sulfur atom upon S-S cleavage, forming RSOH and ˙SH for the electron donating groups (EDGs), whereas producing HSOH and ˙SR for the electron withdrawing groups (EWGs). The H-Atom abstraction by ˙OH follows a classical hydrogen atom transfer (hat) mechanism, producing RSS˙ and H 2 O. Surprisingly, a proton-coupled electron transfer (pcet) process also occurs for R being an EDG. Although for RSSH having EWGs hat is the leading channel, S-S cleavage can be competitive or even dominant for the EDGs. The overall reactivity of RSSH toward ˙OH attack is greatly enhanced with the presence of an EDG, with CH 3 SSH being the most reactive species found in this study (overall rate constant: 4.55 × 10 12 M -1 s -1 ). Our results highlight the complexity in RSSH reaction chemistry, the extent of which is closely modulated by the inductive effect of the substituents in the case of the oxidation by hydroxyl radicals.

  9. Palladium-Catalyzed Atom-Transfer Radical Cyclization at Remote Unactivated C(sp3 )-H Sites: Hydrogen-Atom Transfer of Hybrid Vinyl Palladium Radical Intermediates.

    PubMed

    Ratushnyy, Maxim; Parasram, Marvin; Wang, Yang; Gevorgyan, Vladimir

    2018-03-01

    A novel mild, visible-light-induced palladium-catalyzed hydrogen atom translocation/atom-transfer radical cyclization (HAT/ATRC) cascade has been developed. This protocol involves a 1,5-HAT process of previously unknown hybrid vinyl palladium radical intermediates, thus leading to iodomethyl carbo- and heterocyclic structures. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Application of a novel enzymatic pretreatment using crude hydrolytic extracellular enzyme solution to microalgal biomass for dark fermentative hydrogen production.

    PubMed

    Yun, Yeo-Myeong; Kim, Dong-Hoon; Oh, You-Kwan; Shin, Hang-Sik; Jung, Kyung-Won

    2014-05-01

    In this study, a novel enzymatic pretreatment of Chlorella vulgaris for dark fermentative hydrogen production (DFHP) was performed using crude hydrolytic extracellular enzyme solution (CHEES) extracted from the H2 fermented effluent of food waste. It was found that the enzyme extracted at 52 h had the highest hydrolysis efficiency of microalgal biomass, resulting in the highest H2 yield of 43.1 mL H2/g dry cell weight along with shorter lag periods. Even though a high amount of VFAs was accumulated in CHEES, especially butyrate, the fermentative bacteria on the DFHP was not affected from product inhibition. It also appears that the presence of organic acids, especially lactate and acetate, contained in the CHEES facilitated enhancement of H2 production acted as a co-substrate. Therefore, all of the experimental results suggest that the enhancement of DFHP performance caused by CHEES has a dual role as the hydrolysis enhancer and the co-substrate supplier. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Deactivation of Ceria Supported Palladium through C–C Scission during Transfer Hydrogenation of Phenol with Alcohols

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nelson, Nicholas C.; Manzano, J. Sebastián; Slowing, Igor I.

    The stability of palladium supported on ceria (Pd/CeO 2) was studied during liquid flow transfer hydrogenation using primary and secondary alcohols as hydrogen donors. For primary alcohols, the ceria support was reduced to cerium hydroxy carbonate within 14 h and was a contributing factor toward catalyst deactivation. For secondary alcohols, cerium hydroxy carbonate was not observed during the same time period and the catalyst was stable upon prolonged reaction. Regeneration through oxidation/reduction does not restore initial activity likely due to irreversible catalyst restructuring. Lastly, a deactivation mechanism involving C–C scission of acyl and carboxylate intermediates is proposed.

  12. Deactivation of Ceria Supported Palladium through C–C Scission during Transfer Hydrogenation of Phenol with Alcohols

    DOE PAGES

    Nelson, Nicholas C.; Manzano, J. Sebastián; Slowing, Igor I.

    2016-11-21

    The stability of palladium supported on ceria (Pd/CeO 2) was studied during liquid flow transfer hydrogenation using primary and secondary alcohols as hydrogen donors. For primary alcohols, the ceria support was reduced to cerium hydroxy carbonate within 14 h and was a contributing factor toward catalyst deactivation. For secondary alcohols, cerium hydroxy carbonate was not observed during the same time period and the catalyst was stable upon prolonged reaction. Regeneration through oxidation/reduction does not restore initial activity likely due to irreversible catalyst restructuring. Lastly, a deactivation mechanism involving C–C scission of acyl and carboxylate intermediates is proposed.

  13. Isotope effects associated with tunneling and double proton transfer in the hydrogen bonds of benzoic acid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xue, Q.; Horsewill, A. J.; Johnson, M. R.; Trommsdorff, H. P.

    2004-06-01

    The isotope effects associated with double proton transfer in the hydrogen bonds of benzoic acid (BA) dimers have been measured using field-cycling 1H NMR relaxometry and quasielastic neutron scattering. By studying mixed isotope (hydrogen and deuterium) samples, the dynamics of three isotopologues, BA-HH, BA-HD, and BA-DD, have been investigated. Low temperature measurements provide accurate measurements of the incoherent tunneling rate, k0. This parameter scales accurately with the mass number, m, according to the formula k0=(E/m)e-F√m providing conclusive evidence that the proton transfer process is a strongly correlated motion of two hydrons. Furthermore, we conclude that the tunneling pathway is the same for the three isotopologue species. Measurements at higher temperatures illuminate the through barrier processes that are mediated via intermediate or excited vibrational states. In parallel with the investigation of proton transfer dynamics, the theoretical and experimental aspects of studying spin-lattice relaxation in single crystals of mixed isotope samples are investigated in depth. Heteronuclear dipolar interactions between 1H and 2H isotopes contribute significantly to the overall proton spin-lattice relaxation and it is shown that these must be modeled correctly to obtain accurate values for the proton transfer rates. Since the sample used in the NMR measurements was a single crystal, full account of the orientation dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation with respect to the applied B field was incorporated into the data analysis.

  14. Hydrogen-bonding effect on spin-center transfer of tetrathiafulvalene-linked 6-oxophenalenoxyl evaluated using temperature-dependent cyclic voltammetry and theoretical calculations.

    PubMed

    Nishida, Shinsuke; Fukui, Kozo; Morita, Yasushi

    2014-02-01

    The stable tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-linked 6-oxophenalenoxyl neutral radical exhibits a spin-center transfer with a continuous color change in solution caused by an intramolecular electron transfer, which is dependent on solvent and temperature. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed that addition of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) to a benzonitrile solution of the neutral radical induces a redox potential shift that is favorable for the spin-center transfer. Temperature-dependent cyclic voltammetry of the neutral radical using a novel low-temperature electrochemical cell demonstrated that the redox potentials change with decreasing temperature in a 199:1 CH2Cl2/TFE mixed solvent. Furthermore, theoretical calculation revealed that the energy levels of the frontier molecular orbitals involved in the spin-center transfer are lowered by the hydrogen-bonding interaction of TFE with the neutral radical. These results indicate that the hydrogen-bonding effect is a key factor for the occurrence of the spin-center transfer of TTF-linked 6-oxophenalenoxyl. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Rapid enzymatic analysis of plasma for tyrosine.

    PubMed

    Shimizu, H; Taniguchi, K; Sugiyama, M; Kanno, T

    1990-01-01

    In this rapid, simple, and convenient enzymatic method for measurement of tyrosine in plasma, tyrosine is converted to tyramine by action of tyrosine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.25) and the tyramine produced is oxidized to p-hydroxybenzyl aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide by action of tyramine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.9). The hydrogen peroxide is reacted with 4-aminoantipyrine and N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-m-toluidine in the presence of peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) to obtain quinoneimine dye, the absorbance of which is measured at 570 nm. Thus tyrosine is measured in the visible range. The CV was 4.6% or less, and the measurement was unaffected by other amino acids, except for phenylalanine. The values obtained (y) correlated well with those obtained with an amino acid analyzer (x): y = 0.902x + 3.92 mumol/L (Syx = 12.3; r = 0.985; n = 54).

  16. Hydrogen tunneling links protein dynamics to enzyme catalysis.

    PubMed

    Klinman, Judith P; Kohen, Amnon

    2013-01-01

    The relationship between protein dynamics and function is a subject of considerable contemporary interest. Although protein motions are frequently observed during ligand binding and release steps, the contribution of protein motions to the catalysis of bond making/breaking processes is more difficult to probe and verify. Here, we show how the quantum mechanical hydrogen tunneling associated with enzymatic C-H bond cleavage provides a unique window into the necessity of protein dynamics for achieving optimal catalysis. Experimental findings support a hierarchy of thermodynamically equilibrated motions that control the H-donor and -acceptor distance and active-site electrostatics, creating an ensemble of conformations suitable for H-tunneling. A possible extension of this view to methyl transfer and other catalyzed reactions is also presented. The impact of understanding these dynamics on the conceptual framework for enzyme activity, inhibitor/drug design, and biomimetic catalyst design is likely to be substantial.

  17. Hydrogen Tunneling Links Protein Dynamics to Enzyme Catalysis

    PubMed Central

    Klinman, Judith P.; Kohen, Amnon

    2014-01-01

    The relationship between protein dynamics and function is a subject of considerable contemporary interest. Although protein motions are frequently observed during ligand binding and release steps, the contribution of protein motions to the catalysis of bond making/breaking processes is more difficult to probe and verify. Here, we show how the quantum mechanical hydrogen tunneling associated with enzymatic C–H bond cleavage provides a unique window into the necessity of protein dynamics for achieving optimal catalysis. Experimental findings support a hierarchy of thermodynamically equilibrated motions that control the H-donor and -acceptor distance and active-site electrostatics, creating an ensemble of conformations suitable for H-tunneling. A possible extension of this view to methyl transfer and other catalyzed reactions is also presented. The impact of understanding these dynamics on the conceptual framework for enzyme activity, inhibitor/drug design, and biomimetic catalyst design is likely to be substantial. PMID:23746260

  18. Test of an orbiting hydrogen maser clock system using laser time transfer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vessot, Robert F. C.; Mattison, Edward M.; Nystrom, G. U.; Decher, Rudolph

    1992-01-01

    We describe a joint Smithsonian Astrophysical Laboratory/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (SAO/NASA) program for flight testing a atomic hydrogen maser clock system designed for long-term operation in space. The clock system will be carried by a shuttle-launched EURECA spacecraft. Comparisons with earth clocks to measure the clock's long-term frequency stability (tau = 10(exp 4) seconds) will be made using laser time transfer from existing NASA laser tracking stations. We describe the design of the maser clock and its control systems, and the laser timing technique. We describe the precision of station time synchronization and the limitations in the comparison between the earth and space time scales owing to gravitational and relativistic effects. We will explore the implications of determining the spacecraft's location by an on-board Global Position System (GPS) receiver, and of using microwave techniques for time and frequency transfer.

  19. Pretreating wheat straw by phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide for enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production at high solid loading.

    PubMed

    Qiu, Jingwen; Ma, Lunjie; Shen, Fei; Yang, Gang; Zhang, Yanzong; Deng, Shihuai; Zhang, Jing; Zeng, Yongmei; Hu, Yaodong

    2017-08-01

    Wheat straw was pretreated by phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide (PHP) for enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation at high solid loadings. Results indicated solid loading could reach 20% with 77.4% cellulose-glucose conversion and glucose concentration of 164.9g/L in hydrolysate, it even was promoted to 25% with only 3.4% decrease on cellulose-glucose conversion as the pretreated-wheat straw was dewatered by air-drying. 72.9% cellulose-glucose conversion still was achieved as the minimized enzyme input of 20mg protein/g cellulose was employed for hydrolysis at 20% solid loading. In the corresponding conditions, 100g wheat straw can yield 11.2g ethanol with concentration of 71.2g/L by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Thus, PHP-pretreatment benefitted the glucose or ethanol yield at high solid loadings with lower enzyme input. Additionally, decreases on the maximal cellulase adsorption and the direct-orange/direct-blue indicated drying the PHP-pretreated substrates negatively affected the hydrolysis due to the shrinkage of cellulase-size-accommodable pores. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Isoprene Production on Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Peanut Hull Using Different Pretreatment Methods

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Sumeng; Li, Ruichao; Yi, Xiaohua; Fang, Tigao

    2016-01-01

    The present study is about the use of peanut hull for isoprene production. In this study, two pretreatment methods, hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid (HPAC) and popping, were employed prior to enzymatic hydrolysis, which could destroy the lignocellulosic structure and accordingly improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. It is proven that the isoprene production on enzymatic hydrolysate with HPAC pretreatment is about 1.9-fold higher than that of popping pretreatment. Moreover, through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the amount and category of inhibitors such as formic acid, acetic acid, and HMF were assayed and were varied in different enzymatic hydrolysates, which may be the reason leading to a decrease in isoprene production during fermentation. To further increase the isoprene yield, the enzymatic hydrolysate of HPAC was detoxified by activated carbon. As a result, using the detoxified enzymatic hydrolysate as the carbon source, the engineered strain YJM21 could accumulate 297.5 mg/L isoprene, which accounted for about 90% of isoprene production by YJM21 fermented on pure glucose (338.6 mg/L). This work is thought to be the first attempt on isoprene production by E. coli using peanut hull as the feedstock. More importantly, it also shows the prospect of peanut hull to be considered as an alternative feedstock for bio-based chemicals or biofuels production due to its easy access and high polysaccharide content. PMID:27847814

  1. Hydrogen generation in CSP plants and maintenance of DPO/BP heat transfer fluids - A simulation approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuckelkorn, Thomas; Jung, Christian; Gnädig, Tim; Lang, Christoph; Schall, Christina

    2016-05-01

    The ageing of diphenyl oxide/ biphenyl (DPO/BP) Heat Transfer Fluids (HTFs) implies challenging tasks for operators of parabolic trough power plants in order to find the economic optimum between plant performance and O&M costs. Focusing on the generation of hydrogen, which is effecting from the HTF ageing process, the balance of hydrogen pressure in the HTF is simulated for different operation scenarios. Accelerated build-up of hydrogen pressure in the HTF is causing increased permeation into the annular vacuum space of the installed receivers and must be avoided in order to maintain the performance of these components. Therefore, the effective hydrogen partial pressure in the HTF has to be controlled and limited according to the specified values so that the vacuum lifetime of the receivers and the overall plant performance can be ensured. In order to simulate and visualize the hydrogen balance of a typical parabolic trough plant, initially a simple model is used to calculate the balance of hydrogen in the system and this is described. As input data for the simulation, extrapolated hydrogen generation rates have been used, which were calculated from results of lab tests performed by DLR in Cologne, Germany. Hourly weather data, surface temperatures of the tubing system calculated by using the simulation tool from NREL, and hydrogen permeation rates for stainless steel and carbon steel grades taken from literature have been added to the model. In a first step the effect of HTF ageing, build-up of hydrogen pressure in the HTF and hydrogen loss rates through piping and receiver components have been modeled. In a second step a selective hydrogen removal process has been added to the model. The simulation results are confirming the need of active monitoring and controlling the effective hydrogen partial pressure in parabolic trough solar thermal power plants with DPO/BP HTF. Following the results of the simulation, the expected plant performance can only be achieved

  2. Non-enzymatic oxidation of NADH by quinones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scherbak, Nikolai; Strid, Åke; Eriksson, Leif A.

    2005-10-01

    Non-enzymatic oxidation of NADH by a large number of different quinones has been explored both theoretically and experimentally. It is concluded that the smaller benzo- and naphtho-quinones are capable of oxidising NADH in aqueous solution, whereas the larger anthraquinone is not. The mechanisms of stepwise electron and proton transfers are explored, and ruled out in favour of direct hydride transfer. For menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone), no reaction is observed experimentally; theoretically we find that there is a very close balance between the energetic cost of hydride removal from NADH and the energy gain of formation of the menadione semiquinone radical anion.

  3. Ultraviolet Absorption Induces Hydrogen-Atom Transfer in G⋅C Watson-Crick DNA Base Pairs in Solution.

    PubMed

    Röttger, Katharina; Marroux, Hugo J B; Grubb, Michael P; Coulter, Philip M; Böhnke, Hendrik; Henderson, Alexander S; Galan, M Carmen; Temps, Friedrich; Orr-Ewing, Andrew J; Roberts, Gareth M

    2015-12-01

    Ultrafast deactivation pathways bestow photostability on nucleobases and hence preserve the structural integrity of DNA following absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. One controversial recovery mechanism proposed to account for this photostability involves electron-driven proton transfer (EDPT) in Watson-Crick base pairs. The first direct observation is reported of the EDPT process after UV excitation of individual guanine-cytosine (G⋅C) Watson-Crick base pairs by ultrafast time-resolved UV/visible and mid-infrared spectroscopy. The formation of an intermediate biradical species (G[-H]⋅C[+H]) with a lifetime of 2.9 ps was tracked. The majority of these biradicals return to the original G⋅C Watson-Crick pairs, but up to 10% of the initially excited molecules instead form a stable photoproduct G*⋅C* that has undergone double hydrogen-atom transfer. The observation of these sequential EDPT mechanisms across intermolecular hydrogen bonds confirms an important and long debated pathway for the deactivation of photoexcited base pairs, with possible implications for the UV photochemistry of DNA. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Gold nanocluster-based ratiometric fluorescent probes for hydrogen peroxide and enzymatic sensing of uric acid.

    PubMed

    Yang, Dongqin; Luo, Minchuan; Di, Junwei; Tu, Yifeng; Yan, Jilin

    2018-05-18

    A method is described for ratiometric fluorometric assays of H 2 O 2  by using two probes that have distinct response profiles. Under the catalytic action of ferrous ion, the 615 nm emission of protein-stabilized gold nanoclusters (under 365 nm photoexcitation) is quenched by H 2 O 2 , while an increased signal is generated with a peak at 450 nm by oxidizing coumarin with the H 2 O 2 /Fe(II) system to form a blue emitting fluorophore. These decrease/increase responses give a ratiometric signal. The ratio of the fluorescences at the two peaks are linearly related to the concentration of H 2 O 2 in the range from 0.05 to 10 μM, with a 7.7 nM limit of detection. The detection scheme was further coupled to the urate oxidase catalyzed oxidation of uric acid which proceeds under the formation of H 2 O 2 . This method provides an simple and effective means for the construction of ratiometric fluorometric (enzymatic) assays that involve the detection of H 2 O 2 . Graphical abstract Under catalysis by ferrous ion, hydrogen peroxide quenches the luminescence of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and oxidizes coumarin into a fluorescent derivative, which rendered fluorescence ON and OFF at two distinct wavelengths for ratiometric measurements.

  5. Charge transfer of O3+ ions with atomic hydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, J. G.; Stancil, P. C.; Turner, A. R.; Cooper, D. L.

    2003-01-01

    Charge transfer processes due to collisions of ground state O3+(2s22p 2P) ions with atomic hydrogen are investigated using the quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (MOCC) method. The MOCC calculations utilize ab initio adiabatic potentials and nonadiabatic radial and rotational coupling matrix elements obtained with the spin-coupled valence-bond approach. Total and state-selective cross sections and rate coefficients are presented. Comparison with existing experimental and theoretical data shows our results to be in better agreement with the measurements than the previous calculations, although problems with some of the state-selective measurements are noted. Our calculations demonstrate that rotational coupling is not important for the total cross section, but for state-selective cross sections, its relevance increases with energy. For the ratios of triplet to singlet cross sections, significant departures from a statistical value are found, generally in harmony with experiment.

  6. Preparation of icariside II from icariin by enzymatic hydrolysis method.

    PubMed

    Xia, Quan; Xu, Dujuan; Huang, Zhaogang; Liu, Jianjun; Wang, Xinqun; Wang, Xiu; Liu, Shangquan

    2010-07-01

    It has been reported that icariin and icariside II, two flavonoid glycosides coming from herba epimedii, which have a closely structural relationship, show some pharmacological effects such as preventing osteoporosis, cancer and depression. The content of natural icariside II is very low in herba epimedii, but it is the main component in vivo after the administration of herba epimedii. More icariside II can be obtained from icariin by enzymatic hydrolysis method than by traditional isolation method. This study focuses on finding a simple and feasible method to prepare icariside II from icariin by enzymatic hydrolysis, so as to meet the request for further pharmacologic actions study. Icariin was obtained successively with 90% ethanol extraction, isolation on macroporous resin and purification on silica gel chromatography. Enzymatic hydrolysis conditions were tested for the bioconversion of icariin into icariside II by orthogonal array design. The structures of isolated icariin and produced icariside II were identified by UV, IR, ESIMS, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and DEPT spectroscope. Enzymatic hydrolysis experiment showed that icariin could be transformed into icariside II with the action of beta-glucosidase and the optimum reaction conditions were determined as follows: 50 degrees C, 0.2 M disodium hydrogen phosphate and citric acid buffer system (pH6.0), the ratio of icariin/enzyme is 1:1 and reaction time 5 h. By using this enzymatic condition, 95.5 mg icariside II (with the purity of 99.1%) was obtained eventually by transforming 200 mg icariin. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Mechanism of Action of Sulforaphane as a Superoxide Radical Anion and Hydrogen Peroxide Scavenger by Double Hydrogen Transfer: A Model for Iron Superoxide Dismutase.

    PubMed

    Prasad, Ajit Kumar; Mishra, P C

    2015-06-25

    The mechanism of action of sulforaphane as a scavenger of superoxide radical anion (O2(•-)) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) in both gas phase and aqueous media. Iron superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) involved in scavenging superoxide radical anion from biological media was modeled by a complex consisting of the ferric ion (Fe(3+)) attached to three histidine rings. Reactions related to scavenging of superoxide radical anion by sulforaphane were studied using DFT in the presence and absence of Fe-SOD represented by this model in both gas phase and aqueous media. The scavenging action of sulforaphane toward both superoxide radical anion and hydrogen peroxide was found to involve the unusual mechanism of double hydrogen transfer. It was found that sulforaphane alone, without Fe-SOD, cannot scavenge superoxide radical anion in gas phase or aqueous media efficiently as the corresponding reaction barriers are very high. However, in the presence of Fe-SOD represented by the above-mentioned model, the scavenging reactions become barrierless, and so sulforaphane scavenges superoxide radical anion by converting it to hydrogen peroxide efficiently. Further, sulforaphane was found to scavenge hydrogen peroxide also very efficiently by converting it into water. Thus, the mechanism of action of sulforaphane as an excellent antioxidant has been unravelled.

  8. Fluctuating hydrogen-bond networks govern anomalous electron transfer kinetics in a blue copper protein.

    PubMed

    Kretchmer, Joshua S; Boekelheide, Nicholas; Warren, Jeffrey J; Winkler, Jay R; Gray, Harry B; Miller, Thomas F

    2018-06-12

    We combine experimental and computational methods to address the anomalous kinetics of long-range electron transfer (ET) in mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin. ET rates and driving forces for wild type (WT) and three N47X mutants (X = L, S, and D) of Ru(2,2'-bipyridine) 2 (imidazole)(His83) azurin are reported. An enhanced ET rate for the N47L mutant suggests either an increase of the donor-acceptor (DA) electronic coupling or a decrease in the reorganization energy for the reaction. The underlying atomistic features are investigated using a recently developed nonadiabatic molecular dynamics method to simulate ET in each of the azurin mutants, revealing unexpected aspects of DA electronic coupling. In particular, WT azurin and all studied mutants exhibit more DA compression during ET (>2 Å) than previously recognized. Moreover, it is found that DA compression involves an extended network of hydrogen bonds, the fluctuations of which gate the ET reaction, such that DA compression is facilitated by transiently rupturing hydrogen bonds. It is found that the N47L mutant intrinsically disrupts this hydrogen-bond network, enabling particularly facile DA compression. This work, which reveals the surprisingly fluctional nature of ET in azurin, suggests that hydrogen-bond networks can modulate the efficiency of long-range biological ET. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

  9. Organic-Solvent-Free Phase-Transfer Oxidation of Alcohols Using Hydrogen Peroxide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hulce, Martin; Marks, David W.

    2001-01-01

    Organic-solvent-free oxidations of alcohols using aqueous hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sodium tungstate and phase-transfer catalysts provide a general, safe, simple, and cost-effective means to prepare ketones. Six representative alcohols, 1-phenylethanol, 1-phenylpropanol, benzhydrol, 4-methylbenzhydrol, cis,trans-4-tert-butylcyclohexanol, and benzyl alcohol are oxidized to the corresponding aldehyde or ketone over 1-3 hours in 81-99% yields. Purities are very high, with only small to trace amounts of starting alcohol remaining. Experiments can be readily designed for one or two 3-hour laboratory periods, integrating the various techniques of extraction, drying, filtration, column chromatography, gas chromatography, NMR and IR spectroscopy, and reaction kinetics.

  10. Evaluation of industrially applied heat-transfer fluids as liquid organic hydrogen carrier systems.

    PubMed

    Brückner, Nicole; Obesser, Katharina; Bösmann, Andreas; Teichmann, Daniel; Arlt, Wolfgang; Dungs, Jennifer; Wasserscheid, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) systems offer a very attractive method for the decentralized storage of renewable excess energy. In this contribution, industrially well-established heat-transfer oils (typically sold under trade names, e.g., Marlotherm) are proposed as a new class of LOHC systems. It is demonstrated that the liquid mixture of isomeric dibenzyltoluenes (m.p. -39 to -34 °C, b.p. 390 °C) can be readily hydrogenated to the corresponding mixture of perhydrogenated analogues by binding 6.2 wt% of H2. The liquid H2 -rich form can be stored and transported similarly to diesel fuel. It readily undergoes catalytic dehydrogenation at temperatures above 260 °C, which proves its applicability as a reversible H2 carrier. The presented LOHC systems are further characterized by their excellent technical availability at comparably low prices, full registration of the H2 -lean forms, and excellent thermal stabilities. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Numerical and experimental analysis of heat transfer in injector plate of hydrogen peroxide hybrid rocket motor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, Guobiao; Li, Chengen; Tian, Hui

    2016-11-01

    This paper is aimed to analyze heat transfer in injector plate of hydrogen peroxide hybrid rocket motor by two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical simulations and full-scale firing tests. Long-time working, which is an advantage of hybrid rocket motor over conventional solid rocket motor, puts forward new challenges for thermal protection. Thermal environments of full-scale hybrid rocket motors designed for long-time firing tests are studied through steady-state coupled numerical simulations of flow field and heat transfer in chamber head. The motor adopts 98% hydrogen peroxide (98HP) oxidizer and hydroxyl-terminated poly-butadiene (HTPB) based fuel as the propellants. Simulation results reveal that flowing liquid 98HP in head oxidizer chamber could cool the injector plate of the motor. The cooling of 98HP is similar to the regenerative cooling in liquid rocket engines. However, the temperature of the 98HP in periphery portion of the head oxidizer chamber is higher than its boiling point. In order to prevent the liquid 98HP from unexpected decomposition, a thermal protection method for chamber head utilizing silica-phenolics annular insulating board is proposed. The simulation results show that the annular insulating board could effectively decrease the temperature of the 98HP in head oxidizer chamber. Besides, the thermal protection method for long-time working hydrogen peroxide hybrid rocket motor is verified through full-scale firing tests. The ablation of the insulating board in oxygen-rich environment is also analyzed.

  12. Liquid-Phase Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Furfural over Homogeneous Lewis Acid-Ru/C Catalysts.

    PubMed

    Panagiotopoulou, Paraskevi; Martin, Nickolas; Vlachos, Dionisios G

    2015-06-22

    The catalytic performance of homogeneous Lewis acid catalysts and their interaction with Ru/C catalyst are studied in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural by using 2-propanol as a solvent and hydrogen donor. We find that Lewis acid catalysts hydrogenate the furfural to furfuryl alcohol, which is then etherified with 2-propanol. The catalytic activity is correlated with an empirical scale of Lewis acid strength and exhibits a volcano behavior. Lanthanides are the most active, with DyCl3 giving complete furfural conversion and a 97 % yield of furfuryl alcohol at 180 °C after 3 h. The combination of Lewis acid and Ru/C catalysts results in synergy for the stronger Lewis acid catalysts, with a significant increase in the furfural conversion and methyl furan yield. Optimum results are obtained by using Ru/C combined with VCl3 , AlCl3 , SnCl4 , YbCl3 , and RuCl3 . Our results indicate that the combination of Lewis acid/metal catalysts is a general strategy for performing tandem reactions in the upgrade of furans. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. The iron-sulfur cluster of electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase is the electron acceptor for electron transfer flavoprotein.

    PubMed

    Swanson, Michael A; Usselman, Robert J; Frerman, Frank E; Eaton, Gareth R; Eaton, Sandra S

    2008-08-26

    Electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) accepts electrons from electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) and reduces ubiquinone from the ubiquinone pool. It contains one [4Fe-4S] (2+,1+) and one FAD, which are diamagnetic in the isolated oxidized enzyme and can be reduced to paramagnetic forms by enzymatic donors or dithionite. In the porcine protein, threonine 367 is hydrogen bonded to N1 and O2 of the flavin ring of the FAD. The analogous site in Rhodobacter sphaeroides ETF-QO is asparagine 338. Mutations N338T and N338A were introduced into the R. sphaeroides protein by site-directed mutagenesis to determine the impact of hydrogen bonding at this site on redox potentials and activity. The mutations did not alter the optical spectra, EPR g-values, spin-lattice relaxation rates, or the [4Fe-4S] (2+,1+) to FAD point-dipole interspin distances. The mutations had no impact on the reduction potential for the iron-sulfur cluster, which was monitored by changes in the continuous wave EPR signals of the [4Fe-4S] (+) at 15 K. For the FAD semiquinone, significantly different potentials were obtained by monitoring the titration at 100 or 293 K. Based on spectra at 293 K the N338T mutation shifted the first and second midpoint potentials for the FAD from +47 and -30 mV for wild type to -11 and -19 mV, respectively. The N338A mutation decreased the potentials to -37 and -49 mV. Lowering the midpoint potentials resulted in a decrease in the quinone reductase activity and negligible impact on disproportionation of ETF 1e (-) catalyzed by ETF-QO. These observations indicate that the FAD is involved in electron transfer to ubiquinone but not in electron transfer from ETF to ETF-QO. Therefore, the iron-sulfur cluster is the immediate acceptor from ETF.

  14. The Iron-Sulfur Cluster of Electron Transfer Flavoprotein-Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase Is the Electron Acceptor for Electron Transfer Flavoprotein†

    PubMed Central

    Swanson, Michael A.; Usselman, Robert J.; Frerman, Frank E.; Eaton, Gareth R.; Eaton, Sandra S.

    2009-01-01

    Electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) accepts electrons from electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) and reduces ubiquinone from the ubiquinone pool. It contains one [4Fe-4S]2+,1+ and one FAD, which are diamagnetic in the isolated oxidized enzyme and can be reduced to paramagnetic forms by enzymatic donors or dithionite. In the porcine protein, threonine 367 is hydrogen bonded to N1 and O2 of the flavin ring of the FAD. The analogous site in Rhodobacter sphaeroides ETF-QO is asparagine 338. Mutations N338T and N338A were introduced into the R. sphaeroides protein by site-directed mutagenesis to determine the impact of hydrogen bonding at this site on redox potentials and activity. The mutations did not alter the optical spectra, EPR g-values, spin-lattice relaxation rates, or the [4Fe-4S]2+,1+ to FAD point-dipole interspin distances. The mutations had no impact on the reduction potential for the iron-sulfur cluster, which was monitored by changes in the continuous wave EPR signals of the [4Fe-4S]+ at 15 K. For the FAD semiquinone, significantly different potentials were obtained by monitoring the titration at 100 or 293 K. Based on spectra at 293 K the N338T mutation shifted the first and second midpoint potentials for the FAD from +47 and -30 mV for wild type to -11 and -19 mV, respectively. The N338A mutation decreased the potentials to -37 and -49 mV. Lowering the midpoint potentials resulted in a decrease in the quinone reductase activity and negligible impact on disproportionation of ETF1e- catalyzed by ETF-QO. These observations indicate that the FAD is involved in electron transfer to ubiquinone but not in electron transfer from ETF to ETF-QO. Therefore, the iron-sulfur cluster is the immediate acceptor from ETF. PMID:9585549

  15. Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol: Computational Study of the Hydrogen Transfer on Lewis Acidic BEA Zeolites and Effects of Cation Exchange and Tetravalent Metal Substitution.

    PubMed

    Prasertsab, Anittha; Maihom, Thana; Probst, Michael; Wattanakit, Chularat; Limtrakul, Jumras

    2018-06-04

    The hydrogen transfer of furfural to furfuryl alcohol with i-propanol as the hydrogen source over cation-exchanged Lewis acidic BEA zeolite has been investigated by means of density functional calculations. The reaction proceeds in three steps. First the O-H bond of i-propanol is broken to form a propoxide intermediate. After that, the furylmethoxy intermediate is formed via hydrogen transfer process, and finally furylmethoxy abstracts the proton to form the furfuryl alcohol product. The second step is rate-determining by requiring the highest activation energy (23.8 kcal/mol) if the reaction takes place on Li-Sn-BEA zeolite. We find that the catalytic activity of various cation-exchanged Sn-BEA zeolites is in the order Li-Sn-BEA > Na-Sn-BEA > K-Sn-BEA. The lower activation energy for Li-Sn-BEA compared to Na-Sn-BEA and K-Sn-BEA can be explained by the larger charge transfer from the carbonyl bond to the catalyst, leading to its activation and to the attraction of the hydrogen being transferred. The larger charge transfer in turn is due to the smaller gap between the energies of furfural HOMO and the zeolite LUMO in Li-Sn-BEA, compared to both Na-Sn-BEA and K-Sn-BEA. In a similar way, we also compare the catalytic activity of tetravalent metal centers (Sn, Zr, and Hf) substituted into BEA and find in the order Zr ≥ Hf > Sn, based on activation energies. Finally we investigate statistically which property of the reactants is a suitable descriptor for an approximative prediction of the reaction rate in order to be able to quickly screen promising catalytic materials for this reaction.

  16. Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation by synthetic catalysts in cancer cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coverdale, James P. C.; Romero-Canelón, Isolda; Sanchez-Cano, Carlos; Clarkson, Guy J.; Habtemariam, Abraha; Wills, Martin; Sadler, Peter J.

    2018-03-01

    Catalytic anticancer metallodrugs active at low doses could minimize side-effects, introduce novel mechanisms of action that combat resistance and widen the spectrum of anticancer-drug activity. Here we use highly stable chiral half-sandwich organometallic Os(II) arene sulfonyl diamine complexes, [Os(arene)(TsDPEN)] (TsDPEN, N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine), to achieve a highly enantioselective reduction of pyruvate, a key intermediate in metabolic pathways. Reduction is shown both in aqueous model systems and in human cancer cells, with non-toxic concentrations of sodium formate used as a hydride source. The catalytic mechanism generates selectivity towards ovarian cancer cells versus non-cancerous fibroblasts (both ovarian and lung), which are commonly used as models of healthy proliferating cells. The formate precursor N-formylmethionine was explored as an alternative to formate in PC3 prostate cancer cells, which are known to overexpress a deformylase enzyme. Transfer-hydrogenation catalysts that generate reductive stress in cancer cells offer a new approach to cancer therapy.

  17. New eutectic ionic liquids for lipase activation and enzymatic preparation of biodiesel†

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Hua; Baker, Gary A.; Holmes, Shaletha

    2012-01-01

    The enzymatic preparation of biodiesel has been hampered by the lack of suitable solvents with desirable properties such as high lipase compatibility, low cost, low viscosity, high biodegradability, and ease of product separation. Recent interest in using ionic liquids (ILs) as advanced reaction media has led to fast reaction rates and high yields in the enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel. However, conventional (i.e., cation–anion paired) ILs based on imidazolium and other quaternary ammonium salts remain too expensive for wide application at industrial scales. In this study, we report on newly-synthesized eutectic ILs derived from choline acetate or choline chloride coupled with biocompatible hydrogen-bond donors, such as glycerol. These eutectic solvents have favorable properties including low viscosity, high biodegradability, and excellent compatibility with Novozym® 435, a commercial immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B. Furthermore, in a model biodiesel synthesis system, we demonstrate high reaction rates for the enzymatic transesterification of Miglyol® oil 812 with methanol, catalyzed by Novozym® 435 in choline acetate/glycerol (1 : 1.5 molar ratio). The high conversion (97%) of the triglyceride obtained within 3 h, under optimal conditions, suggests that these novel eutectic solvents warrant further exploration as potential media in the enzymatic production of biodiesel. PMID:21283901

  18. Synthesis, crystal structure, antimicrobial activity and DNA-binding of hydrogen-bonded proton-transfer complex of 2,6-diaminopyridine with picric acid.

    PubMed

    Khan, Ishaat M; Ahmad, Afaq; Ullah, M F

    2011-04-04

    A proton-transfer (charge transfer) complex formed on the reaction between 2,6-diaminopyridine (donor) and picric acid (acceptor) was synthesized and characterized by FTIR, (1)H NMR, thermal and elemental analysis. The crystal structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates that cation and anion are joined together by strong N(+)-H- -O(-) type hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen-bonded charge transfer (HBCT) complex was screened for its pharmacology such as antimicrobial activity against various fungal and bacterial strains and Calf thymus DNA-binding. The results showed that HBCT complex (100μg/ml) exhibited good antibacterial antifungal activity as that of standard antibiotics Tetracycline and Nystatin. A molecular frame work through H-bonding interactions between neighboring moieties is found to be responsible for high melting point of resulting complex. This has been attributed to the formation of 1:1 HBCT complex. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Combined subcritical water and enzymatic hydrolysis for reducing sugar production from coconut husk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muharja, Maktum; Junianti, Fitri; Nurtono, Tantular; Widjaja, Arief

    2017-05-01

    Coconut husk wastes are abundantly available in Indonesia. It has a potential to be used into alternative renewable energy sources such as hydrogen using enzymatic hydrolysis followed by a fermentation process. Unfortunately, enzymatic hydrolysis is hampered by the complex structure of lignocellulose, so the cellulose component is hard to degrade. In this study, Combined Subcritical Water (SCW) and enzymatic hydrolysis are applied to enhance fermentable, thereby reducing production of sugar from coconut husk. There were two steps in this study, the first step was coconut husk pretreated by SCW in batch reactor at 80 bar and 150-200°C for 60 minutes reaction time. Secondly, solid fraction from the results of SCW was hydrolyzed using the mixture of pure cellulose and xylanase enzymes. Analysis was conducted on untreated and SCW-treated by gravimetric assay, liquid fraction after SCW and solid fraction after enzymatic hydrolysis using DNS assay. The maximum yield of reducing sugar (including xylose, arabinose glucose, galactose, mannose) was 1.254 gr per 6 gr raw material, representing 53.95% of total sugar in coconut husk biomass which was obtained at 150°C 80 bar for 60 minutes reaction time of SCW-treated and 6 hour of enzymatic hydrolysis using mixture of pure cellulose and xylanase enzymes (18.6 U /gram of coconut husk).

  20. A non-enzymatic amperometric hydrogen peroxide sensor based on iron nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite.

    PubMed

    Amanulla, Baishnisha; Palanisamy, Selvakumar; Chen, Shen-Ming; Velusamy, Vijayalakshmi; Chiu, Te-Wei; Chen, Tse-Wei; Ramaraj, Sayee Kannan

    2017-02-01

    A simple and facile green process was used for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite by using Ipomoea pes-tigridis leaf extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The as-prepared rGO/FeNPs nanocomposite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The nanocomposite was further modified on the glassy carbon electrode and used for non-enzymatic sensing of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Cyclic voltammetry results reveal that rGO/FeNPs nanocomposite has excellent electro-reduction behavior to H 2 O 2 when compared to the response of FeNPs and rGO modified electrodes. Furthermore, the nanocomposite modified electrode shows 9 and 6 folds enhanced reduction current response to H 2 O 2 than that of rGO and FeNPs modified electrodes. Amperometric method was further used to quantify the H 2 O 2 using rGO/FeNPs nanocomposite, and the response was linear over the concentration ranging from 0.1μM to 2.15mM. The detection limit and sensitivity of the sensor were estimated as 0.056μM and 0.2085μAμM -1 cm -2 , respectively. The fabricated sensor also utilized for detection of H 2 O 2 in the presence of potentially active interfering species, and found high selectivity towards H 2 O 2 . Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Effects of agitation on particle-size distribution and enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated spruce and giant reed.

    PubMed

    Kadić, Adnan; Palmqvist, Benny; Lidén, Gunnar

    2014-01-01

    Mixing is an energy demanding process which has been previously shown to affect enzymatic hydrolysis. Concentrated biomass slurries are associated with high and non-Newtonian viscosities and mixing in these systems is a complex task. Poor mixing can lead to mass and/or heat transfer problems as well as inhomogeneous enzyme distribution, both of which can cause possible yield reduction. Furthermore the stirring energy dissipation may impact the particle size which in turn may affect the enzymatic hydrolysis. The objective of the current work was to specifically quantify the effects of mixing on particle-size distribution (PSD) and relate this to changes in the enzymatic hydrolysis. Two rather different materials were investigated, namely pretreated Norway spruce and giant reed. Changes in glucan hydrolysis and PSD were measured as a function of agitation during enzymatic hydrolysis at fiber loadings of 7 or 13% water-insoluble solids (WIS). Enzymatic conversion of pretreated spruce was strongly affected by agitation rates at the higher WIS content. However, at low WIS content the agitation had almost no effect on hydrolysis. There was some effect of agitation on the hydrolysis of giant reed at high WIS loading, but it was smaller than that for spruce, and there was no measurable effect at low WIS loading. In the case of spruce, intense agitation clearly affected the PSD and resulted in a reduced mean particle size, whereas for giant reed the decrease in particle size was mainly driven by enzymatic action. However, the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis was not increased after size reduction by agitation. The impact of agitation on the enzymatic hydrolysis clearly depends not only on feedstock but also on the solids loading. Agitation was found to affect the PSD differently for the examined pretreated materials spruce and giant reed. The fact that the reduced mean particle diameter could not explain the enhanced hydrolysis rates found for spruce at an elevated agitation

  2. Turning Cellulose Waste Into Electricity: Hydrogen Conversion by a Hydrogenase Electrode

    PubMed Central

    Abramov, Sergey M.; Sadraddinova, Elmira R.; Shestakov, Andrey I.; Voronin, Oleg G.; Karyakin, Arkadiy A.; Zorin, Nikolay A.; Netrusov, Alexander I.

    2013-01-01

    Hydrogen-producing thermophilic cellulolytic microorganisms were isolated from cow faeces. Rates of cellulose hydrolysis and hydrogen formation were 0.2 mM L-1 h-1 and 1 mM L-1 h-1, respectively. An enzymatic fuel cell (EFC) with a hydrogenase anode was used to oxidise hydrogen produced in a microbial bioreactor. The hydrogenase electrode was exposed for 38 days (912 h) to a thermophilic fermentation medium. The hydrogenase activity remaining after continuous operation under load was 73% of the initial value. PMID:24312437

  3. Rational construction of multiple interfaces in ternary heterostructure for efficient spatial separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers in the application of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Jian-Wen; Ma, Dandan; Zou, Yajun; Fan, Zhaoyang; Shi, Jinwen; Cheng, Linhao; Ji, Xin; Niu, Chunming

    2018-03-01

    The design of efficient and stable photocatalyst plays a critical role in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting. Herein, we develop a novel ZnS/CdS/ZnO ternary heterostructure by the in-situ sulfuration of CdS/ZnO, which includes four contact interfaces: CdS-ZnS interface, ZnS-ZnO interface, CdS-ZnO interface and ZnS-CdS-ZnO ternary interface, forming three charge carrier-transfer modes (type-I, type-II and direct Z-scheme) through five carrier-transfer pathways. As a result, the separation and transfer of photoexcited electron-hole pairs are promoted significantly, resulting in a high hydrogen evolution rate of 44.70 mmol h-1 g-1, which is 2, 3.7 and 8 times higher than those of binary heterostructures, CdS/ZnO, CdS/ZnS and ZnS/ZnO, respectively, and 26.5, 280 and 298 times higher than those of single CdS, ZnO and ZnS, respectively. As a counterpart ternary heterostructure, CdS/ZnS/ZnO contains only two interfaces: CdS-ZnS interface and ZnS-ZnO interface, which form two charge carrier-transfer modes (type-I and type-II) through two carrier-transfer pathways, leading to its much lower hydrogen evolution rate (27.25 mmol h-1 g-1) than ZnS/CdS/ZnO ternary heterostructure. This work is relevant for understanding the charge-transfer pathways between multi-interfaces in multicomponent heterojunctions.

  4. Roles of molecular hydrogen and a hydrogen donor solvent in the cracking of moal model compounds with dispersed catalysts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Suzuki, Toshimitsu; Ikenaga, Na-oki; Sakota, Takahiro

    1994-12-31

    It is of great importance to evaluate quantitative hydrogen transfer process by using coal model compounds with a hydrogen-donor solvent. Cronauer el al. showed that in the cracking of benzyl phenyl ether the hydrogen required to stabilize free radicals comes from a donor solvent or intramolecular rearrangement and not from gaseous hydrogen in the absence of a catalyst. Korobkov et al. and Schlosberg et al. showed that the thermolysis of benzyl phenyl ether and dibenzyl ether were accomplished by intramolecular rearrangements. Yokokawa et al. reported that tetralin retarded the catalyzed hydrocracking of coal model compounds containing C-C and C-O bonds.more » However, few studies dealt with quantitative discussion in the hydrogen transfer process from a hydrogen-donor solvent or molecular hydrogen to free radicals derived from a model compound except a series of studies by Nicole and co-workers. On the other hand, it is well known that the amount of naphthalene produced from tetralin decreases after the liquefaction of coal in tetralin with catalyst as compared to the liquefaction in the absence of catalysts. To account for this, two mechanisms are proposed. One is that the catalyst hydrogenates naphthalene produced from tetralin, and the other is that the catalyst promotes the direct hydrogen transfer from molecular hydrogen to free radicals. The purpose of this work is to elucidate the role of catalyst and tetralin by means of the quantitative treatment of the hydrogen transfer reaction stabilizing thermally decomposed free radicals. Cracking of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE), dibenzyl ether (DBE), 1,2-diphenylethane, and 1,3-diphenylpropane was studied in tetralin in the presence of highly disposed catalyst.« less

  5. Cold enzymatic bleaching of fluid whey.

    PubMed

    Campbell, R E; Drake, M A

    2013-01-01

    Chemical bleaching of fluid whey and retentate with hydrogen peroxide (HP) alone requires high concentrations (100-500 mg of HP/kg) and recent studies have demonstrated that off-flavors are generated during chemical bleaching that carry through to spray-dried whey proteins. Bleaching of fluid whey and retentate with enzymes such as naturally present lactoperoxidase or an exogenous commercial peroxidase (EP) at cold temperatures (4°C) may be a viable alternative to traditional chemical bleaching of whey. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum level of HP for enzymatic bleaching (both lactoperoxidase and EP) at 4°C and to compare bleaching efficacy and sensory characteristics to HP chemical bleaching at 4°C. Selected treatments were subsequently applied for whey protein concentrate with 80% protein (WPC80) manufacture. Fluid Cheddar whey and retentate (80% protein) were manufactured in triplicate from pasteurized whole milk. The optimum concentration of HP (0 to 250 mg/kg) to activate enzymatic bleaching at 4°C was determined by quantifying the loss of norbixin. In subsequent experiments, bleaching efficacy, descriptive sensory analysis, and volatile compounds were monitored at selected time points. A control with no bleaching was also evaluated. Enzymatic bleaching of fluid whey and retentate at 4°C resulted in faster bleaching and higher bleaching efficacy (color loss) than bleaching with HP alone at 250 mg/kg. Due to concentrated levels of naturally present lactoperoxidase, retentate bleached to completion (>80% norbixin destruction in 30 min) faster than fluid whey at 4°C (>80% norbixin destruction in 12h). In fluid whey, the addition of EP decreased bleaching time. Spray-dried WPC80 from bleached wheys, regardless of bleaching treatment, were characterized by a lack of sweet aromatic and buttery flavors, and the presence of cardboard flavor concurrent with higher relative abundance of 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octen-3-one. Among enzymatically

  6. The Iron-Sulfur Cluster of Electron Transfer Flavoprotein-ubiquinone Oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) is the Electron Acceptor for Electron Transfer Flavoprotein†

    PubMed Central

    Swanson, Michael A.; Usselman, Robert J.; Frerman, Frank E.; Eaton, Gareth R.; Eaton, Sandra S.

    2011-01-01

    Electron-transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-QO) accepts electrons from electron-transfer flavoprotein (ETF) and reduces ubiquinone from the ubiquinone-pool. It contains one [4Fe-4S]2+,1+ and one FAD, which are diamagnetic in the isolated oxidized enzyme and can be reduced to paramagnetic forms by enzymatic donors or dithionite. In the porcine protein, threonine 367 is hydrogen bonded to N1 and O2 of the flavin ring of the FAD. The analogous site in Rhodobacter sphaeroides ETF-QO is asparagine 338. Mutations N338T and N338A were introduced into the R. sphaeroides protein by site-directed mutagenesis to determine the impact of hydrogen bonding at this site on redox potentials and activity. The mutations did not alter the optical spectra, EPR g-values, spin-lattice relaxation rates, or the [4Fe-4S]2+,1+ to FAD point-dipole interspin distances. The mutations had no impact on the reduction potential for the iron-sulfur cluster, which was monitored by changes in the continuous wave EPR signals of the [4Fe-4S]+ at 15 K. For the FAD semiquinone, significantly different potentials were obtained by monitoring the titration at 100 or 293 K. Based on spectra at 293 K the N338T mutation shifted the first and second midpoint potentials for the FAD from +47 mV and −30 mV for wild type to −11 mV and −19 mV, respectively. The N338A mutation decreased the potentials to −37 mV and −49 mV. Lowering the midpoint potentials resulted in a decrease in the quinone reductase activity and negligible impact on disproportionation of ETF1e− catalyzed by ETF-QO. These observations indicate that the FAD is involved in electron transfer to ubiquinone, but not in electron transfer from ETF to ETF-QO. Therefore the iron-sulfur cluster is the immediate acceptor from ETF. PMID:18672901

  7. Facile one-step electrochemical deposition of copper nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide as nonenzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moozarm Nia, Pooria; Woi, Pei Meng; Alias, Yatimah

    2017-08-01

    For several decades, hydrogen peroxide has exhibited to be an extremely significant analyte as an intermediate in several biological devices as well as in many industrial systems. A straightforward and novel one-step technique was employed to develop a sensitive non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor by simultaneous electrodeposition of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The electroreduction performance of the CuNPs-rGO for hydrogen peroxide detection was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (AMP) methods The CuNPs-rGO showed a synergistic effect of reduced graphene oxide and copper nanoparticles towards the electroreduction of hydrogen peroxide, indicating high reduction current. At detection potential of -0.2 V, the CuNPs-rGO sensor demonstrated a wide linear range up to 18 mM with a detection limit of 0.601 mM (S/N = 3). Furthermore, with addition of hydrogen peroxide, the sensor responded very quickly (<3 s). The CuNPs-rGO presents high selectivity, sensitivity, stability and fast amperometric sensing towards hydrogen peroxide which makes it favorable for the development of non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor.

  8. Enzymatic Synthesis of Magnetic Nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Kolhatkar, Arati G.; Dannongoda, Chamath; Kourentzi, Katerina; Jamison, Andrew C.; Nekrashevich, Ivan; Kar, Archana; Cacao, Eliedonna; Strych, Ulrich; Rusakova, Irene; Martirosyan, Karen S.; Litvinov, Dmitri; Lee, T. Randall; Willson, Richard C.

    2015-01-01

    We report the first in vitro enzymatic synthesis of paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic nanoparticles toward magnetic ELISA reporting. With our procedure, alkaline phosphatase catalyzes the dephosphorylation of l-ascorbic-2-phosphate, which then serves as a reducing agent for salts of iron, gadolinium, and holmium, forming magnetic precipitates of Fe45±14Gd5±2O50±15 and Fe42±4Ho6±4O52±5. The nanoparticles were found to be paramagnetic at 300 K and antiferromagnetic under 25 K. Although weakly magnetic at 300 K, the room-temperature magnetization of the nanoparticles found here is considerably greater than that of analogous chemically-synthesized LnxFeyOz (Ln = Gd, Ho) samples reported previously. At 5 K, the nanoparticles showed a significantly higher saturation magnetization of 45 and 30 emu/g for Fe45±14Gd5±2O50±15 and Fe42±4Ho6±4O52±5, respectively. Our approach of enzymatically synthesizing magnetic labels reduces the cost and avoids diffusional mass-transfer limitations associated with pre-synthesized magnetic reporter particles, while retaining the advantages of magnetic sensing. PMID:25854425

  9. Doing the Limbo with a Low Barrier: Hydrogen Bonding and Proton Transfer in Hydroxyformylfulvene

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vealey, Zachary; Nemchick, Deacon; Vaccaro, Patrick

    2016-06-01

    Model compounds continue to play crucial roles for elucidating the ubiquitous phenomena of hydrogen bonding and proton transfer, often yielding invaluable insights into kindred processes taking place in substantially larger species. The symmetric double-minimum topography that characterizes the potential-energy landscape for an important subset of these systems allows unambiguous signatures of molecular dynamics (in the form of tunneling-induced bifurcations) to be extracted directly from spectral measurements. As a relatively unexplored member of this class, 6-hydroxy-2-formylfulvene (HFF) contains an intramolecular O-H···O interaction that has participating atoms from the hydroxylic (donor) and ketonic (acceptor) moieties closely spaced in a quasi-linear configuration. This unusual arrangement suggests proton transduction to occur with minimal encumbrance, possibly leading to a pronounced dislocation of the shuttling hydron commensurate with the concepts of low-barrier hydrogen bonding (which are distinguished by great strength, short distance, and vanishingly small potential barriers). A variety of spectroscopic probes built primarily upon the techniques of laser-induced fluorescence and dispersed fluorescence have been enlisted to acquire the first vibronically resolved information reported for the ground [tilde{X}1A1] and lowest-lying singlet excited [tilde{A}1B{2} (π*π)] electronic manifolds of HFF entrained in a cold supersonic free-jet expansion. These experimental findings will be discussed and compared to those obtained for related proton-transfer systems, with complimentary quantum-chemical calculations serving to unravel the unique bonding motifs and reactive pathways inherent to HFF.

  10. New AdoMet Analogues as Tools for Enzymatic Transfer of Photo-Cross-Linkers and Capturing RNA-Protein Interactions.

    PubMed

    Muttach, Fabian; Mäsing, Florian; Studer, Armido; Rentmeister, Andrea

    2017-05-02

    Elucidation of biomolecular interactions is of utmost importance in biochemistry. Photo-cross-linking offers the possibility to precisely determine RNA-protein interactions. However, despite the inherent specificity of enzymes, approaches for site-specific introduction of photo-cross-linking moieties into nucleic acids are scarce. Methyltransferases in combination with synthetic analogues of their natural cosubstrate S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) allow for the post-synthetic site-specific modification of biomolecules. We report on three novel AdoMet analogues bearing the most widespread photo-cross-linking moieties (aryl azide, diazirine, and benzophenone). We show that these photo-cross-linkers can be enzymatically transferred to the methyltransferase target, that is, the mRNA cap, with high efficiency. Photo-cross-linking of the resulting modified mRNAs with the cap interacting protein eIF4E was successful with aryl azide and diazirine but not benzophenone, reflecting the affinity of the modified 5' caps. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Low-energy charge transfer for collisions of Si3+ with atomic hydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruhns, H.; Kreckel, H.; Savin, D. W.; Seely, D. G.; Havener, C. C.

    2008-06-01

    Cross sections of charge transfer for Si3+ ions with atomic hydrogen at collision energies of ≈40-2500eV/u were carried out using a merged-beam technique at the Multicharged Ion Research Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The data span an energy range in which both molecular orbital close coupling (MOCC) and classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) calculations are available. The influence of quantum mechanical effects of the ionic core as predicted by MOCC is clearly seen in our results. However, discrepancies between our experiment and MOCC results toward higher collision energies are observed. At energies above 1000 eV/u good agreement is found with CTMC results.

  12. Hydrogen slush density reference system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weitzel, D. H.; Lowe, L. T.; Ellerbruch, D. A.; Cruz, J. E.; Sindt, C. F.

    1971-01-01

    A hydrogen slush density reference system was designed for calibration of field-type instruments and/or transfer standards. The device is based on the buoyancy principle of Archimedes. The solids are weighed in a low-mass container so arranged that solids and container are buoyed by triple-point liquid hydrogen during the weighing process. Several types of hydrogen slush density transducers were developed and tested for possible use as transfer standards. The most successful transducers found were those which depend on change in dielectric constant, after which the Clausius-Mossotti function is used to relate dielectric constant and density.

  13. CdS/TiO2 photoanodes via solution ion transfer method for highly efficient solar hydrogen generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishna Karuturi, Siva; Yew, Rowena; Reddy Narangari, Parvathala; Wong-Leung, Jennifer; Li, Li; Vora, Kaushal; Tan, Hark Hoe; Jagadish, Chennupati

    2018-03-01

    Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is a unique semiconducting material for solar hydrogen generation applications with a tunable, narrow bandgap that straddles water redox potentials. However, its potential towards efficient solar hydrogen generation has not yet been realized due to low photon-to-current conversions, high charge carrier recombination and the lack of controlled preparation methods. In this work, we demonstrate a highly efficient CdS/TiO2 heterostructured photoelectrode using atomic layer deposition and solution ion transfer reactions. Enabled by the well-controlled deposition of CdS nanocrystals on TiO2 inverse opal (TiIO) nanostructures using the proposed method, a saturation photocurrent density of 9.1 mA cm-2 is realized which is the highest ever reported for CdS-based photoelectrodes. We further demonstrate that the passivation of a CdS surface with an ultrathin amorphous layer (˜1.5 nm) of TiO2 improves the charge collection efficiency at low applied potentials paving the way for unassisted solar hydrogen generation.

  14. ZnO Nanorod-Based Non-Enzymatic Optical Glucose Biosensor.

    PubMed

    Sarangi, Sachindra Nath; Nozaki, Shinji; Sahu, Surendra Nath

    2015-06-01

    The highly sensitive, interference-free and non-enzymatic optical sensing of glucose has been made possible for the first time using the hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanorods. The UV irradiation of glucose-treated ZnO nanorods decomposes glucose into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and gluconic acid by UV oxidation. The ZnO nanorods play the role of a catalyst similar to the oxidase used in the enzymatic glucose sensors. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the near-band edge emission of the ZnO nanorods linearly decreased with the increased concentration of H2O2. Therefore, the glucose concentration is monitored over the wide range of 0.5-30 mM, corresponding to 9-540 mg/dL. The concentration range of the linear region in the calibration curve is suitable for its clinical use as a glucose sensor, because the glucose concentration of human serum is typically in the range of 80-120 mg/dL. In addition, the optical glucose sensor made of the ZnO nanorods is free from interference by bovin serum albumin, ascorbic acid or uric acid, which are also present in human blood. The non-enzymatic ZnO-nanorod sensor has been demonstrated with human serum samples from both normal persons and diabetic patients. There is a good agreement between the glucose concentrations measured by the PL quenching and standard clinical methods.

  15. Electron transfer across multiple hydrogen bonds: the case of ureapyrimidinedione-substituted vinyl ruthenium and osmium complexes.

    PubMed

    Pichlmaier, Markus; Winter, Rainer F; Zabel, Manfred; Zális, Stanislav

    2009-04-08

    Ruthenium and osmium complexes 2a,b and 3a,b featuring the N-4,6-dioxo-5,5-dibutyl- or the N-4,6-dioxo-5,5-di-(2-propenyl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-yl-N'(4-ethenylphenyl)-urea ligand dimerize by a self-complementary quadruply hydrogen-bonding donor/donor/acceptor/acceptor (DDAA) motif. We provide evidence that the dimeric structures are maintained in nonpolar solvents and in 0.1 M NBu(4)PF(6)/CH(2)Cl(2) supporting electrolyte solution. All complexes are reversibly oxidized in two consecutive two-electron oxidations (DeltaE(1/2) approximately = 500 mV) without any discernible potential splitting for the oxidation of the individual hydrogen-bridged redox active moieties. IR and UV/vis/NIR spectroelectrochemistry show a one-step conversion of the neutral to the dication without any discernible features of an intermediate monooxidized radical cation. Oxidation-induced IR changes of the NH and CO groups that are involved in hydrogen bonding are restricted to the styryl-bonded urea NH function. IR band assignments are aided by quantum chemical calculations. Our experimental findings clearly show that, at least in the present systems, the ureapyrimidinedione (Upy) DDAA hydrogen-bonding motif does not support electron transfer. The apparent reason is that neither of the hydrogen-bonding functionalities contributes to the occupied frontier levels. This results in nearly degenerate pairs of MOs representing the in-phase and out-of-phase combinations of the individual monomeric building blocks.

  16. Photoinduced triplet-triplet energy transfer in a 2-ureido-4(1H)-pyrimidinone-bridged, quadruply hydrogen-bonded ferrocene-fullerene assembly.

    PubMed

    Feng, Ke; Yu, Mao-Lin; Wang, Su-Min; Wang, Ge-Xia; Tung, Chen-Ho; Wu, Li-Zhu

    2013-01-14

    2-Ureido-4(1H)-pyrimidinone-bridged ferrocene-fullerene assembly I is designed and synthesized for elaborating the photoinduced electron-transfer processes in self-complementary quadruply hydrogen-bonded modules. Unexpectedly, steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy reveal an inefficient electron-transfer process from the ferrocene to the singlet or triplet excited state of the fullerene, although the electron-transfer reactions are thermodynamically feasible. Instead, an effective intra-assembly triplet-triplet energy-transfer process is found to be operative in assembly I with a rate constant of 9.2×10(5) s(-1) and an efficiency of 73% in CH(2)Cl(2) at room temperature. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Enzymatic preparation of. cap alpha. - and. beta. -deuterated or tritiated amino acids with l-methionine. gamma. -lyase

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Esaki, N.; Sawada, S.; Tanaka, H.

    L-Methionine ..gamma..-lyase catalyzes the exchange of ..cap alpha..- and ..beta..-hydrogens of L-methionine and S-methyl-L-cysteine with deuterium or tritium of solvents. The rate of ..cap alpha..-hydrogen exchange with deuterium was about 40 times faster than that of the elimination reactions. The deuterium and tritium were exchanged also with the ..cap alpha..- and ..beta..-hydrogens of the straight-chain amino acids which do not undergo the elimination: L-alanine, L-..cap alpha..-aminobutyrate, L-norvaline, and L-norleucine. No exchange occurs for the D-isomers, acidic L-amino acids, basic L-amino acids, and branched-chain L-amino acids, although ..cap alpha..-hydrogen of glycine, L-trypotophan, and L-phenylalanine is exchanged slowly. These enzymatic hydrogen-exchange reactionsmore » facilitate specific labeling of the L-amino acids with deuterium and tritium.« less

  18. A Quasi-Laue Neutron Crystallographic Study of D-Xylose Isomerase

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meilleur, Flora; Snell, Edward H.; vanderWoerd, Mark; Judge, Russell A.; Myles, Dean A. A.

    2006-01-01

    Hydrogen atom location and hydrogen bonding interaction determination are often critical to explain enzymatic mechanism. Whilst it is difficult to determine the position of hydrogen atoms using X-ray crystallography even with subatomic (less than 1.0 Angstrom) resolution data available, neutron crystallography provides an experimental tool to directly localise hydrogeddeuteriwn atoms in biological macromolecules at resolution of 1.5-2.0 Angstroms. Linearisation and isomerisation of xylose at the active site of D-xylose isomerase rely upon a complex hydrogen transfer. Neutron quasi-Laue data were collected on Streptomyces rubiginosus D-xylose isomerase crystal using the LADI instrument at ILL with the objective to provide insight into the enzymatic mechanism (Myles et al. 1998). The neutron structure unambiguously reveals the protonation state of His 53 in the active site, identifying the model for the enzymatic pathway.

  19. Diene Hydroacylation from the Alcohol or Aldehyde Oxidation Level via Ruthenium Catalyzed C-C Bond Forming Transfer Hydrogenation: Synthesis of β,γ-Unsaturated Ketones

    PubMed Central

    Shibahara, Fumitoshi; Bower, John F.; Krische, Michael J.

    2011-01-01

    Under the conditions of ruthenium catalyzed transfer hydrogenation, isoprene couples to benzylic and aliphatic alcohols 1a–1g to deliver β,γ-unsaturated ketones 3a–3g in good to excellent isolated yields. Under identical conditions, aldehydes 2a–2g couple to isoprene to provide an identical set of β,γ-unsaturated ketones 3a–3g in good to excellent isolated yields. As demonstrated by the coupling of butadiene, myrcene and 1,2-dimethylbutadiene to representative alcohols 1b, 1c and 1e, diverse acyclic dienes participate in transfer hydrogenative coupling to form β,γ-unsaturated ketones. In all cases, complete branch-regioselectivity is observed and, with the exception of adduct 3j, isomerization to the conjugated enone is not detected. Thus, formal intermolecular diene hydroacylation is achieved from the alcohol or aldehyde oxidation level. In earlier studies employing a related ruthenium catalyst, acyclic dienes were coupled to carbonyl partners from the alcohol or aldehyde oxidation level to furnish branched homoallylic alcohols. Thus, under transfer hydrogenative coupling conditions, all oxidations levels of substrate (alcohol or aldehyde) and product (homoallyl alcohol or β,γ-unsaturated ketone) are accessible. PMID:18841895

  20. Loss of benzene to generate an enolate anion by a site-specific double-hydrogen transfer during CID fragmentation of o-alkyl ethers of ortho-hydroxybenzoic acids.

    PubMed

    Attygalle, Athula B; Bialecki, Jason B; Nishshanka, Upul; Weisbecker, Carl S; Ruzicka, Josef

    2008-09-01

    Collision-induced dissociation of anions derived from ortho-alkyloxybenzoic acids provides a facile way of producing gaseous enolate anions. The alkyloxyphenyl anion produced after an initial loss of CO(2) undergoes elimination of a benzene molecule by a double-hydrogen transfer mechanism, unique to the ortho isomer, to form an enolate anion. Deuterium labeling studies confirmed that the two hydrogen atoms transferred in the benzene loss originate from positions 1 and 2 of the alkyl chain. An initial transfer of a hydrogen atom from the C-1 position forms a phenyl anion and a carbonyl compound, both of which remain closely associated as an ion/neutral complex. The complex breaks either directly to give the phenyl anion by eliminating the neutral carbonyl compound, or to form an enolate anion by transferring a hydrogen atom from the C-2 position and eliminating a benzene molecule in the process. The pronounced primary kinetic isotope effect observed when a deuterium atom is transferred from the C-1 position, compared to the weak effect seen for the transfer from the C-2 position, indicates that the first transfer is the rate determining step. Quantum mechanical calculations showed that the neutral loss of benzene is a thermodynamically favorable process. Under the conditions used, only the spectra from ortho isomers showed peaks at m/z 77 for the phenyl anion and m/z 93 for the phenoxyl anion, in addition to that for the ortho-specific enolate anion. Under high collision energy, the ortho isomers also produce a peak at m/z 137 for an alkene loss. The spectra of meta and para compounds show a peak at m/z 92 for the distonic anion produced by the homolysis of the O-C bond. Moreover, a small peak at m/z 136 for a distonic anion originating from an alkyl radical loss allows the differentiation of para compounds from meta isomers.

  1. Photoinduced electron transfer pathways in hydrogen-evolving reduced graphene oxide-boosted hybrid nano-bio catalyst.

    PubMed

    Wang, Peng; Dimitrijevic, Nada M; Chang, Angela Y; Schaller, Richard D; Liu, Yuzi; Rajh, Tijana; Rozhkova, Elena A

    2014-08-26

    Photocatalytic production of clean hydrogen fuels using water and sunlight has attracted remarkable attention due to the increasing global energy demand. Natural and synthetic dyes can be utilized to sensitize semiconductors for solar energy transformation using visible light. In this study, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and a membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) were employed as building modules to harness visible light by a Pt/TiO2 nanocatalyst. Introduction of the rGO boosts the nano-bio catalyst performance that results in hydrogen production rates of approximately 11.24 mmol of H2 (μmol protein)(-1) h(-1). Photoelectrochemical measurements show a 9-fold increase in photocurrent density when TiO2 electrodes were modified with rGO and bR. Electron paramagnetic resonance and transient absorption spectroscopy demonstrate an interfacial charge transfer from the photoexcited rGO to the semiconductor under visible light.

  2. Isomerization of 1-O-indol-3-ylacetyl-beta-D-glucose. Enzymatic hydrolysis of 1-O, 4-O, and 6-O-indol-3-ylacetyl-beta-D-glucose and the enzymatic synthesis of indole-3-acetyl glycerol by a hormone metabolizing complex

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kowalczyk, S.; Bandurski, R. S.

    1990-01-01

    The first compound in the series of reactions leading to the ester conjugates of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in kernels of Zea mays sweet corn is the acyl alkyl acetal, 1-O-indol-3-ylacetyl-beta-D-glucose (1-O-IAGlu). The enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of this compound is UDP-glucose:indol-3-ylacetate glucosyl-transferase (IAGlu synthase). The IAA moiety of the high energy compound 1-O-IAGlu may be enzymatically transferred to myo-inositol or to glycerol or the 1-O-IAGlu may be enzymatically hydrolyzed. Alternatively, nonenzymatic acyl migration may occur to yield the 2-O, 4-O, and 6-O esters of IAA and glucose. The 4-O and 6-O esters may then be enzymatically hydrolyzed to yield free IAA and glucose. This work reports new enzymatic activities, the transfer of IAA from 1-O-IAGlu to glycerol, and the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of 4-O and 6-O-IAGlu. Data is also presented on the rate of non-enzymatic acyl migration of IAA from the 1-O to the 4-O and 6-O positions of glucose. We also report that enzymes catalyzing the synthesis of 1-O-IAGlu and the hydrolysis of 1-O, 4-O, and 6-O-IAGlu fractionate as a hormone metabolizing complex. The association of synthetic and hydrolytic capabilities in enzymes which cofractionate may have physiological significance.

  3. Two-Dimensional Nanoporous Networks Formed by Liquid-to-Solid Transfer of Hydrogen-Bonded Macrocycles Built from DNA Bases.

    PubMed

    Bilbao, Nerea; Destoop, Iris; De Feyter, Steven; González-Rodríguez, David

    2016-01-11

    We present an approach that makes use of DNA base pairing to produce hydrogen-bonded macrocycles whose supramolecular structure can be transferred from solution to a solid substrate. A hierarchical assembly process ultimately leads to two-dimensional nanostructured porous networks that are able to host size-complementary guests. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Photoelectrochemical enzymatic biosensors.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Wei-Wei; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

    2017-06-15

    Enzymatic biosensors have been valuable bioanalytical devices for analysis of diverse targets in disease diagnosis, biological and biomedical research, etc. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis is a recently emerged method that promptly becoming a subject of new research interests due to its attractive potential for future bioanalysis with high sensitivity and specificity. PEC enzymatic biosensors integrate the inherent sensitivities of PEC bioanalysis and the selectivity of enzymes and thus share their both advantages. Currently, PEC enzymatic biosensors have become a hot topic of significant research and the recent impetus has grown rapidly as demonstrated by increased research papers. Given the pace of advances in this area, this review will make a thorough discussion and survey on the fundamentals, sensing strategies, applications and the state of the art in PEC enzymatic biosensors, followed by future prospects based on our own opinions. We hope this work could provide an accessible introduction to PEC enzymatic biosensors for any scientist. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Comparative investigation of surface transfer doping of hydrogen terminated diamond by high electron affinity insulators

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Verona, C.; Marinelli, Marco; Verona-Rinati, G.

    We report on a comparative study of transfer doping of hydrogenated single crystal diamond surface by insulators featured by high electron affinity, such as Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}, WO{sub 3}, V{sub 2}O{sub 5}, and MoO{sub 3}. The low electron affinity Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was also investigated for comparison. Hole transport properties were evaluated in the passivated hydrogenated diamond films by Hall effect measurements, and were compared to un-passivated diamond films (air-induced doping). A drastic improvement was observed in passivated samples in terms of conductivity, stability with time, and resistance to high temperatures. The efficiency of the investigated insulators, as electron acceptingmore » materials in hydrogenated diamond surface, is consistent with their electronic structure. These surface acceptor materials generate a higher hole sheet concentration, up to 6.5 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2}, and a lower sheet resistance, down to 2.6 kΩ/sq, in comparison to the atmosphere-induced values of about 1 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} and 10 kΩ/sq, respectively. On the other hand, hole mobilities were reduced by using high electron affinity insulator dopants. Hole mobility as a function of hole concentration in a hydrogenated diamond layer was also investigated, showing a well-defined monotonically decreasing trend.« less

  6. Oxygen vacancies promoted interfacial charge carrier transfer of CdS/ZnO heterostructure for photocatalytic hydrogen generation.

    PubMed

    Xie, Ying Peng; Yang, Yongqiang; Wang, Guosheng; Liu, Gang

    2017-10-01

    The solid-state Z-scheme trinary/binary heterostructures show the advantage of utilizing the high-energy photogenerated charge carriers in photocatalysis. However, the key factors controlling such Z-scheme in the binary heterostructures are still unclear. In this paper, we showed that oxygen vacancies could act as an interface electron transfer mediator to promote the direct Z-scheme charge transfer process in binary semiconductor heterostructures of CdS/ZnS. Increasing the concentration of surface oxygen vacancies of ZnO crystal can greatly enhance photocatalytic hydrogen generation of CdS/ZnO heterostructure. This was attributed to the strengthened direct Z-scheme charge transfer process in CdS/ZnO, as evidenced by steady-state/time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy and selective photodeposition of metal particles on the heterostructure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Non-enzymatic Fluorescent Biosensor for Glucose Sensing Based on ZnO Nanorods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mai, Hong Hanh; Pham, Van Thanh; Nguyen, Viet Tuyen; Sai, Cong Doanh; Hoang, Chi Hieu; Nguyen, The Binh

    2017-06-01

    We have developed a non-enzymatic fluorescent biosensor for glucose sensing based on ZnO nanorods. ZnO nanorods of high density, high crystallinity, and good alignment were grown on low-cost industrial copper substrates at low temperature. To grow them directly on the substrates without using a seed layer, we utilized a simple one-step seedless hydrothermal method, which is based on galvanic cell structure. Herein, the glucose-treated ZnO nanorods together with the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the sample during the photoluminescent measurement played the role of a catalyst. They decomposed glucose into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and gluconic acid, which is similar to the glucose oxidase enzyme (GOx) used in enzymatic sensors. Due to the formation of H2O2, the photoluminescence intensity of the UV emission peak of ZnO nanorods decreased as the glucose concentration increased from 1 mM to 100 mM. In comparison with glucose concentration of a normal human serum, which is in the range of 4.4-6.6 mM, the obtained results show potential of non-enzymatic fluorescent biosensors in medical applications.

  8. Investigation of the Mechanism of Electron Capture and Electron Transfer Dissociation of Peptides with a Covalently Attached Free Radical Hydrogen Atom Scavenger.

    PubMed

    Sohn, Chang Ho; Yin, Sheng; Peng, Ivory; Loo, Joseph A; Beauchamp, J L

    2015-11-15

    The mechanisms of electron capture and electron transfer dissociation (ECD and ETD) are investigated by covalently attaching a free-radical hydrogen atom scavenger to a peptide. The 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-l-oxyl (TEMPO) radical was chosen as the scavenger due to its high hydrogen atom affinity (ca. 280 kJ/mol) and low electron affinity (ca. 0.45 ev), and was derivatized to the model peptide, FQX TEMPO EEQQQTEDELQDK. The X TEMPO residue represents a cysteinyl residue derivatized with an acetamido-TEMPO group. The acetamide group without TEMPO was also examined as a control. The gas phase proton affinity (882 kJ/mol) of TEMPO is similar to backbone amide carbonyls (889 kJ/mol), minimizing perturbation to internal solvation and sites of protonation of the derivatized peptides. Collision induced dissociation (CID) of the TEMPO tagged peptide dication generated stable odd-electron b and y type ions without indication of any TEMPO radical induced fragmentation initiated by hydrogen abstraction. The type and abundance of fragment ions observed in the CID spectra of the TEMPO and acetamide tagged peptides are very similar. However, ECD of the TEMPO labeled peptide dication yielded no backbone cleavage. We propose that a labile hydrogen atom in the charge reduced radical ions is scavenged by the TEMPO radical moiety, resulting in inhibition of N-C α backbone cleavage processes. Supplemental activation after electron attachment (ETcaD) and CID of the charge-reduced precursor ion generated by electron transfer of the TEMPO tagged peptide dication produced a series of b + H (b H ) and y + H (y H ) ions along with some c ions having suppressed intensities, consistent with stable O-H bond formation at the TEMPO group. In summary, the results indicate that ECD and ETD backbone cleavage processes are inhibited by scavenging of a labile hydrogen atom by the localized TEMPO radical moiety. This observation supports the conjecture that ECD and ETD processes involve long

  9. Synthetic use of the primary kinetic isotope effect in hydrogen atom transfer 2: generation of captodatively stabilised radicals.

    PubMed

    Wood, Mark E; Bissiriou, Sabine; Lowe, Christopher; Windeatt, Kim M

    2013-04-28

    Using C-3 di-deuterated morpholin-2-ones bearing N-2-iodobenzyl and N-3-bromobut-3-enyl radical generating groups, only products derived from the more stabilised C-3, rather than the less stabilised C-5 translocated radicals, were formed after intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer, suggesting that any kinetic isotope effect present was not sufficient to offset captodative stabilisation.

  10. Comparison of pretreatment methods on the enzymatic Saccharification of aspen wood

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pinto, J.H.; Kamden, D.P.

    Five different chemical pretreatments, using dilute sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide, peroxy-monosulfate, and acetic acid, were applied to aspen thermomechanical fibers. The pretreated fibers were submitted to enzymatic hydrolysis and the liberated glucose was monitored. High glucose concentrations were observed for the peroxymonosulfate and the acetic acid pretreated samples. Glucose concentrations greater than 25 g/L were obtained in these cases. This corresponds to conversions on the order of 90% of the retreated substrate glucose content. 18 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs.

  11. Anharmonicity in a double hydrogen transfer reaction studied in a single porphycene molecule on a Cu(110) surface.

    PubMed

    Liu, S; Baugh, D; Motobayashi, K; Zhao, X; Levchenko, S V; Gawinkowski, S; Waluk, J; Grill, L; Persson, M; Kumagai, T

    2018-05-07

    Anharmonicity plays a crucial role in hydrogen transfer reactions in hydrogen-bonding systems, which leads to a peculiar spectral line shape of the hydrogen stretching mode as well as highly complex intra/intermolecular vibrational energy relaxation. Single-molecule study with a well-defined model is necessary to elucidate a fundamental mechanism. Recent low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) experiments revealed that the cis↔cis tautomerization in a single porphycene molecule on Cu(110) at 5 K can be induced by vibrational excitation via an inelastic electron tunnelling process and the N-H(D) stretching mode couples with the tautomerization coordinate [Kumagai et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2013, 111, 246101]. Here we discuss a pronounced anharmonicity of the N-H stretching mode observed in the STM action spectra and the conductance spectra. Density functional theory calculations find a strong intermode coupling of the N-H stretching with an in-plane bending mode within porphycene on Cu(110).

  12. TDDFT study of twisted intramolecular charge transfer and intermolecular double proton transfer in the excited state of 4‧-dimethylaminoflavonol in ethanol solvent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ye; Shi, Ying; Cong, Lin; Li, Hui

    2015-02-01

    Time-dependent density functional theory method at the def-TZVP/B3LYP level was employed to investigate the intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding dynamics in the first excited (S1) state of 4‧-dimethylaminoflavonol (DMAF) monomer and in ethanol solution. In the DMAF monomer, we demonstrated that the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) takes place in the S1 state. This excited state ICT process was followed by intramolecular proton transfer. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the mechanism proposed in experimental work. For the hydrogen-bonded DMAF-EtOH complex, it was demonstrated that the intermolecular hydrogen bonds can induce the formation of the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state and the conformational twisting is along the C3-C4 bond. Moreover, the intermolecular hydrogen bonds can also facilitate the intermolecular double proton transfer in the TICT state. A stepwise intermolecular double proton transfer process was revealed. Therefore, the intermolecular hydrogen bonds can alter the mechanism of intramolecular charge transfer and proton transfer in the excited state for the DMAF molecule.

  13. Enzymatic oxidation of rutin by horseradish peroxidase: kinetic mechanism and identification of a dimeric product by LC-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Savic, Sasa; Vojinovic, Katarina; Milenkovic, Sanja; Smelcerovic, Andrija; Lamshoeft, Marc; Petronijevic, Zivomir

    2013-12-15

    Flavonoid oxidation is important issue in food processing and quality. The kinetic mechanism of enzymatic oxidation of rutin by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied. Rutin oxidation reaction was followed by recording of spectral changes over the time at 360 nm. The studied oxidation is mostly enzymatic and less part non-enzymatic. The reaction with HRP has a higher rate compared with the reaction without of HRP, whereby is part of non-enzymatic reaction about 10% of the total reaction. Kinetic parameters were determined from graphics of linear Michaelis-Menten equation, and it was found that investigated reactions of rutin oxidation by HRP take place in a ping-pong kinetic mechanism. High resolution HPLC-MS analysis of the mixture of oxidized products of rutin revealed the presence of rutin dimer. Because of widely distribution of rutin as well as presence of peroxidases and hydrogen peroxide in fresh foods identification of this enzymatic modification product can be beneficial for foods quality and safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Benefits of slush hydrogen for space missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Friedlander, Alan; Zubrin, Robert; Hardy, Terry L.

    1991-01-01

    A study was performed to quantify the benefits of using slush hydrogen instead of normal boiling point liquid hydrogen as a fuel for several space missions. Vehicles considered in the study included the Space Shuttle/Shuttle-C, LEO to GEO transfer vehicles, Lunar and Mars transfer vehicles, and cryogenic depots in low Earth orbit. The advantages of using slush hydrogen were expressed in terms of initial mass differences at a constant payload, payload differences at a constant tank volume, and increases in fuel storage time for cryogenic depots. Both chemical oxygen/hydrogen and hydrogen nuclear thermal rocket propulsion were considered in the study. The results indicated that slush hydrogen offers the potential for significant decreases in initial mass and increases in payload for most missions studied. These advantages increase as the mission difficulty, or energy, increases.

  15. Anion-selective interaction and colorimeter by an optical metalloreceptor based on ruthenium(II) 2,2'-biimidazole: hydrogen bonding and proton transfer.

    PubMed

    Cui, Ying; Mo, Hao-Jun; Chen, Jin-Can; Niu, Yan-Li; Zhong, Yong-Rui; Zheng, Kang-Cheng; Ye, Bao-Hui

    2007-08-06

    A new anion sensor [Ru(bpy)2(H2biim)](PF6)2 (1) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine and H2biim = 2,2'-biimidazole) has been developed, in which the Ru(II)-bpy moiety acts as a chromophore and the H2biim ligand as an anion receptor via hydrogen bonding. A systematic investigation shows that 1 is an eligible sensor for various anions. It donates protons for hydrogen bonding to Cl-, Br-, I-, NO3-, HSO4-, H2PO4-, and OAc- anions and further actualizes monoproton transfer to the OAc- anion, changing color from yellow to orange brown. The fluoride ion has a high affinity toward the N-H group of the H2biim ligand for proton transfer, rather than hydrogen bonding, because of the formation of the highly stable HF2- anion, resulting in stepwise deprotonation of the two N-H fragments. These processes are signaled by vivid color changes from yellow to orange brown and then to violet because of second-sphere donor-acceptor interactions between Ru(II)-H2biim and the anions. The significant color changes can be distinguished visually. The processes are not only determined by the basicity of anion but also by the strength of hydrogen bonding and the stability of the anion-receptor complexes. The design strategy and remarkable photophysical properties of sensor 1 help to extend the development of anion sensors.

  16. Substitution-inert trinuclear platinum complexes efficiently condense/aggregate nucleic acids and inhibit enzymatic activity.

    PubMed

    Malina, Jaroslav; Farrell, Nicholas P; Brabec, Viktor

    2014-11-17

    The trinuclear platinum complexes (TriplatinNC-A [{Pt(NH3 )3 }2 -μ-{trans-Pt(NH3 )2 (NH2 (CH2 )6 NH2 )2 }](6+) , and TriplatinNC [{trans-Pt(NH3 )2 (NH2 (CH2 )6 NH3 (+) )}2 -μ-{trans-Pt(NH3 )2 (NH2 (CH2 )6 NH2 )2 }](8+) ) are biologically active agents that bind to DNA through noncovalent (hydrogen bonding, electrostatic) interactions. Herein, we show that TriplatinNC condenses DNA with a much higher potency than conventional DNA condensing agents. Both complexes induce aggregation of small transfer RNA molecules, and TriplatinNC in particular completely inhibits DNA transcription at lower concentrations than naturally occurring spermine. Topoisomerase I-mediated relaxation of supercoiled DNA was inhibited by TriplatinNC-A and TriplatinNC at concentrations which were 60 times and 250 times lower than that of spermine. The mechanisms for the biological activity of TriplatinNC-A and TriplatinNC may be associated with their ability to condense/aggregate nucleic acids with consequent inhibitory effects on crucial enzymatic activities. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Analysis of phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors by bottom-up electron-transfer dissociation hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Masson, Glenn R.; Maslen, Sarah L.

    2017-01-01

    Until recently, one of the major limitations of hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) was the peptide-level resolution afforded by proteolytic digestion. This limitation can be selectively overcome through the use of electron-transfer dissociation to fragment peptides in a manner that allows the retention of the deuterium signal to produce hydrogen/deuterium exchange tandem mass spectrometry (HDX-MS/MS). Here, we describe the application of HDX-MS/MS to structurally screen inhibitors of the oncogene phosphoinositide 3-kinase catalytic p110α subunit. HDX-MS/MS analysis is able to discern a conserved mechanism of inhibition common to a range of inhibitors. Owing to the relatively minor amounts of protein required, this technique may be utilised in pharmaceutical development for screening potential therapeutics. PMID:28381646

  18. Enrichment and Analysis of Non-enzymatically Glycated Peptides: Boronate Affinity Chromatography Coupled with Electron Transfer Dissociation Mass Spectrometry

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Qibin; Tang, Ning; Brock, Jonathan W. C.; Mottaz, Heather M.; Ames, Jennifer M.; Baynes, John W.; Smith, Richard D.; Metz, Thomas O.

    2008-01-01

    Non-enzymatic glycation of peptides and proteins by D-glucose has important implications in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, particularly in the development of diabetic complications. However, no effective high-throughput methods exist for identifying proteins containing this low abundance post-translational modification in bottom-up proteomic studies. In this report, phenylboronate affinity chromatography was used in a two-step enrichment scheme to selectively isolate first glycated proteins and then glycated, tryptic peptides from human serum glycated in vitro. Enriched peptides were subsequently analyzed by alternating electron transfer dissociation (ETD) and collision induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometry. ETD fragmentation mode permitted identification of a significantly higher number of glycated peptides (87.6% of all identified peptides) versus CID mode (17.0% of all identified peptides), when utilizing enrichment on first the protein and then the peptide level. This study illustrates that phenylboronate affinity chromatography coupled with LC-MS/MS and using ETD as the fragmentation mode is an efficient approach for analysis of glycated proteins and may have broad application in studies of diabetes mellitus. PMID:17488106

  19. Bodipy-C60 triple hydrogen bonding assemblies as heavy atom-free triplet photosensitizers: preparation and study of the singlet/triplet energy transfer.

    PubMed

    Guo, Song; Xu, Liang; Xu, Kejing; Zhao, Jianzhang; Küçüköz, Betül; Karatay, Ahmet; Yaglioglu, Halime Gul; Hayvali, Mustafa; Elmali, Ayhan

    2015-07-01

    Supramolecular triplet photosensitizers based on hydrogen bonding-mediated molecular assemblies were prepared. Three thymine-containing visible light-harvesting Bodipy derivatives ( B-1 , B-2 and B-3 , which show absorption at 505 nm, 630 nm and 593 nm, respectively) were used as H-bonding modules, and 1,6-diaminopyridine-appended C 60 was used as the complementary hydrogen bonding module ( C-1 ), in which the C 60 part acts as a spin converter for triplet formation. Visible light-harvesting antennae with methylated thymine were prepared as references ( B-1-Me , B-2-Me and B-3-Me ), which are unable to form strong H-bonds with C-1 . Triple H-bonds are formed between each Bodipy antenna ( B-1 , B-2 and B-3 ) and the C 60 module ( C-1 ). The photophysical properties of the H-bonding assemblies and the reference non-hydrogen bond-forming mixtures were studied using steady state UV/vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, electrochemical characterization, and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Singlet energy transfer from the Bodipy antenna to the C 60 module was confirmed by fluorescence quenching studies. The intersystem crossing of the latter produced the triplet excited state. The nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy showed that the triplet state is either localized on the C 60 module (for assembly B-1·C-1 ), or on the styryl-Bodipy antenna (for assemblies B-2·C-1 and B-3·C-1 ). Intra-assembly forward-backward (ping-pong) singlet/triplet energy transfer was proposed. In contrast to the H-bonding assemblies, slow triplet energy transfer was observed for the non-hydrogen bonding mixtures. As a proof of concept, these supramolecular assemblies were used as triplet photosensitizers for triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion.

  20. Hydrogen transfer reduction of polyketones catalyzed by iridium complexes: a novel route towards more biocompatible materials.

    PubMed

    Milani, Barbara; Crottib, Corrado; Farnetti, Erica

    2008-09-14

    Transfer hydrogenation from 2-propanol to CO/4-methylstyrene and CO/styrene polyketones was catalyzed by [Ir(diene)(N-N)X] (N-N = nitrogen chelating ligand; X = halogen) in the presence of a basic cocatalyst. The reactions were performed using dioxane as cosolvent, in order to overcome problems due to low polyketone solubility. The polyalcohols were obtained in yields up to 95%, the conversions being markedly dependent on the nature of the ligands coordinated to iridium as well as on the experimental conditions.

  1. Proton transfer in microbial electrolysis cells

    DOE PAGES

    Borole, Abhijeet P.; Lewis, Alex J.

    2017-02-15

    Proton transfer and electron transfer are of prime importance in the development of microbial electrochemical cells. While electron transfer is primarily controlled by biology, proton transfer is controlled by process engineering and cell design. To develop commercially feasible technologies around the concept of a bioelectrochemical cell, real feedstocks have to be explored and associated limitations have to be identified. Here in this study, the proton transfer rate was quantified for a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and its dependence on process parameters was investigated using a proton balance model. The reaction system consisted of a biomass-derived pyrolytic aqueous stream as amore » substrate producing hydrogen in a flow-through MEC. The proton transfer rate increased with anode flow rate and organic loading rate up to a maximum of 0.36 ± 0.01 moles per m 2 per h, equivalent to a hydrogen production rate of 9.08 L per L per day. Higher rates of hydrogen production, reaching 11.7 ± 0.2 L per L per day were achieved, when additional protons were provided via the cathode buffer. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that proton transfer was the dominant resistance in the production of hydrogen. The quantification of proton transfer rates for MECs with potential for biorefinery application and the demonstration of high hydrogen production rates approaching those required for commercial consideration indicate the strong potential of this technology for renewable hydrogen production. Understanding the transport phenomenon in bioelectrochemical cells is of great significance since these systems have potential for wide-ranging applications including energy production, bioremediation, chemical and nanomaterial synthesis, electro-fermentation, energy storage, desalination, and produced water treatment. Electron transfer in anode biofilms has been investigated extensively, but proton transfer studies are also important, since many cathodic half reactions

  2. Proton transfer in microbial electrolysis cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Borole, Abhijeet P.; Lewis, Alex J.

    Proton transfer and electron transfer are of prime importance in the development of microbial electrochemical cells. While electron transfer is primarily controlled by biology, proton transfer is controlled by process engineering and cell design. To develop commercially feasible technologies around the concept of a bioelectrochemical cell, real feedstocks have to be explored and associated limitations have to be identified. Here in this study, the proton transfer rate was quantified for a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and its dependence on process parameters was investigated using a proton balance model. The reaction system consisted of a biomass-derived pyrolytic aqueous stream as amore » substrate producing hydrogen in a flow-through MEC. The proton transfer rate increased with anode flow rate and organic loading rate up to a maximum of 0.36 ± 0.01 moles per m 2 per h, equivalent to a hydrogen production rate of 9.08 L per L per day. Higher rates of hydrogen production, reaching 11.7 ± 0.2 L per L per day were achieved, when additional protons were provided via the cathode buffer. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that proton transfer was the dominant resistance in the production of hydrogen. The quantification of proton transfer rates for MECs with potential for biorefinery application and the demonstration of high hydrogen production rates approaching those required for commercial consideration indicate the strong potential of this technology for renewable hydrogen production. Understanding the transport phenomenon in bioelectrochemical cells is of great significance since these systems have potential for wide-ranging applications including energy production, bioremediation, chemical and nanomaterial synthesis, electro-fermentation, energy storage, desalination, and produced water treatment. Electron transfer in anode biofilms has been investigated extensively, but proton transfer studies are also important, since many cathodic half reactions

  3. Liquid Acquisition Device Hydrogen Outflow Testing on the Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Engineering Design Unit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zimmerli, Greg; Statham, Geoff; Garces, Rachel; Cartagena, Will

    2015-01-01

    As part of the NASA Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Engineering Design Unit (EDU) testing with liquid hydrogen, screen-channel liquid acquisition devices (LADs) were tested during liquid hydrogen outflow from the EDU tank. A stainless steel screen mesh (325x2300 Dutch T will weave) was welded to a rectangular cross-section channel to form the basic LAD channel. Three LAD channels were tested, each having unique variations in the basic design. The LADs fed a common outflow sump at the aft end of the 151 cu. ft. volume aluminum tank, and included a curved section along the aft end and a straight section along the barrel section of the tank. Wet-dry sensors were mounted inside the LAD channels to detect when vapor was ingested into the LADs during outflow. The use of warm helium pressurant during liquid hydrogen outflow, supplied through a diffuser at the top of the tank, always led to early breakdown of the liquid column. When the tank was pressurized through an aft diffuser, resulting in cold helium in the ullage, LAD column hold-times as long as 60 minutes were achieved, which was the longest duration tested. The highest liquid column height at breakdown was 58 cm, which is 23 less than the isothermal bubble-point model value of 75 cm. This paper discusses details of the design, construction, operation and analysis of LAD test data from the CPST EDU liquid hydrogen test.

  4. Hydrogen Production by a Hyperthermophilic Membrane-Bound Hydrogenase in Soluble Nanolipoprotein Particles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Baker, S E; Hopkins, R C; Blanchette, C

    Hydrogenases constitute a promising class of enzymes for ex vivo hydrogen production. Implementation of such applications is currently hindered by oxygen sensitivity and, in the case of membrane-bound hydrogenases (MBH), poor water solubility. Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs), formed from apolipoproteins and phospholipids, offer a novel means to incorporate MBH into in a well-defined water-soluble matrix that maintains the enzymatic activity and is amenable to incorporation into more complex architectures. We report the synthesis, hydrogen-evolving activity and physical characterization of the first MBH-NLP assembly. This may ultimately lead to the development of biomimetic hydrogen production devices.

  5. Integration of Light Trapping Silver Nanostructures in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Transfer Printing

    PubMed Central

    Mizuno, Hidenori; Sai, Hitoshi; Matsubara, Koji; Takato, Hidetaka; Kondo, Michio

    2015-01-01

    One of the potential applications of metal nanostructures is light trapping in solar cells, where unique optical properties of nanosized metals, commonly known as plasmonic effects, play an important role. Research in this field has, however, been impeded owing to the difficulty of fabricating devices containing the desired functional metal nanostructures. In order to provide a viable strategy to this issue, we herein show a transfer printing-based approach that allows the quick and low-cost integration of designed metal nanostructures with a variety of device architectures, including solar cells. Nanopillar poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamps were fabricated from a commercially available nanohole plastic film as a master mold. On this nanopatterned PDMS stamps, Ag films were deposited, which were then transfer-printed onto block copolymer (binding layer)-coated hydrogenated microcrystalline Si (µc-Si:H) surface to afford ordered Ag nanodisk structures. It was confirmed that the resulting Ag nanodisk-incorporated µc-Si:H solar cells show higher performances compared to a cell without the transfer-printed Ag nanodisks, thanks to plasmonic light trapping effect derived from the Ag nanodisks. Because of the simplicity and versatility, further device application would also be feasible thorough this approach. PMID:26575244

  6. Pad B Liquid Hydrogen Storage Tank

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, Felicia

    2007-01-01

    Kennedy Space Center is home to two liquid hydrogen storage tanks, one at each launch pad of Launch Complex 39. The liquid hydrogen storage tank at Launch Pad B has a significantly higher boil off rate that the liquid hydrogen storage tank at Launch Pad A. This research looks at various calculations concerning the at Launch Pad B in an attempt to develop a solution to the excess boil off rate. We will look at Perlite levels inside the tank, Boil off rates, conductive heat transfer, and radiant heat transfer through the tank. As a conclusion to the research, we will model the effects of placing an external insulation to the tank in order to reduce the boil off rate and increase the economic efficiency of the liquid hydrogen storage tanks.

  7. Hydrogen bonding in phytohormone-auxin (IAA) and its derivatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kojić-Prodić, Biserka; Kroon, Jan; Puntarec, Vitomir

    1994-06-01

    The significant importance of hydrogen bonds in biological structures and enzymatic reactions has been demonstrated in many examples. As a part of the molecular recognition study of auxins (plant growth hormones) the influence of hydrogen bonding on molecular conformation, particularly of the carboxyl group, which is one of the biologically active ligand sites, has been studied by X-ray diffraction and computational chemistry methods. The survey includes about 40 crystal structures of free auxins such as indol-3-ylacetic acid and its n-alkylated and halogenated derivatives but also bound auxins such as N-(indol-3-ylacetyl)- L-amino acids, and carbohydrate conjugates. The study includes hydrogen bonds of the NH⋯O and OH⋯O types. The classification of hydrogen bond patterns based on the discrimination between the centrosymmetric and non-centrosymmetric space groups and several examples of hydrogen bond systematics on graph set analysis are also shown.

  8. The numerical approach adopted in toba computer code for mass and heat transfer dynamic analysis of metal hydride hydrogen storage beds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    El Osery, I.A.

    1983-12-01

    Modelling studies of metal hydride hydrogen storage beds is a part of an extensive R and D program conducted in Egypt on hydrogen energy. In this context two computer programs; namely RET and RET1; have been developed. In RET computer program, a cylindrical conduction bed model is considered and an approximate analytical solution is used for solution of the associated mass and heat transfer problem. This problem is solved in RET1 computer program numerically allowing more flexibility in operating conditions but still limited to cylindrical configuration with only two alternatives for heat exchange; either fluid is passing through tubes imbeddedmore » in the solid alloy matrix or solid rods are surrounded by annular fluid tubes. The present computer code TOBA is more flexible and realistic. It performs the mass and heat transfer dynamic analysis of metal hydride storage beds using a variety of geometrical and operating alternatives.« less

  9. 41 CFR 50-204.68 - Hydrogen.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Hydrogen. 50-204.68..., Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists § 50-204.68 Hydrogen. The in-plant transfer, handling, storage, and utilization of hydrogen shall be in accordance with Compressed Gas Association Pamphlets G-5.1-1961 and G-5.2...

  10. 41 CFR 50-204.68 - Hydrogen.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Hydrogen. 50-204.68..., Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists § 50-204.68 Hydrogen. The in-plant transfer, handling, storage, and utilization of hydrogen shall be in accordance with Compressed Gas Association Pamphlets G-5.1-1961 and G-5.2...

  11. 41 CFR 50-204.68 - Hydrogen.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Hydrogen. 50-204.68..., Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists § 50-204.68 Hydrogen. The in-plant transfer, handling, storage, and utilization of hydrogen shall be in accordance with Compressed Gas Association Pamphlets G-5.1-1961 and G-5.2...

  12. 41 CFR 50-204.68 - Hydrogen.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2012-07-01 2009-07-01 true Hydrogen. 50-204.68..., Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists § 50-204.68 Hydrogen. The in-plant transfer, handling, storage, and utilization of hydrogen shall be in accordance with Compressed Gas Association Pamphlets G-5.1-1961 and G-5.2...

  13. 41 CFR 50-204.68 - Hydrogen.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Hydrogen. 50-204.68..., Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists § 50-204.68 Hydrogen. The in-plant transfer, handling, storage, and utilization of hydrogen shall be in accordance with Compressed Gas Association Pamphlets G-5.1-1961 and G-5.2...

  14. Enzymatic Functionalization of Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds1

    PubMed Central

    Lewis, Jared C.; Coelho, Pedro S.

    2010-01-01

    The development of new catalytic methods to functionalize carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds continues to progress at a rapid pace due to the significant economic and environmental benefits of these transformations over traditional synthetic methods. In nature, enzymes catalyze regio- and stereoselective C-H bond functionalization using transformations ranging from hydroxylation to hydroalkylation under ambient reaction conditions. The efficiency of these enzymes relative to analogous chemical processes has led to their increased use as biocatalysts in preparative and industrial applications. Furthermore, unlike small molecule catalysts, enzymes can be systematically optimized via directed evolution for a particular application and can be expressed in vivo to augment the biosynthetic capability of living organisms. While a variety of technical challenges must still be overcome for practical application of many enzymes for C-H bond functionalization, continued research on natural enzymes and on novel artificial metalloenzymes will lead to improved synthetic processes for efficient synthesis of complex molecules. In this critical review, we discuss the most prevalent mechanistic strategies used by enzymes to functionalize non-acidic C-H bonds, the application and evolution of these enzymes for chemical synthesis, and a number of potential biosynthetic capabilities uniquely enabled by these powerful catalysts. PMID:21079862

  15. Hydrogenated MoS2 QD-TiO2 heterojunction mediated efficient solar hydrogen production.

    PubMed

    Saha, Arka; Sinhamahapatra, Apurba; Kang, Tong-Hyun; Ghosh, Subhash C; Yu, Jong-Sung; Panda, Asit B

    2017-11-09

    Herein, we report the development of a hydrogenated MoS 2 QD-TiO 2 (HMT) heterojunction as an efficient photocatalytic system via a one-pot hydrothermal reaction followed by hydrogenation. This synthetic strategy facilitates the formation of MoS 2 QDs with an enhanced band gap and a proper heterojunction between them and TiO 2 , which accelerates charge transfer process. Hydrogenation leads to oxygen vacancies in TiO 2 , enhancing the visible light absorption capacity through narrowing its band gap, and sulfur vacancies in MoS 2 , which enhance the active sites for hydrogen adsorption. Due to the band gap reduction of hydrogenated TiO 2 and the band gap enhancement of the MoS 2 QDs, the energy states are rearranged to create a reverse movement of electrons and holes facilitated the charge transfer process which enhance life-time of photo-generated charges. The photocatalyst showed stable, efficient and exceptionally high noble metal free sunlight-induced hydrogen production with a maximum rate of 3.1 mmol g -1 h -1 . The developed synthetic strategy also provides flexibility towards the shape of the MoS 2 , e.g. QDs/single or few layers, on TiO 2 and offers the opportunity to design novel visible light active photocatalysts for different applications.

  16. Density functional tight-binding and infrequent metadynamics can capture entropic effects in intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oliveira, Luiz F. L.; Fu, Christopher D.; Pfaendtner, Jim

    2018-04-01

    Infrequent metadynamics uses biased simulations to estimate the unbiased kinetics of a system, facilitating the calculation of rates and barriers. Here the method is applied to study intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions involving peroxy radicals, a class of reactions that is challenging to model due to the entropic contributions of the formation of ring structures in the transition state. Using the self-consistent charge density-functional based tight-binding (DFTB) method, we applied infrequent metadynamics to the study of four intramolecular H-transfer reactions, demonstrating that the method can qualitatively reproduce these high entropic contributions, as observed in experiments and those predicted by transition state theory modeled by higher levels of theory. We also show that infrequent metadynamics and DFTB are successful in describing the relationship between transition state ring size and kinetic coefficients (e.g., activation energies and the pre-exponential factors).

  17. Direct Aldehyde C-H Arylation and Alkylation via the Combination of Nickel, Hydrogen Atom Transfer, and Photoredox Catalysis.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaheng; MacMillan, David W C

    2017-08-23

    A mechanism that enables direct aldehyde C-H functionalization has been achieved via the synergistic merger of photoredox, nickel, and hydrogen atom transfer catalysis. This mild, operationally simple protocol transforms a wide variety of commercially available aldehydes, along with aryl or alkyl bromides, into the corresponding ketones in excellent yield. This C-H abstraction coupling technology has been successfully applied to the expedient synthesis of the medicinal agent haloperidol.

  18. Alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment of cashew apple bagasse for ethanol production: study of parameters.

    PubMed

    Correia, Jessyca Aline da Costa; Júnior, José Edvan Marques; Gonçalves, Luciana Rocha B; Rocha, Maria Valderez Ponte

    2013-07-01

    The alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment of cashew apple bagasse (CAB) was evaluated based on the conversion of the resultant cellulose into glucose. The effects of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide at pH 11.5, the biomass loading and the pretreatment duration performed at 35°C and 250 rpm were evaluated after the subsequent enzymatic saccharification of the pretreated biomass using a commercial cellulase enzyme. The CAB used in this study contained 20.56 ± 2.19% cellulose, 10.17 ± 0.89% hemicellulose and 35.26 ± 0.90% lignin. The pretreatment resulted in a reduced lignin content in the residual solids. Increasing the H2O2 concentration (0-4.3% v/v) resulted in a higher rate of enzymatic hydrolysis. Lower biomass loadings gave higher glucose yields. In addition, no measurable furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural were produced in the liquid fraction during the pretreatment. The results show that alkaline hydrogen peroxide is effective for the pretreatment of CAB. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Restructuring the crystalline cellulose hydrogen bond network enhances its depolymerization rate

    Treesearch

    Shishir P.S. Chundawat; Giovanni Bellesia; Nirmal Uppugundla; Leonardo da Costa Sousa; Dahai Gao; Albert M. Cheh; Umesh P. Agarwal; Christopher M. Bianchetti; George N. Phillips; Paul Langan; Venkatesh Balan; S. Gnanakaran; Bruce E. Dale

    2011-01-01

    Conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels is partly inefficient due to the deleterious impact of cellulose crystallinity on enzymatic saccharification. We demonstrate how the synergistic activity of cellulases was enhanced by altering the hydrogen bond network within crystalline cellulose fibrils. We provide a molecular-scale explanation of these phenomena through...

  20. Reactions of the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) with activated phenols: the contribution of π-stacking interactions to hydrogen atom transfer rates.

    PubMed

    D'Alfonso, Claudio; Bietti, Massimo; DiLabio, Gino A; Lanzalunga, Osvaldo; Salamone, Michela

    2013-02-01

    The kinetics of reactions of the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) with a series of activated phenols (2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchroman-6-ol (PMC), 2,6-dimethyl- and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-substituted phenols) were investigated by laser flash photolysis in CH(3)CN and PhCl in order to establish if the reactions with PINO can provide a useful tool for evaluating the radical scavenging ability of phenolic antioxidants. On the basis of the small values of deuterium kinetic isotope effects, the relatively high and negative ρ values in the Hammett correlations and the results of theoretical calculations, we suggest that these reactions proceed by a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanism having a significant degree of charge transfer resulting from a π-stacked conformation between PINO and the aromatic ring of the phenols. Kinetic solvent effects were analyzed in detail for the hydrogen transfer from 2,4,6-trimethylphenol to PINO and the data obtained are in accordance with the Snelgrove-Ingold equation for HAT. Experimental rate constants for the reactions of PINO with activated phenols are in accordance with those predicted by applying the Marcus cross relation.

  1. Role of pendant proton relays and proton-coupled electron transfer on the hydrogen evolution reaction by nickel hangman porphyrins

    DOE PAGES

    Bediako, D. Kwabena; Solis, Brian H.; Dogutan, Dilek K.; ...

    2014-10-08

    Here, the hangman motif provides mechanistic insights into the role of pendant proton relays in governing proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) involved in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We now show improved HER activity of Ni compared with Co hangman porphyrins. Cyclic voltammogram data and simulations, together with computational studies using density functional theory, implicate a shift in electrokinetic zone between Co and Ni hangman porphyrins due to a change in the PCET mechanism. Unlike the Co hangman porphyrin, the Ni hangman porphyrin does not require reduction to the formally metal(0) species before protonation by weak acids in acetonitrile. We concludemore » that protonation likely occurs at the Ni(I) state followed by reduction, in a stepwise proton transfer–electron transfer pathway. Spectroelectrochemical and computational studies reveal that upon reduction of the Ni(II) compound, the first electron is transferred to a metal-based orbital, whereas the second electron is transferred to a molecular orbital on the porphyrin ring.« less

  2. Role of pendant proton relays and proton-coupled electron transfer on the hydrogen evolution reaction by nickel hangman porphyrins

    PubMed Central

    Bediako, D. Kwabena; Solis, Brian H.; Dogutan, Dilek K.; Roubelakis, Manolis M.; Maher, Andrew G.; Lee, Chang Hoon; Chambers, Matthew B.; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon; Nocera, Daniel G.

    2014-01-01

    The hangman motif provides mechanistic insights into the role of pendant proton relays in governing proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) involved in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We now show improved HER activity of Ni compared with Co hangman porphyrins. Cyclic voltammogram data and simulations, together with computational studies using density functional theory, implicate a shift in electrokinetic zone between Co and Ni hangman porphyrins due to a change in the PCET mechanism. Unlike the Co hangman porphyrin, the Ni hangman porphyrin does not require reduction to the formally metal(0) species before protonation by weak acids in acetonitrile. We conclude that protonation likely occurs at the Ni(I) state followed by reduction, in a stepwise proton transfer–electron transfer pathway. Spectroelectrochemical and computational studies reveal that upon reduction of the Ni(II) compound, the first electron is transferred to a metal-based orbital, whereas the second electron is transferred to a molecular orbital on the porphyrin ring. PMID:25298534

  3. Understanding the hydrogen transfer mechanism for the biodegradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene catalyzed by pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase: molecular dynamics simulations.

    PubMed

    Yang, Zhilin; Chen, Junxian; Zhou, Yang; Huang, Hui; Xu, Dingguo; Zhang, Chaoyang

    2018-05-03

    The explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a highly toxic pollutant. Biodegradation is inevitably one of the most cost-effective and enviromentally friendly means of removing TNT pollution. However, the aromatic derivatives from the reduction of nitro groups by several classic enzymes are still toxic. Besides the reduction of nitro groups, pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase (PETNR) offers a potential route to ring fission and complete degradation of TNT through the pathway of the Meisenheimer complex. This work is devoted to deeply understand the essence of the Meisenheimer pathway and mainly focus on the crucial hydrogen-transfer reaction by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We obtain three valuable findings. Firstly, the parallel π-π stacking between TNT and the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor is a precondition. The key residue controlling this conformation is His181. Although His184 does not interact with TNT, the mutation from His184 to Asn184 would abolish the π-π structure. Secondly, the data of the empirical valence bond (EVB) show that the Meisenheimer pathway is predominant because its activation barrier is 6.7 kcal mol-1 far less than that of nitro reduction (26.6 kcal mol-1). Finally, based on the results of thermodynamic integration (TI), the type of transferred hydrogen is also ensured, that is, the H anion (H-) for the Meisenheimer complex and the H radical (H˙) for nitro reduction. Our findings provide an exhaustive understanding for the first hydrogen transfer reaction that has a decisive effect on two competing pathways, and help in searching for and designing new enzymes that can effectively degrade TNT.

  4. Enantio-Relay Catalysis Constructs Chiral Biaryl Alcohols over Cascade Suzuki Cross-Coupling-Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Dacheng; Gao, Xiaoshuang; Cheng, Tanyu; Liu, Guohua

    2014-05-01

    The construction of chiral biaryl alcohols using enantio-relay catalysis is a particularly attractive synthetic method in organic synthesis. However, overcoming the intrinsic incompatibility of distinct organometallic complexes and the reaction conditions used are significant challenges in asymmetric catalysis. To overcome these barriers, we have taken advantage of an enantio-relay catalysis strategy and a combined dual-immobilization approach. We report the use of an imidazolium-based organopalladium-functionalized organic-inorganic hybrid silica and ethylene-coated chiral organoruthenium-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles to catalyze a cascade Suzuki cross-coupling-asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reaction to prepare chiral biaryl alcohols in a two-step, one-pot process. As expected, the site-isolated active species, salient imidazolium phase-transfer character and high ethylene-coated hydrophobicity can synergistically boost the catalytic performance. Furthermore, enantio-relay catalysis has the potential to efficiently prepare a variety of chiral biaryl alcohols. Our synthetic strategy is a general method that shows the potential of developing enantio-relay catalysis towards environmentally benign and sustainable organic synthesis.

  5. Complementary Strategies for Directed C(sp3 )-H Functionalization: A Comparison of Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Activation, Hydrogen Atom Transfer, and Carbene/Nitrene Transfer.

    PubMed

    Chu, John C K; Rovis, Tomislav

    2018-01-02

    The functionalization of C(sp 3 )-H bonds streamlines chemical synthesis by allowing the use of simple molecules and providing novel synthetic disconnections. Intensive recent efforts in the development of new reactions based on C-H functionalization have led to its wider adoption across a range of research areas. This Review discusses the strengths and weaknesses of three main approaches: transition-metal-catalyzed C-H activation, 1,n-hydrogen atom transfer, and transition-metal-catalyzed carbene/nitrene transfer, for the directed functionalization of unactivated C(sp 3 )-H bonds. For each strategy, the scope, the reactivity of different C-H bonds, the position of the reacting C-H bonds relative to the directing group, and stereochemical outcomes are illustrated with examples in the literature. The aim of this Review is to provide guidance for the use of C-H functionalization reactions and inspire future research in this area. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Reversible hydrogen transfer reactions of cysteine thiyl radicals in peptides: the conversion of cysteine into dehydroalanine and alanine, and of alanine into dehydroalanine

    PubMed Central

    Mozziconacci, Olivier; Kerwin, Bruce A.; Schöneich, Christian

    2013-01-01

    The photodissociation of disulfide bonds in model peptides containing Ala and Ala-d3 generates a series of photoproducts following the generation of a CysS• thiyl radical pair. These photoproducts include transformations of Cys to dehydroalanine (Dha) and Ala, as well as Ala to Dha. Intramolecular Michael addition of an intact Cys with a photolytically generated Dha results in the formation of cyclic thioethers. The conversion of Cys into Dha likely involves a 1,3-H-shift from the Cys αC-H bond to the thiyl radical, followed by elimination of HS•. The conversion of Dha into Ala most likely involves hydrated electrons, which are generated through the photolysis of Cys, the photoproduct of disulfide photolysis. Prior to stable product formation, CysS• radicals engage in reversible hydrogen transfer reactions with αC-H and βC-H bonds of the surrounding amino acids. Especially for the βC-H bonds of Ala such hydrogen transfer reactions are unexpected based on thermodynamic grounds; however, the replacement of deuterons in Ala-d3 by hydrogens in H2O provides strong experimental evidence for such reactions. PMID:21895001

  7. Tetraalkylammonium Salts as Hydrogen-Bonding Catalysts.

    PubMed

    Shirakawa, Seiji; Liu, Shiyao; Kaneko, Shiho; Kumatabara, Yusuke; Fukuda, Airi; Omagari, Yumi; Maruoka, Keiji

    2015-12-21

    Although the hydrogen-bonding ability of the α hydrogen atoms on tetraalkylammonium salts is often discussed with respect to phase-transfer catalysts, catalysis that utilizes the hydrogen-bond-donor properties of tetraalkylammonium salts remains unknown. Herein, we demonstrate hydrogen-bonding catalysis with newly designed tetraalkylammonium salt catalysts in Mannich-type reactions. The structure and the hydrogen-bonding ability of the new ammonium salts were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis and NMR titration studies. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Hydrogen embrittlement of structural alloys. A technology survey

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carpenter, J. L., Jr.; Stuhrke, W. F.

    1976-01-01

    Technical abstracts for about 90 significant documents relating to hydrogen embrittlement of structural metals and alloys are reviewed. Particular note was taken of documents regarding hydrogen effects in rocket propulsion, aircraft propulsion and hydrogen energy systems, including storage and transfer systems.

  9. Hydrogen Donor-Acceptor Fluctuations from Kinetic Isotope Effects: A Phenomenological Model

    PubMed Central

    Roston, Daniel; Cheatum, Christopher M.; Kohen, Amnon

    2012-01-01

    Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and their temperature dependence can probe the structural and dynamic nature of enzyme-catalyzed proton or hydride transfers. The molecular interpretation of their temperature dependence requires expensive and specialized QM/MM calculations to provide a quantitative molecular understanding. Currently available phenomenological models use a non-adiabatic assumption that is not appropriate for most hydride and proton-transfer reactions, while others require more parameters than the experimental data justify. Here we propose a phenomenological interpretation of KIEs based on a simple method to quantitatively link the size and temperature dependence of KIEs to a conformational distribution of the catalyzed reaction. The present model assumes adiabatic hydrogen tunneling, and by fitting experimental KIE data, the model yields a population distribution for fluctuations of the distance between donor and acceptor atoms. Fits to data from a variety of proton and hydride transfers catalyzed by enzymes and their mutants, as well as non-enzymatic reactions, reveal that steeply temperature-dependent KIEs indicate the presence of at least two distinct conformational populations, each with different kinetic behaviors. We present the results of these calculations for several published cases and discuss how the predictions of the calculations might be experimentally tested. The current analysis does not replace molecular quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) investigations, but it provides a fast and accessible way to quantitatively interpret KIEs in the context of a Marcus-like model. PMID:22857146

  10. Photofermentative hydrogen production from wastes.

    PubMed

    Keskin, Tugba; Abo-Hashesh, Mona; Hallenbeck, Patrick C

    2011-09-01

    In many respects, hydrogen is an ideal biofuel. However, practical, sustainable means of its production are presently lacking. Here we review recent efforts to apply the capacity of photosynthetic bacteria to capture solar energy and use it to drive the nearly complete conversion of substrates to hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This process, called photofermentation, has the potential capacity to use a variety of feedstocks, including the effluents of dark fermentations, leading to the development of various configurations of two-stage systems, or various industrial and agricultural waste streams rich in sugars or organic acids. The metabolic and enzymatic properties of this system are presented and the possible waste streams that might be successfully used are discussed. Recently, various immobilized systems have been developed and their advantages and disadvantages are examined. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Direct enzymatic bioelectrocatalysis: differentiating between myth and reality

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Enzymatic bioelectrocatalysis is being increasingly exploited to better understand oxidoreductase enzymes, to develop minimalistic yet specific biosensor platforms, and to develop alternative energy conversion devices and bioelectrosynthetic devices for the production of energy and/or important chemical commodities. In some cases, these enzymes are able to electronically communicate with an appropriately designed electrode surface without the requirement of an electron mediator to shuttle electrons between the enzyme and electrode. This phenomenon has been termed direct electron transfer or direct bioelectrocatalysis. While many thorough studies have extensively investigated this fascinating feat, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate desirable enzymatic bioelectrocatalysis from electrocatalysis deriving from inactivated enzyme that may have also released its catalytic cofactor. This article will review direct bioelectrocatalysis of several oxidoreductases, with an emphasis on experiments that provide support for direct bioelectrocatalysis versus denatured enzyme or dissociated cofactor. Finally, this review will conclude with a series of proposed control experiments that could be adopted to discern successful direct electronic communication of an enzyme from its denatured counterpart. PMID:28637918

  12. Determination of Backbone Amide Hydrogen Exchange Rates of Cytochrome c Using Partially Scrambled Electron Transfer Dissociation Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamuro, Yoshitomo; E, Sook Yen

    2018-05-01

    The technological goal of hydrogen/deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is to determine backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates. The most critical challenge to achieve this goal is obtaining the deuterium incorporation in single-amide resolution, and gas-phase fragmentation may provide a universal solution. The gas-phase fragmentation may generate the daughter ions which differ by a single amino acid and the difference in deuterium incorporations in the two analogous ions can yield the deuterium incorporation at the sub-localized site. Following the pioneering works by Jørgensen and Rand, several papers utilized the electron transfer dissociation (ETD) to determine the location of deuterium in single-amide resolution. This paper demonstrates further advancement of the strategy by determining backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates, instead of just determining deuterium incorporation at a single time point, in combination with a wide time window monitoring. A method to evaluate the effects of scrambling and to determine the exchange rates from partially scrambled HDX-ETD-MS data is described. All parent ions for ETD fragmentation were regio-selectively scrambled: The deuterium in some regions of a peptide ion was scrambled while that in the other regions was not scrambled. The method determined 31 backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates of cytochrome c in the non-scrambled regions. Good fragmentation of a parent ion, a low degree of scrambling, and a low number of exchangeable hydrogens in the preceding side chain are the important factors to determine the exchange rate. The exchange rates determined by the HDX-MS are in good agreement with those determined by NMR. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  13. Determination of Backbone Amide Hydrogen Exchange Rates of Cytochrome c Using Partially Scrambled Electron Transfer Dissociation Data.

    PubMed

    Hamuro, Yoshitomo; E, Sook Yen

    2018-05-01

    The technological goal of hydrogen/deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is to determine backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates. The most critical challenge to achieve this goal is obtaining the deuterium incorporation in single-amide resolution, and gas-phase fragmentation may provide a universal solution. The gas-phase fragmentation may generate the daughter ions which differ by a single amino acid and the difference in deuterium incorporations in the two analogous ions can yield the deuterium incorporation at the sub-localized site. Following the pioneering works by Jørgensen and Rand, several papers utilized the electron transfer dissociation (ETD) to determine the location of deuterium in single-amide resolution. This paper demonstrates further advancement of the strategy by determining backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates, instead of just determining deuterium incorporation at a single time point, in combination with a wide time window monitoring. A method to evaluate the effects of scrambling and to determine the exchange rates from partially scrambled HDX-ETD-MS data is described. All parent ions for ETD fragmentation were regio-selectively scrambled: The deuterium in some regions of a peptide ion was scrambled while that in the other regions was not scrambled. The method determined 31 backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates of cytochrome c in the non-scrambled regions. Good fragmentation of a parent ion, a low degree of scrambling, and a low number of exchangeable hydrogens in the preceding side chain are the important factors to determine the exchange rate. The exchange rates determined by the HDX-MS are in good agreement with those determined by NMR. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  14. Determination of Backbone Amide Hydrogen Exchange Rates of Cytochrome c Using Partially Scrambled Electron Transfer Dissociation Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamuro, Yoshitomo; E, Sook Yen

    2018-03-01

    The technological goal of hydrogen/deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is to determine backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates. The most critical challenge to achieve this goal is obtaining the deuterium incorporation in single-amide resolution, and gas-phase fragmentation may provide a universal solution. The gas-phase fragmentation may generate the daughter ions which differ by a single amino acid and the difference in deuterium incorporations in the two analogous ions can yield the deuterium incorporation at the sub-localized site. Following the pioneering works by Jørgensen and Rand, several papers utilized the electron transfer dissociation (ETD) to determine the location of deuterium in single-amide resolution. This paper demonstrates further advancement of the strategy by determining backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates, instead of just determining deuterium incorporation at a single time point, in combination with a wide time window monitoring. A method to evaluate the effects of scrambling and to determine the exchange rates from partially scrambled HDX-ETD-MS data is described. All parent ions for ETD fragmentation were regio-selectively scrambled: The deuterium in some regions of a peptide ion was scrambled while that in the other regions was not scrambled. The method determined 31 backbone amide hydrogen exchange rates of cytochrome c in the non-scrambled regions. Good fragmentation of a parent ion, a low degree of scrambling, and a low number of exchangeable hydrogens in the preceding side chain are the important factors to determine the exchange rate. The exchange rates determined by the HDX-MS are in good agreement with those determined by NMR. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  15. Utilizing a CdTe quantum dots-enzyme hybrid system for the determination of both phenolic compounds and hydrogen peroxide.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Jipei; Guo, Weiwei; Wang, Erkang

    2008-02-15

    In this paper, we attempt to construct a simple and sensitive detection method for both phenolic compounds and hydrogen peroxide, with the successful combination of the unique property of quantum dots and the specificity of enzymatic reactions. In the presence of H2O2 and horseradish peroxidase, phenolic compounds can quench quantum dots' photoluminescence efficiently, and the extent of quenching is severalfold to more than 100-fold increase. Quinone intermediates produced from the enzymatic catalyzed oxidation of phenolic compounds were believed to play the main role in the photoluminescence quenching. Using a quantum dots-enzyme system, the detection limits for phenolic compounds and hydrogen peroxide were detected to be approximately 10(-7) mol L(-1). The coupling of efficient quenching of quantum dot photoluminescence by quinone and the effective enzymatic reactions make this a simple and sensitive method for phenolic compound detection and great potential in the development of H2O2 biosensors for various analytes.

  16. Inhibition of enzymatic browning of chlorogenic acid by sulfur-containing compounds.

    PubMed

    Kuijpers, Tomas F M; Narváez-Cuenca, Carlos-Eduardo; Vincken, Jean-Paul; Verloop, Annewieke J W; van Berkel, Willem J H; Gruppen, Harry

    2012-04-04

    The antibrowning activity of sodium hydrogen sulfite (NaHSO(3)) was compared to that of other sulfur-containing compounds. Inhibition of enzymatic browning was investigated using a model browning system consisting of mushroom tyrosinase and chlorogenic acid (5-CQA). Development of brown color (spectral analysis), oxygen consumption, and reaction product formation (RP-UHPLC-PDA-MS) were monitored in time. It was found that the compounds showing antibrowning activity either prevented browning by forming colorless addition products with o-quinones of 5-CQA (NaHSO(3), cysteine, and glutathione) or inhibiting the enzymatic activity of tyrosinase (NaHSO(3) and dithiothreitol). NaHSO(3) was different from the other sulfur-containing compounds investigated, because it showed a dual inhibitory effect on browning. Initial browning was prevented by trapping the o-quinones formed in colorless addition products (sulfochlorogenic acid), while at the same time, tyrosinase activity was inhibited in a time-dependent way, as shown by pre-incubation experiments of tyrosinase with NaHSO(3). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that sulfochlorogenic and cysteinylchlorogenic acids were not inhibitors of mushroom tyrosinase.

  17. High Precision Time Transfer in Space with a Hydrogen Maser on MIR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mattison, Edward M.; Vessot, Robert F. C.

    1996-01-01

    An atomic hydrogen maser clock system designed for long term operation in space will be installed on the Russian space station Mir, in late 1997. The H-maser's frequency stability will be measured using pulsed laser time transfer techniques. Daily time comparisons made with a precision of better than 100 picoseconds will allow an assessment of the long term stability of the space maser at a level on the order of 1 part in 10(sup 15) or better. Laser pulse arrival times at the spacecraft will be recorded with a resolution of 10 picoseconds relative to the space clock's time scale. Cube corner reflectors will reflect the pulses back to the Earth laser station to determine the propagation delay and enable comparison with the Earth-based time scale. Data for relativistic and gravitational frequency corrections will be obtained from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

  18. Ground and Excited-Electronic-State Dissociations of Hydrogen-Rich and Hydrogen-Deficient Tyrosine Peptide Cation Radicals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viglino, Emilie; Lai, Cheuk Kuen; Mu, Xiaoyan; Chu, Ivan K.; Tureček, František

    2016-09-01

    We report a comprehensive study of collision-induced dissociation (CID) and near-UV photodissociation (UVPD) of a series of tyrosine-containing peptide cation radicals of the hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-deficient types. Stable, long-lived, hydrogen-rich peptide cation radicals, such as [AAAYR + 2H]+● and several of its sequence and homology variants, were generated by electron transfer dissociation (ETD) of peptide-crown-ether complexes, and their CID-MS3 dissociations were found to be dramatically different from those upon ETD of the respective peptide dications. All of the hydrogen-rich peptide cation radicals contained major (77%-94%) fractions of species having radical chromophores created by ETD that underwent photodissociation at 355 nm. Analysis of the CID and UVPD spectra pointed to arginine guanidinium radicals as the major components of the hydrogen-rich peptide cation radical population. Hydrogen-deficient peptide cation radicals were generated by intramolecular electron transfer in CuII(2,2 ':6 ',2 ″-terpyridine) complexes and shown to contain chromophores absorbing at 355 nm and undergoing photodissociation. The CID and UVPD spectra showed major differences in fragmentation for [AAAYR]+● that diminished as the Tyr residue was moved along the peptide chain. UVPD was found to be superior to CID in localizing Cα-radical positions in peptide cation radical intermediates.

  19. In-situ diagnostic tools for hydrogen transfer leak characterization in PEM fuel cell stacks part II: Operational applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niroumand, Amir M.; Homayouni, Hooman; DeVaal, Jake; Golnaraghi, Farid; Kjeang, Erik

    2016-08-01

    This paper describes a diagnostic tool for in-situ characterization of the rate and distribution of hydrogen transfer leaks in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks. The method is based on reducing the air flow rate from a high to low value at a fixed current, while maintaining an anode overpressure. At high air flow rates, the reduction in air flow results in lower oxygen concentration in the cathode and therefore reduction in cell voltages. Once the air flow rate in each cell reaches a low value at which the cell oxygen-starves, the voltage of the corresponding cell drops to zero. However, oxygen starvation results from two processes: 1) the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction which produces current; and 2) the chemical reaction between oxygen and the crossed over hydrogen. In this work, a diagnostic technique has been developed that accounts for the effect of the electrochemical reaction on cell voltage to identify the hydrogen leak rate and number of leaky cells in a fuel cell stack. This technique is suitable for leak characterization during fuel cell operation, as it only requires stack air flow and voltage measurements, which are readily available in an operational fuel cell system.

  20. Hydrogen from catalytic reforming of biomass-derived hydrocarbons in liquid water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cortright, R. D.; Davda, R. R.; Dumesic, J. A.

    2002-08-01

    Concerns about the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the pollution caused by continuously increasing energy demands make hydrogen an attractive alternative energy source. Hydrogen is currently derived from nonrenewable natural gas and petroleum, but could in principle be generated from renewable resources such as biomass or water. However, efficient hydrogen production from water remains difficult and technologies for generating hydrogen from biomass, such as enzymatic decomposition of sugars, steam-reforming of bio-oils and gasification, suffer from low hydrogen production rates and/or complex processing requirements. Here we demonstrate that hydrogen can be produced from sugars and alcohols at temperatures near 500K in a single-reactor aqueous-phase reforming process using a platinum-based catalyst. We are able to convert glucose-which makes up the major energy reserves in plants and animals-to hydrogen and gaseous alkanes, with hydrogen constituting 50% of the products. We find that the selectivity for hydrogen production increases when we use molecules that are more reduced than sugars, with ethylene glycol and methanol being almost completely converted into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. These findings suggest that catalytic aqueous-phase reforming might prove useful for the generation of hydrogen-rich fuel gas from carbohydrates extracted from renewable biomass and biomass waste streams.

  1. Hydrogen from catalytic reforming of biomass-derived hydrocarbons in liquid water.

    PubMed

    Cortright, R D; Davda, R R; Dumesic, J A

    2002-08-29

    Concerns about the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the pollution caused by continuously increasing energy demands make hydrogen an attractive alternative energy source. Hydrogen is currently derived from nonrenewable natural gas and petroleum, but could in principle be generated from renewable resources such as biomass or water. However, efficient hydrogen production from water remains difficult and technologies for generating hydrogen from biomass, such as enzymatic decomposition of sugars, steam-reforming of bio-oils and gasification, suffer from low hydrogen production rates and/or complex processing requirements. Here we demonstrate that hydrogen can be produced from sugars and alcohols at temperatures near 500 K in a single-reactor aqueous-phase reforming process using a platinum-based catalyst. We are able to convert glucose -- which makes up the major energy reserves in plants and animals -- to hydrogen and gaseous alkanes, with hydrogen constituting 50% of the products. We find that the selectivity for hydrogen production increases when we use molecules that are more reduced than sugars, with ethylene glycol and methanol being almost completely converted into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. These findings suggest that catalytic aqueous-phase reforming might prove useful for the generation of hydrogen-rich fuel gas from carbohydrates extracted from renewable biomass and biomass waste streams.

  2. Intermolecular hydrogen bond complexes by in situ charge transfer complexation of o-tolidine with picric and chloranilic acids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Refat, Moamen S.; Saad, Hosam A.; Adam, Abdel Majid A.

    2011-08-01

    A two new charge transfer complexes formed from the interactions between o-tolidine (o-TOL) and picric (PA) or chloranilic (CA) acids, with the compositions, [(o-TOL)(PA) 2] and [(o-TOL)(CA) 2] have been prepared. The 13C NMR, 1H NMR, 1H-Cosy, and IR show that the charge-transfer chelation occurs via the formation of chain structures O-H⋯N intermolecular hydrogen bond between 2NH 2 groups of o-TOL molecule and OH group in each PA or CA units. Photometric titration measurements concerning the two reactions in methanol were performed and the measurements show that the donor-acceptor molar ratio was found to be 1:2 using the modified Benesi-Hildebrand equation. The spectroscopic data were discussed in terms of formation constant, molar extinction coefficient, oscillator strength, dipole moment, standard free energy, and ionization potential. Thermal behavior of both charge transfer complexes showed that the complexes were more stable than their parents. The thermodynamic parameters were estimated from the differential thermogravimetric curves. The results indicated that the formation of molecular charge transfer complexes is spontaneous and endothermic.

  3. Intermolecular hydrogen bond complexes by in situ charge transfer complexation of o-tolidine with picric and chloranilic acids.

    PubMed

    Refat, Moamen S; Saad, Hosam A; Adam, Abdel Majid A

    2011-08-01

    A two new charge transfer complexes formed from the interactions between o-tolidine (o-TOL) and picric (PA) or chloranilic (CA) acids, with the compositions, [(o-TOL)(PA)(2)] and [(o-TOL)(CA)(2)] have been prepared. The (13)C NMR, (1)H NMR, (1)H-Cosy, and IR show that the charge-transfer chelation occurs via the formation of chain structures O-H⋯N intermolecular hydrogen bond between 2NH(2) groups of o-TOL molecule and OH group in each PA or CA units. Photometric titration measurements concerning the two reactions in methanol were performed and the measurements show that the donor-acceptor molar ratio was found to be 1:2 using the modified Benesi-Hildebrand equation. The spectroscopic data were discussed in terms of formation constant, molar extinction coefficient, oscillator strength, dipole moment, standard free energy, and ionization potential. Thermal behavior of both charge transfer complexes showed that the complexes were more stable than their parents. The thermodynamic parameters were estimated from the differential thermogravimetric curves. The results indicated that the formation of molecular charge transfer complexes is spontaneous and endothermic. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Numerical Radiative Transfer and the Hydrogen Reionization of the Universe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petkova, M.

    2011-03-01

    ) simulation code GADGET. It is based on a fast, robust and photon-conserving integration scheme where the radiation transport problem is approximated in terms of moments of the transfer equation and by using a variable Eddington tensor as a closure relation, following the "OTVET"-suggestion of Gnedin & Abel. We derive a suitable anisotropic diffusion operator for use in the SPH discretization of the local photon transport, and we combine this with an implicit solver that guarantees robustness and photon conservation. This entails a matrix inversion problem of a huge, sparsely populated matrix that is distributed in memory in our parallel code. We solve this task iteratively with a conjugate gradient scheme. Finally, to model photon sink processes we consider ionization and recombination processes of hydrogen, which is represented with a chemical network that is evolved with an implicit time integration scheme. We present several tests of our implementation, including single and multiple sources in static uniform density fields with and without temperature evolution, shadowing by a dense clump, and multiple sources in a static cosmological density field. All tests agree quite well with analytical computations or with predictions from other radiative transfer codes, except for shadowing. However, unlike most other radiative transfer codes presently in use for studying reionization, our new method can be used on-the-fly during dynamical cosmological simulations, allowing simultaneous treatments of galaxy formation and the reionization process of the Universe. We carry out hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation that simultaneously follow radiative transfer of hydrogen-ionizing photons, based on the optically-thin variable Eddington tensor approximation as implemented in the GADGET code. We consider only star-forming galaxies as sources and examine to what extent they can yield a reasonable reionization history and thermal state of the intergalactic medium at redshifts

  5. Polymerization of Acetonitrile via a Hydrogen Transfer Reaction from CH3 to CN under Extreme Conditions.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Haiyan; Li, Kuo; Cody, George D; Tulk, Christopher A; Dong, Xiao; Gao, Guoying; Molaison, Jamie J; Liu, Zhenxian; Feygenson, Mikhail; Yang, Wenge; Ivanov, Ilia N; Basile, Leonardo; Idrobo, Juan-Carlos; Guthrie, Malcolm; Mao, Ho-Kwang

    2016-09-19

    Acetonitrile (CH3 CN) is the simplest and one of the most stable nitriles. Reactions usually occur on the C≡N triple bond, while the C-H bond is very inert and can only be activated by a very strong base or a metal catalyst. It is demonstrated that C-H bonds can be activated by the cyano group under high pressure, but at room temperature. The hydrogen atom transfers from the CH3 to CN along the CH⋅⋅⋅N hydrogen bond, which produces an amino group and initiates polymerization to form a dimer, 1D chain, and 2D nanoribbon with mixed sp(2) and sp(3) bonded carbon. Finally, it transforms into a graphitic polymer by eliminating ammonia. This study shows that applying pressure can induce a distinctive reaction which is guided by the structure of the molecular crystal. It highlights the fact that very inert C-H can be activated by high pressure, even at room temperature and without a catalyst. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Polymerization of Acetonitrile via a Hydrogen Transfer Reaction from CH 3 to CN under Extreme Conditions

    DOE PAGES

    Zheng, Haiyan; Li, Kuo; Cody, George D.; ...

    2016-08-25

    Acetonitrile (CH 3CN) is the simplest and one of the most stable nitriles. Reactions usually occur on the C≡N triple bond, while the C-H bond is very inert and can only be activated by a very strong base or a metal catalyst. In this study, it is demonstrated that C-H bonds can be activated by the cyano group under high pressure, but at room temperature. The hydrogen atom transfers from the CH 3 to CN along the CH···N hydrogen bond, which produces an amino group and initiates polymerization to form a dimer, 1D chain, and 2D nanoribbon with mixed spmore » 2 and sp 3 bonded carbon. Lastly, it transforms into a graphitic polymer by eliminating ammonia. This study shows that applying pressure can induce a distinctive reaction which is guided by the structure of the molecular crystal. It highlights the fact that very inert C-H can be activated by high pressure, even at room temperature and without a catalyst.« less

  7. 8-Hydroxy-5-deazaflavin-reducing hydrogenase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum: 2. Kinetic and hydrogen-transfer studies.

    PubMed

    Livingston, D J; Fox, J A; Orme-Johnson, W H; Walsh, C T

    1987-07-14

    Steady-state kinetic parameters have been obtained for the pure 8-hydroxy-5-deazaflavin-reducing hydrogenase. With H2 and 8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin (F0) as substrates, Km (H2) = 12 microM, Km (F0) = 26 microM, and Kcat = 225 s-1. In the back-direction, F0H2 is reoxidized (anaerobically) at 225 s-1. Initial velocity patterns, product inhibition patterns, dead-end inhibition by carbon monoxide, and transhydrogenation to Procion Red HE-3B suggest a two-site hybrid ping-pong mechanism. A kinetic derivation for the rate equation is provided in the Appendix. Studies with D2 and with D2O reveal that no steps involving D transfer are substantially rate determining. Further, D2 yields F0H2 with no deuterium at C5 while in D2O a 5-monodeuterio F0H2 product is formed, indicating complete exchange of hydrogens from H2 with solvent before final transfer of a hydride ion out from reduced enzyme to C5 of F0.

  8. Apparatus and methods for storing and releasing hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Heung, Leung K.

    2001-01-01

    A rechargeable device that stores and discharges hydrogen is described. The device stores hydrogen in a solid form and supplies hydrogen as a gas when needed. The solid storage medium may be metal hydride in a ground particle form that avoids the need for compaction or other treatment. Dividers partition a container into separate chambers, each provided with a matrix, formed from an appropriate material like a thermally-conductive aluminum foam, which forms a number of cells. For proper chamber size, the ratio of chamber length to container diameter should be between about 0.5 and 2. Metal hydride particles (or other hydrogen storage medium) may be placed within the cells, which help prevent excessive particle settling. The container is provided with a hydrogen transfer port through which hydrogen gas passes upon either discharging from or charging of the metal hydride particles. A filter may be placed within the port to allow hydrogen to flow but prevent particles from escaping. A heat transferring surface is formed by, for instance, a channel that is thermally coupled with the aluminum foam. Fluid flows through the channel to deliver or remove heat during the respective hydrogen discharging or charging processes.

  9. Apparatus and methods for storing and releasing hydrogen

    DOEpatents

    Heung, Leung K.

    2000-01-01

    A rechargeable device that stores and discharges hydrogen is described. The device stores hydrogen in a solid form and supplies hydrogen as a gas when needed. The solid storage medium may be metal hydride in a ground particle form that avoids the need for compaction or other treatment. Dividers partition a container into separate chambers, each provided with a matrix, formed from an appropriate material like a thermally-conductive aluminum foam, which forms a number of cells. For proper chamber size, the ratio of chamber length to container diameter should be between about 0.5 and 2. Metal hydride particles (or other hydrogen storage medium) may be placed within the cells, which help prevent excessive particle settling. The container is provided with a hydrogen transfer port through which hydrogen gas passes upon either discharging from or charging of the metal hydride particles. A filter may be placed within the port to allow hydrogen to flow but prevent particles from escaping. A heat transferring surface is formed by, for instance, a channel that is thermally coupled with the aluminum foam. Fluid flows through the channel to deliver or remove heat during the respective hydrogen discharging or charging processes.

  10. γ-Sultam-cored N,N-ligands in the ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aryl ketones.

    PubMed

    Rast, Slavko; Modec, Barbara; Stephan, Michel; Mohar, Barbara

    2016-02-14

    The synthesis of new enantiopure syn- and anti-3-(α-aminobenzyl)-benzo-γ-sultam ligands 6 and their application in the ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of ketones using formic acid/triethylamine is described. In particular, benzo-fused cyclic ketones afforded excellent enantioselectivities in reasonable time employing a low loading of the syn ligand-containing catalyst. A never-before-seen dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) during reduction of a γ-keto carboxylic ester (S7) derivative of 1-indanone is realized leading as well to excellent induction.

  11. HYDROGENATION OF 4-OXOISOPHORONE IN SUPERCRITICAL CO2 MEDIUM OVER ALUMINA SUPPORTED PALLADIUM CATALYST

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ketoisophorone or 4-oxoisophorone (2,6,6-trimethyl-cyclohex-2-ene-1,4-dione) is a cyclic enedione of tremendous industrial importance due to its use as a key intermediate in the synthesis of various carotenoids and flavoring agents. The catalytic hydrogenation and enzymatic reduc...

  12. Trends in Ground-State Entropies for Transition Metal Based Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Mader, Elizabeth A.; Manner, Virginia W.; Markle, Todd F.; Wu, Adam; Franz, James A.; Mayer, James M.

    2009-01-01

    Reported herein are thermochemical studies of hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions involving transition metal H-atom donors MIILH and oxyl radicals. [FeII(H2bip)3]2+, [FeII(H2bim)3]2+, [CoII(H2bim)3]2+ and RuII(acac)2(py-imH) [H2bip = 2,2’-bi-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine, H2bim = 2,2’-bi-imidazoline, acac = 2,4-pentandionato, py-imH = 2-(2’-pyridyl)-imidazole)] each react with TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinoxyl) or tBu3PhO• (2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenoxyl) to give the deprotonated, oxidized metal complex MIIIL, and TEMPOH or tBu3PhOH. Solution equilibrium measurements for the reaction of [CoII(H2bim)3]2+ with TEMPO show a large, negative ground-state entropy for hydrogen atom transfer, −41 ± 2 cal mol−1 K−1. This is even more negative than the ΔSoHAT = −30 ± 2 cal mol−1 K−1 for the two iron complexes and the ΔSoHAT for RuII(acac)2(py-imH) + TEMPO, 4.9 ± 1.1 cal mol−1 K−1, as reported earlier. Calorimetric measurements quantitatively confirm the enthalpy of reaction for [FeII(H2bip)3]2+ + TEMPO, thus also confirming ΔSoHAT. Calorimetry on TEMPOH + tBu3PhO• gives ΔHoHAT = −11.2 ± 0.5 kcal mol−1 which matches the enthalpy predicted from the difference in literature solution BDEs. A brief evaluation of the literature thermochemistry of TEMPOH and tBu3PhOH supports the common assumption that ΔSoHAT ≈ 0 for HAT reactions of organic and small gas-phase molecules. However, this assumption does not hold for transition metal based HAT reactions. The trend in magnitude of |ΔSoHAT| for reactions with TEMPO, RuII(acac)2(py-imH) << [FeII(H2bip)3]2+ = [FeII(H2bim)3]2+ < [CoII(H2bim)3]2+, is surprisingly well predicted by the trends for electron transfer half-reaction entropies, ΔSoET, in aprotic solvents. This is because both ΔSoET and ΔSoHAT have substantial contributions from vibrational entropy, which varies significantly with the metal center involved. The close connection between ΔSoHAT and ΔSoET provides an important

  13. Half-sandwich rhodium(III) transfer hydrogenation catalysts: Reduction of NAD(+) and pyruvate, and antiproliferative activity.

    PubMed

    Soldevila-Barreda, Joan J; Habtemariam, Abraha; Romero-Canelón, Isolda; Sadler, Peter J

    2015-12-01

    Organometallic complexes have the potential to behave as catalytic drugs. We investigate here Rh(III) complexes of general formula [(Cp(x))Rh(N,N')(Cl)], where N,N' is ethylenediamine (en), 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) or N-(2-aminoethyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenesulfonamide (TfEn), and Cp(x) is pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*), 1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp(xPh)) or 1-biphenyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethyl cyclopentadienyl (Cp(xPhPh)). These complexes can reduce NAD(+) to NADH using formate as a hydride source under biologically-relevant conditions. The catalytic activity decreased in the order of N,N-chelated ligand bpy > phen > en with Cp* as the η(5)-donor. The en complexes (1-3) became more active with extension to the Cp(X) ring, whereas the activity of the phen (7-9) and bpy (4-6) compounds decreased. [Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl](+) (4) showed the highest catalytic activity, with a TOF of 37.4±2h(-1). Fast hydrolysis of the chlorido complexes 1-10 was observed by (1)H NMR (<10min at 310K). The pKa* values for the aqua adducts were determined to be ca. 8-10. Complexes 1-9 also catalysed the reduction of pyruvate to lactate using formate as the hydride donor. The efficiency of the transfer hydrogenation reactions was highly dependent on the nature of the chelating ligand and the Cp(x) ring. Competition reactions between NAD(+) and pyruvate for reduction by formate catalysed by 4 showed a preference for reduction of NAD(+). The antiproliferative activity of complex 3 towards A2780 human ovarian cancer cells increased by up to 50% when administered in combination with non-toxic doses of formate, suggesting that transfer hydrogenation can induce reductive stress in cancer cells. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Activities of Enzymatic Extracts from Rhizoid of Laminaria japonica

    PubMed Central

    Je, Jae-Young; Park, Soo Yeon; Ahn, Chang-Bum

    2017-01-01

    Rhizoid of Laminaria japonica was hydrolyzed with proteases and carbohydrases to obtain antioxidant materials. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of the enzymatic extracts was evaluated and the Protamex extract (PE) exhibited the highest ORAC value. PE also potently scavenged 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic) acid cation radical, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and had good reducing power. PE inhibited hydroxyl radical-induced DNA scission by measuring the conversion of supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA to the open circular form. The cytoprotective effect of PE against H2O2-induced hepatic cell damage was also investigated. PE showed a dose-dependent cytoprotective effect in cultured hepatocytes by inhibiting intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenging activity. In addition, PE up-regulated the expression of heme oxygenase-1, which is a cytoprotective enzyme, by activating translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2. Taken together, the enzymatic extract of rhizoid of L. japonica, particularly PE, may be useful for antioxidant additives. PMID:29333384

  15. Generating para-water from para-hydrogen: A Gedankenexperiment.

    PubMed

    Ivanov, Konstantin L; Bodenhausen, Geoffrey

    2018-07-01

    A novel conceptual approach is described that is based on the transfer of hyperpolarization from para-hydrogen in view of generating a population imbalance between the two spin isomers of H 2 O. The approach is analogous to SABRE (Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange) and makes use of the transfer of spin order from para-hydrogen to H 2 O in a hypothetical organometallic complex. The spin order transfer is expected to be most efficient at avoided level crossings. The highest achievable enrichment levels of para- and ortho-water are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Hydrogen bond and halogen bond inside the carbon nanotube

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Weizhou; Wang, Donglai; Zhang, Yu; Ji, Baoming; Tian, Anmin

    2011-02-01

    The hydrogen bond and halogen bond inside the open-ended single-walled carbon nanotubes have been investigated theoretically employing the newly developed density functional M06 with the suitable basis set and the natural bond orbital analysis. Comparing with the hydrogen or halogen bond in the gas phase, we find that the strength of the hydrogen or halogen bond inside the carbon nanotube will become weaker if there is a larger intramolecular electron-density transfer from the electron-rich region of the hydrogen or halogen atom donor to the antibonding orbital of the X-H or X-Hal bond involved in the formation of the hydrogen or halogen bond and will become stronger if there is a larger intermolecular electron-density transfer from the electron-rich region of the hydrogen or halogen atom acceptor to the antibonding orbital of the X-H or X-Hal bond. According to the analysis of the molecular electrostatic potential of the carbon nanotube, the driving force for the electron-density transfer is found to be the negative electric field formed in the carbon nanotube inner phase. Our results also show that the X-H bond involved in the formation of the hydrogen bond and the X-Hal bond involved in the formation of the halogen bond are all elongated when encapsulating the hydrogen bond and halogen bond within the carbon nanotube, so the carbon nanotube confinement may change the blue-shifting hydrogen bond and the blue-shifting halogen bond into the red-shifting hydrogen bond and the red-shifting halogen bond. The possibility to replace the all electron nanotube-confined calculation by the simple polarizable continuum model is also evaluated.

  17. Single step synthesis of gold-amino acid composite, with the evidence of the catalytic hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction, for the electrochemical recognition of Serotonin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choudhary, Meenakshi; Siwal, Samarjeet; Nandi, Debkumar; Mallick, Kaushik

    2016-03-01

    A composite architecture of amino acid and gold nanoparticles has been synthesized using a generic route of 'in-situ polymerization and composite formation (IPCF)' [1,2]. The formation mechanism of the composite has been supported by a model hydrogen atom (H•≡H++e-) transfer (HAT) type of reaction which belongs to the proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. The 'gold-amino acid composite' was used as a catalyst for the electrochemical recognition of Serotonin.

  18. Project H - A Complete Spaceport Hydrogen Solution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Notardonato, William

    2011-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews Project H, and its importance in the development of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as a Spaceport capable of multiple launches. It is known that current KSC cryogenic technology results in only approximately 55 % of purchased hydrogen being used. The rest is lost at various points in the process: transfer from transporting vehicle to tank, storage tank boil off, and from the tank to the intended propulsion tanks. Project H's goals would be to have local hydrogen production and liquifaction capability, and to increase the efficiency of hydrogen operations to greater than 80 %. The project envisions two phases: Phase 1 will build a smaller scale demonstration system, and phase 2 will build a full scale spaceport system. This initial project has proposed ideas for local hydrogen production, gaseous distribution, integrated refrigeration and storage, and high efficiency transfer lines that merit further investigation.

  19. Nitroxyl Radical plus Hydroxylamine Pseudo Self-Exchange Reactions: Tunneling in Hydrogen Atom Transfer

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Adam; Mader, Elizabeth A.; Datta, Ayan; Hrovat, David A.; Borden, Weston Thatcher; Mayer, James M.

    2009-01-01

    Bimolecular rate constants have been measured for reactions that involve hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from hydroxylamines to nitroxyl radicals, using the stable radicals TEMPO• (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical), 4-oxo-TEMPO• (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxo-piperidine-1-oxyl radical), di-tert-butylnitroxyl (tBu2NO•), and the hydroxylamines TEMPO-H, 4-oxo-TEMPO-H, 4-MeO-TEMPO-H (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-N-hydroxy-4-methoxy-piperidine), and tBu2NOH. The reactions have been monitored by UV-vis stopped-flow methods, using the different optical spectra of nitroxyl radicals. The HAT reactions all have |ΔGo| ≤ 1.4 kcal mol−1 and therefore are close to self-exchange reactions. The reaction of 4-oxo-TEMPO• + TEMPO-H → 4-oxo-TEMPO-H + TEMPO• occurs with k2H,MeCN = 10 ± 1 M−1 s−1 in MeCN at 298 K (K2H,MeCN = 4.5 ± 1.8). Surprisingly, the rate constant for the analogous deuterium atom transfer reaction is much slower: k2D,MeCN = 0.44 ± 0.05 M−1 s−1 with k2H,MeCN/k2D,MeCN = 23 ± 3 at 298 K. The same large kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is found in CH2Cl2, 23 ± 4, suggesting that the large KIE is not caused by solvent dynamics or hydrogen bonding to solvent. The related reaction of 4-oxo-TEMPO• with 4-MeO-TEMPO-H(D) also has a large KIE, k3H/k3D = 21 ± 3 in MeCN. For these three reactions, the EaD – EaH values, between 0.3 ± 0.6 and 1.3 ± 0.6 kcal mol−1, and the log(AH/AD) values, between 0.5 ± 0.7 and 1.1 ± 0.6, indicate that hydrogen tunneling plays an important role. The related reaction of tBu2NO• + TEMPO-H(D) in MeCN has a large KIE, 16 ± 3 in MeCN, and very unusual isotopic activation parameters, EaD – EaH = −2.6 ± 0.4 and log(AH/AD) = 3.1 ± 0.6. Computational studies, using POLYRATE, also indicate substantial tunneling in the (CH3)2NO• + (CH3)2NOH model reaction for the experimental self-exchange processes. Additional calculations on TEMPO(•/H), tBu2NO(•/H), and Ph2NO(•/H) self-exchange reactions reveal why the

  20. Electrodeposited nanostructured MnO{sub 2} for non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Saha, B., E-mail: barnamala.saha@gmail.com; Jana, S. K.; Banerjee, S.

    2015-06-24

    Electrodeposited MnO{sub 2} nanostructure was synthesized on indium tin oxide coated glass electrode by cyclic voltammetry. The as obtained samples were subsequently characterized by atomic force microscopy and their electro-catalytic response towards hydrogen peroxide in alkaline medium of 0.1M NaOH was studied using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry.

  1. Metal-functionalized silicene for efficient hydrogen storage.

    PubMed

    Hussain, Tanveer; Chakraborty, Sudip; Ahuja, Rajeev

    2013-10-21

    First-principles calculations based on density functional theory are used to investigate the electronic structure along with the stability, bonding mechanism, band gap, and charge transfer of metal-functionalized silicene to envisage its hydrogen-storage capacity. Various metal atoms including Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, and Ca are doped into the most stable configuration of silicene. The corresponding binding energies and charge-transfer mechanisms are discussed from the perspective of hydrogen-storage compatibility. The Li and Na metal dopants are found to be ideally suitable, not only for strong metal-to-substrate binding and uniform distribution over the substrate, but also for the high-capacity storage of hydrogen. The stabilities of both Li- and Na-functionalized silicene are also confirmed through molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that both of the alkali metals, Li(+) and Na(+), can adsorb five hydrogen molecules, attaining reasonably high storage capacities of 7.75 and 6.9 wt %, respectively, with average adsorption energies within the range suitable for practical hydrogen-storage applications. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Modular electron transfer circuits for synthetic biology

    PubMed Central

    Agapakis, Christina M

    2010-01-01

    Electron transfer is central to a wide range of essential metabolic pathways, from photosynthesis to fermentation. The evolutionary diversity and conservation of proteins that transfer electrons makes these pathways a valuable platform for engineered metabolic circuits in synthetic biology. Rational engineering of electron transfer pathways containing hydrogenases has the potential to lead to industrial scale production of hydrogen as an alternative source of clean fuel and experimental assays for understanding the complex interactions of multiple electron transfer proteins in vivo. We designed and implemented a synthetic hydrogen metabolism circuit in Escherichia coli that creates an electron transfer pathway both orthogonal to and integrated within existing metabolism. The design of such modular electron transfer circuits allows for facile characterization of in vivo system parameters with applications toward further engineering for alternative energy production. PMID:21468209

  3. Hydrogen production from carbonaceous material

    DOEpatents

    Lackner, Klaus S.; Ziock, Hans J.; Harrison, Douglas P.

    2004-09-14

    Hydrogen is produced from solid or liquid carbon-containing fuels in a two-step process. The fuel is gasified with hydrogen in a hydrogenation reaction to produce a methane-rich gaseous reaction product, which is then reacted with water and calcium oxide in a hydrogen production and carbonation reaction to produce hydrogen and calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate may be continuously removed from the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction zone and calcined to regenerate calcium oxide, which may be reintroduced into the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction zone. Hydrogen produced in the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction is more than sufficient both to provide the energy necessary for the calcination reaction and also to sustain the hydrogenation of the coal in the gasification reaction. The excess hydrogen is available for energy production or other purposes. Substantially all of the carbon introduced as fuel ultimately emerges from the invention process in a stream of substantially pure carbon dioxide. The water necessary for the hydrogen production and carbonation reaction may be introduced into both the gasification and hydrogen production and carbonation reactions, and allocated so as transfer the exothermic heat of reaction of the gasification reaction to the endothermic hydrogen production and carbonation reaction.

  4. Transfer hydrogenation catalysis in cells as a new approach to anticancer drug design

    PubMed Central

    Soldevila-Barreda, Joan J.; Romero-Canelón, Isolda; Habtemariam, Abraha; Sadler, Peter J.

    2015-01-01

    Organometallic complexes are effective hydrogenation catalysts for organic reactions. For example, Noyori-type ruthenium complexes catalyse reduction of ketones by transfer of hydride from formate. Here we show that such catalytic reactions can be achieved in cancer cells, offering a new strategy for the design of safe metal-based anticancer drugs. The activity of ruthenium(II) sulfonamido ethyleneamine complexes towards human ovarian cancer cells is enhanced by up to 50 × in the presence of low non-toxic doses of formate. The extent of conversion of coenzyme NAD+ to NADH in cells is dependent on formate concentration. This novel reductive stress mechanism of cell death does not involve apoptosis or perturbation of mitochondrial membrane potentials. In contrast, iridium cyclopentadienyl catalysts cause cancer cell death by oxidative stress. Organometallic complexes therefore have an extraordinary ability to modulate the redox status of cancer cells. PMID:25791197

  5. Biofabricated film with enzymatic and redox-capacitor functionalities to harvest and store electrons.

    PubMed

    Liba, Benjamin D; Kim, Eunkyoung; Martin, Alexandra N; Liu, Yi; Bentley, William E; Payne, Gregory F

    2013-03-01

    Exciting opportunities in bioelectronics will be facilitated by materials that can bridge the chemical logic of biology and the digital logic of electronics. Here we report the fabrication of a dual functional hydrogel film that can harvest electrons from its chemical environment and store these electrons by switching the film's redox-state. The hydrogel scaffold was formed by the anodic deposition of the aminopolysaccharide chitosan. Electron-harvesting function was conferred by co-depositing the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) with chitosan. GDH catalyzes the transfer of electrons from glucose to the soluble redox-shuttle NADP(+). Electron-storage function was conferred by the redox-active food phenolic chlorogenic acid (CA) that was enzymatically grafted to the chitosan scaffold using tyrosinase. The grafted CA undergoes redox-cycling reactions with NADPH resulting in the net transfer of electrons to the film where they are stored in the reduced state of CA. The individual and dual functionalities of these films were demonstrated experimentally. There are three general conclusions from this proof-of-concept study. First, enzymatically-grafted catecholic moieties confer redox-capacitor function to the chitosan scaffold. Second, biological materials (i.e. chitosan and CA) and mechanisms (i.e. tyrosinase-mediated grafting) allow the reagentless fabrication of functional films that should be environmentally-friendly, safe and potentially even edible. Finally, the film's ability to mediate the transfer of electrons from a biological metabolite to an electrode suggests an approach to bridge the chemical logic of biology with the digital logic of electronics.

  6. Effects of mass transfer and hydrogen pressure on the fixed-bed pyrolysis of sunflower bagasse

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Putun, E.; Kockar, O.M.; Gercel, F.

    1994-12-31

    There are a number of waste and biomass sources being considered as potential sources of fuels and chemical feedstocks. The economics for biomass pyrolysis are generally considered to be most favourable for (1) plants which grow abundantly and require little cultivation in and lands and (2) wastes available in relatively large quantities from agricultural plants, for example, sunflower and hazel nuts. For the former, one such group of plants is Euphorbiaceae which are characterised by their ability to produce a milky latex, an emulsion of about 30% w/w terpenoids in water. One species in the family, Euphorbia Rigida from Southwesternmore » Anatolia, Turkey is cultivated in close proximity to the sunflower growing regions and their oil extraction plants. The Turkish sunflower oil industry generates 800,000 tons of extraction residue (bagasse) per annum. Thus, both sunflower wastes and latex-producing plants are being considered as feedstocks for a future thermochemical demonstration unit in Turkey. Pyrolysis at relatively high hydrogen pressures (hydropyrolysis) has not been widely investigated for biomass. A potential advantage of hydropyrolysis is the ability to upgrade tar vapours over hydroprocessing catalysts. Fixed-bed pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis experiments have been conducted on sunflower bagasse to assess the effects of mass transfer and hydrogen pressure on oil yield and quality.« less

  7. Reversible interactions with para-hydrogen enhance NMR sensitivity by polarization transfer.

    PubMed

    Adams, Ralph W; Aguilar, Juan A; Atkinson, Kevin D; Cowley, Michael J; Elliott, Paul I P; Duckett, Simon B; Green, Gary G R; Khazal, Iman G; López-Serrano, Joaquín; Williamson, David C

    2009-03-27

    The sensitivity of both nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging is very low because the detected signal strength depends on the small population difference between spin states even in high magnetic fields. Hyperpolarization methods can be used to increase this difference and thereby enhance signal strength. This has been achieved previously by incorporating the molecular spin singlet para-hydrogen into hydrogenation reaction products. We show here that a metal complex can facilitate the reversible interaction of para-hydrogen with a suitable organic substrate such that up to an 800-fold increase in proton, carbon, and nitrogen signal strengths are seen for the substrate without its hydrogenation. These polarized signals can be selectively detected when combined with methods that suppress background signals.

  8. Recent advances on enzymatic glucose/oxygen and hydrogen/oxygen biofuel cells: Achievements and limitations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cosnier, Serge; J. Gross, Andrew; Le Goff, Alan; Holzinger, Michael

    2016-09-01

    The possibility of producing electrical power from chemical energy with biological catalysts has induced the development of biofuel cells as viable energy sources for powering portable and implanted electronic devices. These power sources employ biocatalysts, called enzymes, which are highly specific and catalytic towards the oxidation of a biofuel and the reduction of oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. Enzymes, on one hand, are promising candidates to replace expensive noble metal-based catalysts in fuel cell research. On the other hand, they offer the exciting prospect of a new generation of fuel cells which harvest energy from body fluids. Biofuel cells which use glucose as a fuel are particularly interesting for generating electricity to power electronic devices inside a living body. Hydrogen consuming biofuel cells represent an emerging alternative to platinum catalysts due to comparable efficiencies and the capability to operate at lower temperatures. Currently, these technologies are not competitive with existing commercialised fuel cell devices due to limitations including insufficient power outputs and lifetimes. The advantages and challenges facing glucose biofuel cells for implantation and hydrogen biofuel cells will be summarised along with recent promising advances and the future prospects of these exotic energy-harvesting devices.

  9. Evaluation of power transfer efficiency for a high power inductively coupled radio-frequency hydrogen ion source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jain, P.; Recchia, M.; Cavenago, M.; Fantz, U.; Gaio, E.; Kraus, W.; Maistrello, A.; Veltri, P.

    2018-04-01

    Neutral beam injection (NBI) for plasma heating and current drive is necessary for International Thermonuclear Experimental reactor (ITER) tokamak. Due to its various advantages, a radio frequency (RF) driven plasma source type was selected as a reference ion source for the ITER heating NBI. The ITER relevant RF negative ion sources are inductively coupled (IC) devices whose operational working frequency has been chosen to be 1 MHz and are characterized by high RF power density (˜9.4 W cm-3) and low operational pressure (around 0.3 Pa). The RF field is produced by a coil in a cylindrical chamber leading to a plasma generation followed by its expansion inside the chamber. This paper recalls different concepts based on which a methodology is developed to evaluate the efficiency of the RF power transfer to hydrogen plasma. This efficiency is then analyzed as a function of the working frequency and in dependence of other operating source and plasma parameters. The study is applied to a high power IC RF hydrogen ion source which is similar to one simplified driver of the ELISE source (half the size of the ITER NBI source).

  10. Alkyne–Aldehyde Reductive C–C Coupling through Ruthenium-Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation: Direct Regio- and Stereoselective Carbonyl Vinylation to Form Trisubstituted Allylic Alcohols in the Absence of Premetallated Reagents

    PubMed Central

    Leung, Joyce C.; Patman, Ryan L.; Sam, Brannon

    2011-01-01

    Nonsymmetric 1,2-disubstituted alkynes engage in reductive coupling to a variety of aldehydes under the conditions of ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation by employing formic acid as the terminal reductant and delivering the products of carbonyl vinylation with good to excellent levels of regioselectivity and with complete control of olefin stereochemistry. As revealed in an assessment of the ruthenium counterion, iodide plays an essential role in directing the regioselectivity of C–C bond formation. Isotopic labeling studies corroborate reversible catalytic propargyl C–H oxidative addition in advance of the C–C coupling, and demonstrate that the C–C coupling products do not experience reversible dehydrogenation by way of enone intermediates. This transfer hydrogenation protocol enables carbonyl vinylation in the absence of stoichiometric metallic reagents. PMID:21953608

  11. The mechanism of action of lymphokines. IX. The enzymatic basis of hydrogen peroxide production by lymphokine-activated macrophages.

    PubMed

    Freund, M; Pick, E

    1986-08-15

    The purpose of this study was to elucidate the biochemical basis of the enhanced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production by guinea pig peritoneal macrophages (MP) cultured in lymphokine (LK)-containing medium. The markedly augmented H2O2 generation by these cells, demonstrable by the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed oxidation of phenol red, is distinguished by its lack of dependence on a second stimulus. We demonstrate that H2O2 production is truly spontaneous and is not caused by a stimulant present among the H2O2 assay reagents. The principal candidate for such a role was HRP type II (a mixture of five isoenzymes) that was reported to be capable of eliciting an oxidative burst in MP. Four distinct HRP isoenzymes that were found incapable of provoking an oxidative response were nevertheless adequate for demonstrating H2O2 production by LK-activated MP. Blocking the MP receptor for mannose by the addition of mannan to the assay system resulted in enhanced detection of H2O2 by low concentrations of HRP type II and by three out of four HRP isoenzymes. Treatment of MP with LK-containing medium for 72 hr did not result in a significant change in the activity of cellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) compared with MP cultured for the same length of time in control medium. By using the specific inhibitor of copper, zinc-containing SOD, sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), and the universal SOD inhibitor, sodium nitroprusside, we found that the predominant enzyme in guinea pig peritoneal MP is probably manganese-containing SOD. Incubation of LK-activated MP with nitroprusside resulted in almost total inhibition of H2O2 production and a simultaneous switch to superoxide (O2-) liberation. Similar exposure to DDC had no effect. These data indicate that H2O2 produced by LK-activated MP is derived exclusively by enzymatic dismutation of O2- mediated by a manganese-containing SOD. The increase in spontaneous H2O2 production induced by LK is therefore secondary to augmented O2

  12. Quantum mechanical electronic structure calculation reveals orientation dependence of hydrogen bond energy in proteins.

    PubMed

    Mondal, Abhisek; Datta, Saumen

    2017-06-01

    Hydrogen bond plays a unique role in governing macromolecular interactions with exquisite specificity. These interactions govern the fundamental biological processes like protein folding, enzymatic catalysis, molecular recognition. Despite extensive research work, till date there is no proper report available about the hydrogen bond's energy surface with respect to its geometric parameters, directly derived from proteins. Herein, we have deciphered the potential energy landscape of hydrogen bond directly from the macromolecular coordinates obtained from Protein Data Bank using quantum mechanical electronic structure calculations. The findings unravel the hydrogen bonding energies of proteins in parametric space. These data can be used to understand the energies of such directional interactions involved in biological molecules. Quantitative characterization has also been performed using Shannon entropic calculations for atoms participating in hydrogen bond. Collectively, our results constitute an improved way of understanding hydrogen bond energies in case of proteins and complement the knowledge-based potential. Proteins 2017; 85:1046-1055. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Proton Transfer and Low-Barrier Hydrogen Bonding: a Shifting Vibrational Landscape Dictated by Large Amplitude Tunneling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vealey, Zachary; Foguel, Lidor; Vaccaro, Patrick

    2017-06-01

    Our fundamental understanding of synergistic hydrogen-bonding and proton-transfer phenomena has been advanced immensely by studies of model systems in which the coherent transduction of hydrons is mediated by two degenerate equilibrium configurations that are isolated from one another by a potential barrier of substantial height. This topography advantageously affords unambiguous signatures for the underlying state-resolved dynamics in the form of tunneling-induced spectral bifurcations, the magnitudes of which encode both the overall efficacy and the detailed mechanism of the unimolecular transformation. As a prototypical member of this class of compounds, 6-hydroxy-2-formylfulvene (HFF) supports an unusual quasi-linear O-H...O \\leftrightarrow O...H-O reaction coordinate that presents a minimal impediment to proton migration - a situation commensurate with the concepts of low-barrier hydrogen bonding (which are characterized by great strength, short distance, and a vanishingly small barrier for hydron migration). A variety of fluorescence-based, laser-spectroscopic probes have been deployed in a cold supersonic free-jet expansion to explore the vibrational landscape and anomalously large tunneling-induced shifts that dominate the ˜{X}^{1}A_{1} potential-energy surface of HFF, thus revealing the most rapid proton tunneling ever reported for a molecular ground state (τ_{pt}≤120fs). The surprising efficiency of such tunneling-mediated processes stems from proximity of the zero-point level to the barrier crest and produces a dramatic alteration in the canonical pattern of vibrational features that reflects, in part, the subtle transition from quantum-mechanical barrier penetration to classical over-the-barrier dynamics. The ultrafast proton-transfer regime that characterizes the ˜{X}^{1}A_{1} manifold will be juxtaposed against analogous findings for the lowest-lying singlet excited state ˜{A}^{1}B_{2} (π*←π), where a marked change in the nature of the

  14. Surface plasmon aided high sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor using Au/NiAu multilayered nanowire arrays.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lanfang; Zhu, Weiqi; Lu, Wenbo; Qin, Xiufang; Xu, Xiaohong

    2018-07-15

    A novel plasmon aided non-enzymatic glucose sensor was first constructed based on the unique half-rough Au/NiAu multilayered nanowire arrays. These multilayered and half-rough nanowires provide high chemical activity and large surface area for glucose oxidation in an alkaline solution. Under visible light irradiation, the surface plasmons originated from Au part enhance the electron transfer in the vertically aligned nanowires, leading to high sensitivity and wide detection range. The resulting sensor exhibits a wide glucose detection concentration range, low detection limit, and high sensitivity for plasmon aided non-enzymatic glucose sensor. Moreover, the detection sensitivity is enhanced by almost 2 folds compared to that in the dark, which significantly enhanced the performance of Au/NiAu multilayered nanowire arrays sensor. An excellent selectivity and acceptable stability were also achieved. These results indicate that surface plasmon aided nanostructures are promising new platforms for the construction of non-enzymatic glucose sensors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Photo-induced electron transfer method

    DOEpatents

    Wohlgemuth, R.; Calvin, M.

    1984-01-24

    The efficiency of photo-induced electron transfer reactions is increased and the back transfer of electrons in such reactions is greatly reduced when a photo-sensitizer zinc porphyrin-surfactant and an electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant are admixed into phospholipid membranes. The phospholipids comprising said membranes are selected from phospholipids whose head portions are negatively charged. Said membranes are contacted with an aqueous medium in which an essentially neutral viologen electron acceptor is admixed. Catalysts capable of transferring electrons from reduced viologen electron acceptor to hydrogen to produce elemental hydrogen are also included in the aqueous medium. An oxidizable olefin is also admixed in the phospholipid for the purpose of combining with oxygen that coordinates with oxidized electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant.

  16. Photo-induced electron transfer method

    DOEpatents

    Wohlgemuth, Roland; Calvin, Melvin

    1984-01-01

    The efficiency of photo-induced electron transfer reactions is increased and the back transfer of electrons in such reactions is greatly reduced when a photo-sensitizer zinc porphyrin-surfactant and an electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant are admixed into phospho-lipid membranes. The phospholipids comprising said membranes are selected from phospholipids whose head portions are negatively charged. Said membranes are contacted with an aqueous medium in which an essentially neutral viologen electron acceptor is admixed. Catalysts capable of transfering electrons from reduced viologen electron acceptor to hydrogen to produce elemental hydrogen are also included in the aqueous medium. An oxidizable olefin is also admixed in the phospholipid for the purpose of combining with oxygen that coordinates with oxidized electron donor manganese porphyrin-surfactant.

  17. H NMR studies of substrate hydrogen exchange reactions catalyzed by L-methionine gamma-lyase

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Esaki, N.; Nakayama, T.; Sawada, S.

    Hydrogen exchange reactions of various L-amino acids catalyzed by L-methionine gamma-lyase (EC 4.4.1.11) have been studied. The enzyme catalyzes the rapid exchange of the alpha- and beta-hydrogens of L-methionine and S-methyl-L-cysteine with deuterium from the solvent. The rate of alpha-hydrogen exchange was about 40 times faster than that of the enzymatic elimination reaction of the sulfur-containing amino acids. The enzyme also catalyzes the exchange reaction of alpha- and beta-hydrogens of the straight-chain L-amino acids which are not susceptible to elimination. The exchange rates of the alpha-hydrogen and the total beta-hydrogens of L-alanine and L-alpha-aminobutyrate with deuterium followed first-order kinetics. Formore » L-norvaline, L-norleucine, S-methyl-L-cysteine, and L-methionine, the rate of alpha-hydrogen exchange followed first-order kinetics, but the rate of total beta-hydrogen exchange decreased due to a primary isotope effect at the alpha-position. L-Phenylalanine and L-tryptophan slowly underwent alpha-hydrogen exchange. The pro-R hydrogen of glycine was deuterated stereospecifically.« less

  18. Catalytic transfer hydrogenation with terdentate CNN ruthenium complexes: the influence of the base.

    PubMed

    Baratta, Walter; Siega, Katia; Rigo, Pierluigi

    2007-01-01

    The catalytic activity of the terdentate complex [RuCl(CNN)(dppb)] (A) [dppb=Ph(2)P(CH(2))(4)PPh(2); HCNN=6-(4'-methylphenyl)-2-pyridylmethylamine] in the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone (S) with 2-propanol has been found to be dependent on the base concentration. The limit rate has been observed when NaOiPr is used in high excess (A/base molar ratio > 10). The amino-isopropoxide species [Ru(OiPr)(CNN)(dppb)] (B), which forms by reaction of A with sodium isopropoxide via displacement of the chloride, is catalytically active. The rate of conversion of acetophenone obeys second-order kinetics v=k[S][B] with the rate constants in the range 218+/-8 (40 degrees C) to 3000+/-70 M(-1) s(-1) (80 degrees C). The activation parameters, evaluated from the Eyring equation are DeltaH(++)=14.0+/-0.2 kcal mol(-1) and DeltaS(++)=-3.2 +/-0.5 eu. In a pre-equilibrium reaction with 2-propanol complex B gives the cationic species [Ru(CNN)(dppb)(HOiPr)](+)[OiPr](-) (C) with K approximately 2x10(-5) M. The hydride species [RuH(CNN)(dppb)] (H), which forms from B via beta-hydrogen elimination process, catalyzes the reduction of S and, importantly, its activity increases by addition of base. The catalytic behavior of the hydride H has been compared to that of the system A/NaOiPr (1:1 molar ratio) and indicates that the two systems are equivalent.

  19. Hydrogen is a preferred intermediate in the energy-conserving electron transport chain of Methanosarcina barkeri.

    PubMed

    Kulkarni, Gargi; Kridelbaugh, Donna M; Guss, Adam M; Metcalf, William W

    2009-09-15

    Methanogens use an unusual energy-conserving electron transport chain that involves reduction of a limited number of electron acceptors to methane gas. Previous biochemical studies suggested that the proton-pumping F(420)H(2) dehydrogenase (Fpo) plays a crucial role in this process during growth on methanol. However, Methanosarcina barkeri Delta fpo mutants constructed in this study display no measurable phenotype on this substrate, indicating that Fpo plays a minor role, if any. In contrast, Delta frh mutants lacking the cytoplasmic F(420)-reducing hydrogenase (Frh) are severely affected in their ability to grow and make methane from methanol, and double Delta fpo/Delta frh mutants are completely unable to use this substrate. These data suggest that the preferred electron transport chain involves production of hydrogen gas in the cytoplasm, which then diffuses out of the cell, where it is reoxidized with transfer of electrons into the energy-conserving electron transport chain. This hydrogen-cycling metabolism leads directly to production of a proton motive force that can be used by the cell for ATP synthesis. Nevertheless, M. barkeri does have the flexibility to use the Fpo-dependent electron transport chain when needed, as shown by the poor growth of the Delta frh mutant. Our data suggest that the rapid enzymatic turnover of hydrogenases may allow a competitive advantage via faster growth rates in this freshwater organism. The mutant analysis also confirms the proposed role of Frh in growth on hydrogen/carbon dioxide and suggests that either Frh or Fpo is needed for aceticlastic growth of M. barkeri.

  20. Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of syn-β-Hydroxy α-Dibenzylamino Esters via DKR Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation and Gram-Scale Preparation of Droxidopa.

    PubMed

    Sun, Guodong; Zhou, Zihong; Luo, Zhonghua; Wang, Hailong; Chen, Lei; Xu, Yongbo; Li, Shun; Jian, Weilin; Zeng, Jiebin; Hu, Benquan; Han, Xiaodong; Lin, Yicao; Wang, Zhongqing

    2017-08-18

    A highly efficient preparation of enantiomerically pure syn aryl β-hydroxy α-dibenzylamino esters is reported. The outcome was achieved via dynamic kinetic resolution and asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aryl α-dibenzylamino β-keto esters. The desired products were obtained in high yields (up to 98%) with excellent diastereoselectivity (>20:1 dr) and enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). Furthermore, this method was applied for the gram-scale preparation of droxidopa.

  1. Use of enzymatic cleaners on US Navy ships. Research report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Venkatachalam, R.S.

    1996-03-01

    The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, conducted a study to determine the feasibility of using enzymatic and bacterial products in cleaning applications aboard U.S. Navy ships. A review of the most recent technical literature and a survey of potential suppliers were conducted. In addition, shipboard systems, subsystems and housekeeping processes were evaluated to identify suitable applications for enzymatic and bacterial cleaners. The study identified numerous commercial products that, based on manufacturers` claims, would be effective and safe for use aboard ship to clean walls, floors, galley work surfaces, engine and machine parts, drains, pipes, grease traps, collection, holding andmore » transfer (CHT) tanks, ballast tanks and bilge areas. However, the study also revealed the absence of standardized test protocols essential for validation of manufacturers` claims, and recommended the cooperative development of such protocols by representatives from the commercial sector, Government and academia. The need to obtain meaningful cost information based on actual use scenarios and to investigate any permitting issues associated with the discharge of related wastes to pierside facilities was also identified.« less

  2. Cyanobacterial Hydrogenases and Hydrogen Metabolism Revisited: Recent Progress and Future Prospects

    PubMed Central

    Khanna, Namita; Lindblad, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Cyanobacteria have garnered interest as potential cell factories for hydrogen production. In conjunction with photosynthesis, these organisms can utilize inexpensive inorganic substrates and solar energy for simultaneous biosynthesis and hydrogen evolution. However, the hydrogen yield associated with these organisms remains far too low to compete with the existing chemical processes. Our limited understanding of the cellular hydrogen production pathway is a primary setback in the potential scale-up of this process. In this regard, the present review discusses the recent insight around ferredoxin/flavodoxin as the likely electron donor to the bidirectional Hox hydrogenase instead of the generally accepted NAD(P)H. This may have far reaching implications in powering solar driven hydrogen production. However, it is evident that a successful hydrogen-producing candidate would likely integrate enzymatic traits from different species. Engineering the [NiFe] hydrogenases for optimal catalytic efficiency or expression of a high turnover [FeFe] hydrogenase in these photo-autotrophs may facilitate the development of strains to reach target levels of biohydrogen production in cyanobacteria. The fundamental advancements achieved in these fields are also summarized in this review. PMID:26006225

  3. Hydrogen film/conductive cooling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ewen, R. L.

    1972-01-01

    Small scale nozzle tests using heated nitrogen were run to obtain effectiveness and wall heat transfer data with hydrogen film cooling. Effectiveness data are compared with an entrainment model developed from planar, unaccelerated flow data. Results indicate significant effects due to flow turning and acceleration. With injection velocity effects accounted for explicitly, heat transfer correlation coefficients were found to be the same with and without film cooling when properties are evaluated at an appropriate reference temperature for the local gas composition defined by the coolant effectiveness. A design study for an O2/H2 application with 300 psia (207 N/sq cm) chamber pressure and 1500 lbs (6670 N) thrust indicates an adiabatic wall design requires 4 to 5 percent of the total flow as hydrogen film cooling. Internal regenerative cooling designs were found to offer no reduction in coolant requirements.

  4. Fluidic hydrogen detector production prototype development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roe, G. W.; Wright, R. E.

    1976-01-01

    A hydrogen gas sensor that can replace catalytic combustion sensors used to detect leaks in the liquid hydrogen transfer systems at Kennedy Space Center was developed. A fluidic sensor concept, based on the principle that the frequency of a fluidic oscillator is proportional to the square root of the molecular weight of its operating fluid, was utilized. To minimize sensitivity to pressure and temperature fluctuations, and to make the sensor specific for hydrogen, two oscillators are used. One oscillator operates on sample gas containing hydrogen, while the other operates on sample gas with the hydrogen converted to steam. The conversion is accomplished with a small catalytic converter. The frequency difference is taken, and the hydrogen concentration computed with a simple digital processing circuit. The output from the sensor is an analog signal proportional to hydrogen content. The sensor is shown to be accurate and insensitive to severe environmental disturbances. It is also specific for hydrogen, even with large helium concentrations in the sample gas.

  5. Conscious coupling: The challenges and opportunities of cascading enzymatic microreactors.

    PubMed

    Gruber, Pia; Marques, Marco P C; O'Sullivan, Brian; Baganz, Frank; Wohlgemuth, Roland; Szita, Nicolas

    2017-07-01

    The continuous production of high value or difficult to synthesize products is of increasing interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Cascading reaction systems have already been employed for chemical synthesis with great success, allowing a quick change in reaction conditions and addition of new reactants as well as removal of side products. A cascading system can remove the need for isolating unstable intermediates, increasing the yield of a synthetic pathway. Based on the success for chemical synthesis, the question arises how cascading systems could be beneficial to chemo-enzymatic or biocatalytic synthesis. Microreactors, with their rapid mass and heat transfer, small reaction volumes and short diffusion pathways, are promising tools for the development of such processes. In this mini-review, the authors provide an overview of recent examples of cascaded microreactors. Special attention will be paid to how microreactors are combined and the challenges as well as opportunities that arise from such combinations. Selected chemical reaction cascades will be used to illustrate this concept, before the discussion is widened to include chemo-enzymatic and multi-enzyme cascades. The authors also present the state of the art of online and at-line monitoring for enzymatic microreactor cascades. Finally, the authors review work-up and purification steps and their integration with microreactor cascades, highlighting the potential and the challenges of integrated cascades. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. A hybrid biocatalyst consisting of silver nanoparticle and naphthalenethiol self-assembled monolayer prepared for anchoring glucose oxidase and its use for an enzymatic biofuel cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christwardana, Marcelinus; Kim, Do-Heyoung; Chung, Yongjin; Kwon, Yongchai

    2018-01-01

    A novel hybrid biocatalyst is synthesized by the enzyme composite consisting of silver nanoparticle (AgNP), naphthalene-thiol based couplers (Naph-SH) and glucose oxidase (GOx), which is then bonded with the supporter consisting of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) (CNT/PEI/AgNPs/Naph-SH/GOx) to facilitate glucose oxidation reaction (GOR). Here, the AgNPs play a role in obstructing denaturation of the GOx molecules from the supporter because of Ag-thiol bond, while the PEIs have the AgNPs keep their states without getting ionized by hydrogen peroxide produced during anodic reaction. The Naph-SHs also prevent ionization of the AgNP by forming self-assembled monolayer on their surface. Such roles of each component enable the catalyst to form (i) hydrophobic interaction between the GOx molecules and supporter and (ii) π-conjugated electron pathway between the GOx molecules and AgNP, promoting electron transfer. Catalytic nature of the catalyst is characterized by measuring catalytic activity and performance of enzymatic biofuel cell (EBC) using the catalyst. Regarding the catalytic activity, the catalyst leads to high electron transfer rate constant (9.6 ± 0.4 s-1), low Michaelis-Menten constant (0.51 ± 0.04 mM), and low charge transfer resistance (7.3 Ω cm2) and high amount of immobilized GOx (54.6%), while regarding the EBC performance, high maximum power density (1.46 ± 0.07 mW cm-2) with superior long-term stability result are observed.

  7. In vitro hydrogen production--using energy from the sun.

    PubMed

    Krassen, Henning; Ott, Sascha; Heberle, Joachim

    2011-01-07

    Using solar energy to produce molecular hydrogen is a promising way to supply the civilization with clean energy. Nature provides the key components to collect solar energy as well as to reduce protons, scientists have developed mimics of these enzymatic centers and also found new ways to catalyze the same reactions. This perspective article surveys the different components and in particular the various coupling possibilities of a light sensitizer and catalyst. Pros and cons are discussed.

  8. Bioconversion of paper mill sludge to bioethanol in the presence of accelerants or hydrogen peroxide pretreatment.

    PubMed

    Gurram, Raghu Nandan; Al-Shannag, Mohammad; Lecher, Nicholas Joshua; Duncan, Shona M; Singsaas, Eric Lawrence; Alkasrawi, Malek

    2015-09-01

    In this study we investigated the technical feasibility of convert paper mill sludge into fuel ethanol. This involved the removal of mineral fillers by using either chemical pretreatment or mechanical fractionation to determine their effects on cellulose hydrolysis and fermentation to ethanol. In addition, we studied the effect of cationic polyelectrolyte (as accelerant) addition and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. We present results showing that removing the fillers content (ash and calcium carbonate) from the paper mill sludge increases the enzymatic hydrolysis performance dramatically with higher cellulose conversion at faster rates. The addition of accelerant and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment further improved the hydrolysis yields by 16% and 25% (g glucose / g cellulose), respectively with the de-ashed sludge. The fermentation process of produced sugars achieved up to 95% of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield and higher ethanol productivities within 9h of fermentation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Vectorial electron transfer for improved hydrogen evolution by mercaptopropionic-acid-regulated CdSe quantum-dots-TiO2 -Ni(OH)2 assembly.

    PubMed

    Yu, Shan; Li, Zhi-Jun; Fan, Xiang-Bing; Li, Jia-Xin; Zhan, Fei; Li, Xu-Bing; Tao, Ye; Tung, Chen-Ho; Wu, Li-Zhu

    2015-02-01

    A visible-light-induced hydrogen evolution system based on a CdSe quantum dots (QDs)-TiO2 -Ni(OH)2 ternary assembly has been constructed under an ambient environment, and a bifunctional molecular linker, mercaptopropionic acid, is used to facilitate the interaction between CdSe QDs and TiO2 . This hydrogen evolution system works effectively in a basic aqueous solution (pH 11.0) to achieve a hydrogen evolution rate of 10.1 mmol g(-1)  h(-1) for the assembly and a turnover frequency of 5140 h(-1) with respect to CdSe QDs (10 h); the latter is comparable with the highest value reported for QD systems in an acidic environment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and control experiments demonstrate that Ni(OH)2 is an efficient hydrogen evolution catalyst. In addition, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and the emission decay of the assembly combined with the hydrogen evolution experiments show that TiO2 functions mainly as the electron mediator; the vectorial electron transfer from CdSe QDs to TiO2 and then from TiO2 to Ni(OH)2 enhances the efficiency for hydrogen evolution. The assembly comprises light antenna CdSe QDs, electron mediator TiO2 , and catalytic Ni(OH)2 , which mimics the strategy of photosynthesis exploited in nature and takes us a step further towards artificial photosynthesis. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Atomic hydrogen propellants: Historical perspectives and future possibilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palaszewski, Bryan

    1993-01-01

    Atomic hydrogen, a very high density free-radical propellant, is anticipated to generate a specific impulse of 600-1500 lb-f sec/lb-mass performance; this may facilitate the development of unique launch vehicles. A development status evaluation is presently given for atomic hydrogen investigations. It is noted that breakthroughs are required in the production, storage, and transfer of atomic hydrogen, before this fuel can become a viable rocket propellant.

  11. Hydrogen bonding between phosphate and amino acid side chains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carmona, P.; Rodriguez, M. L.

    1986-03-01

    Hydrogen bonds between polar groups of amino acid side chains (histidine, lysine, glutamic acid) and phosphate ions have been studied by infrared spectroscopy. Proton transfer from amino acid groups to phosphate occur mainly in case that tribasic and dibasic phosphate ions take part in hydrogen bonds. Conformational changes and continuum are strongly related to the degree of proton transfer and hydration. It is pointed out that the aforementioned properties should be of great significance for nucleation and growth of prostatic and renal stones.

  12. Changes in the amino acid profiles and free radical scavenging activities of Tenebrio molitor larvae following enzymatic hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Tang, Yujiao; Debnath, Trishna; Choi, Eun-Ju; Kim, Young Wook; Ryu, Jung Pyo; Jang, Sejin; Chung, Sang Uk; Choi, Young-Jin; Kim, Eun-Kyung

    2018-01-01

    Tenebrio molitor (T. molitor) larvae provide food at low environmental cost and contribute positively to livelihoods. In this research, we compared the amino acids compositions and antioxidant activities of various extracts of T. molitor to enhance their quality as food. For the comparison, distilled water extracts, enzymatic hydrolysates, and condensed enzymatic hydrolysates of T. molitor larvae were prepared. Their amino acids (AAs) profiles and antioxidant activities, including ferric-reducing antioxidant power, oxygen radical absorption capacity, and DPPH, hydroxyl radical, and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging properties assay were analyzed. DW extracts had the lowest AAs contents and antioxidant activity compared with enzymatic extracts. Condensed hydrolysates with a combination of alcalase and flavourzyme (C-A+F) exhibited the highest levels of total free AAs (11.1759 g/100 g). C-A+F produced higher total hydrolyzed AAs (32.5292 g/100 g) compared with the other groups. The C-A+F possessed the strongest antioxidant activity. Notably, the antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates and the total hydrolyzed AAs amount were correlated. Taken together, our findings showed that C-A+F was a promising technique for obtaining extracts of T. molitor larvae with antioxidant activity as potential nutritious functional food.

  13. Highly hydrogenated graphene through microwave exfoliation of graphite oxide in hydrogen plasma: towards electrochemical applications.

    PubMed

    Eng, Alex Yong Sheng; Sofer, Zdenek; Šimek, Petr; Kosina, Jiri; Pumera, Martin

    2013-11-11

    Hydrogenated graphenes exhibit a variety of properties with potential applications in devices, ranging from a tunable band gap to fluorescence, ferromagnetism, and the storage of hydrogen. We utilize a one-step microwave-irradiation process in hydrogen plasma to create highly hydrogenated graphene from graphite oxides. The procedure serves the dual purposes of deoxygenation and concurrent hydrogenation of the carbon backbone. The effectiveness of the hydrogenation process is investigated on three different graphite oxides (GOs), which are synthesized by using the Staudenmaier, Hofmann, and Hummers methods. A systematic characterization of our hydrogenated graphenes is performed using UV/Vis spectroscopy, SEM, AFM, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), combustible elemental analysis, and electrical conductivity measurements. The highest hydrogenation extent is observed in hydrogenated graphene produced from the Hummers-method GO, with a hydrogen content of 19 atomic % in the final product. In terms of the removal of oxygen groups, microwave exfoliation yields graphenes with very similar oxygen contents despite differences in their parent GOs. In addition, we examine the prospective application of hydrogenated graphenes as electrochemical transducers through a cyclic voltammetry (CV) study. The highly hydrogenated graphenes exhibit fast heterogeneous electron-transfer rates, suggestive of their suitability for electrochemical applications in electrodes, supercapacitors, batteries, and sensors. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Mass spectrometric real-time monitoring of an enzymatic phosphorylation assay using internal standards and data-handling freeware.

    PubMed

    Krappmann, Michael; de Boer, Arjen R; Kool, Daniël R W; Irth, Hubertus; Letzel, Thomas

    2016-04-30

    Continuous-flow reaction detection systems (monitoring enzymatic reactions with mass spectrometry (MS)) lack quantitative values so far. Therefore, two independent internal standards (IS) are implemented in a way that the online system stability can be observed, quantitative conversion values for substrate and product can be obtained and they can be used as mass calibration standards for high MS accuracy. An application previously developed for the MS detection of peptide phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) (De Boer et al., Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2005, 381, 647-655) was transferred to a continuous-flow reaction detection system. This enzymatic reaction, involving enzyme activation as well as the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to a peptide substrate, was used to prove the compatibility of a quantitative enzymatic assay in a continuous-flow real-time system (connected to MS). Moreover (using internal standards), the critical parameter reaction temperature (including solution density variations depending on temperature) was studied in the continuous-flow mixing system. Furthermore, two substrates (malantide and kemptide), two enzyme types (catalytic subunit of PKA and complete PKA) and one inhibitor were tested to determine system robustness and long-term availability. Even spraying solutions that contained significant amount of MS contaminants (e.g. the polluted catalytic subunit) resulted in quantifiable MS signal intensities. Subsequent recalculations using the internal standards led to results representing the power of this application. The presented methodology and the data evaluation with available Achroma freeware enable the direct coupling of biochemical assays with quantitative MS detection. Monitoring changes such as temperature, reaction time, inhibition, or compound concentrations can be observed quantitatively and thus enzymatic activity can be calculated. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Water reactive hydrogen fuel cell power system

    DOEpatents

    Wallace, Andrew P; Melack, John M; Lefenfeld, Michael

    2014-01-21

    A water reactive hydrogen fueled power system includes devices and methods to combine reactant fuel materials and aqueous solutions to generate hydrogen. The generated hydrogen is converted in a fuel cell to provide electricity. The water reactive hydrogen fueled power system includes a fuel cell, a water feed tray, and a fuel cartridge to generate power for portable power electronics. The removable fuel cartridge is encompassed by the water feed tray and fuel cell. The water feed tray is refillable with water by a user. The water is then transferred from the water feed tray into a fuel cartridge to generate hydrogen for the fuel cell which then produces power for the user.

  16. Water reactive hydrogen fuel cell power system

    DOEpatents

    Wallace, Andrew P; Melack, John M; Lefenfeld, Michael

    2014-11-25

    A water reactive hydrogen fueled power system includes devices and methods to combine reactant fuel materials and aqueous solutions to generate hydrogen. The generated hydrogen is converted in a fuel cell to provide electricity. The water reactive hydrogen fueled power system includes a fuel cell, a water feed tray, and a fuel cartridge to generate power for portable power electronics. The removable fuel cartridge is encompassed by the water feed tray and fuel cell. The water feed tray is refillable with water by a user. The water is then transferred from the water feed tray into the fuel cartridge to generate hydrogen for the fuel cell which then produces power for the user.

  17. Finding Furfural Hydrogenation Catalysts via Predictive Modelling

    PubMed Central

    Strassberger, Zea; Mooijman, Maurice; Ruijter, Eelco; Alberts, Albert H; Maldonado, Ana G; Orru, Romano V A; Rothenberg, Gadi

    2010-01-01

    Abstract We combine multicomponent reactions, catalytic performance studies and predictive modelling to find transfer hydrogenation catalysts. An initial set of 18 ruthenium-carbene complexes were synthesized and screened in the transfer hydrogenation of furfural to furfurol with isopropyl alcohol complexes gave varied yields, from 62% up to >99.9%, with no obvious structure/activity correlations. Control experiments proved that the carbene ligand remains coordinated to the ruthenium centre throughout the reaction. Deuterium-labelling studies showed a secondary isotope effect (kH:kD=1.5). Further mechanistic studies showed that this transfer hydrogenation follows the so-called monohydride pathway. Using these data, we built a predictive model for 13 of the catalysts, based on 2D and 3D molecular descriptors. We tested and validated the model using the remaining five catalysts (cross-validation, R2=0.913). Then, with this model, the conversion and selectivity were predicted for four completely new ruthenium-carbene complexes. These four catalysts were then synthesized and tested. The results were within 3% of the model’s predictions, demonstrating the validity and value of predictive modelling in catalyst optimization. PMID:23193388

  18. Photobiological hydrogen production and carbon dioxide sequestration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berberoglu, Halil

    Photobiological hydrogen production is an alternative to thermochemical and electrolytic technologies with the advantage of carbon dioxide sequestration. However, it suffers from low solar to hydrogen energy conversion efficiency due to limited light transfer, mass transfer, and nutrient medium composition. The present study aims at addressing these limitations and can be divided in three parts: (1) experimental measurements of the radiation characteristics of hydrogen producing and carbon dioxide consuming microorganisms, (2) solar radiation transfer modeling and simulation in photobioreactors, and (3) parametric experiments of photobiological hydrogen production and carbon dioxide sequestration. First, solar radiation transfer in photobioreactors containing microorganisms and bubbles was modeled using the radiative transport equation (RTE) and solved using the modified method of characteristics. The study concluded that Beer-Lambert's law gives inaccurate results and anisotropic scattering must be accounted for to predict the local irradiance inside a photobioreactor. The need for accurate measurement of the complete set of radiation characteristics of microorganisms was established. Then, experimental setup and analysis methods for measuring the complete set of radiation characteristics of microorganisms have been developed and successfully validated experimentally. A database of the radiation characteristics of representative microorganisms have been created including the cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis, the purple non-sulfur bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides and the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii along with its three genetically engineered strains. This enabled, for the first time, quantitative assessment of the effect of genetic engineering on the radiation characteristics of microorganisms. In addition, a parametric experimental study has been performed to model the growth, CO2 consumption, and H 2 production of Anabaena variabilis as functions of

  19. Metal nanostructures for non-enzymatic glucose sensing.

    PubMed

    Tee, Si Yin; Teng, Choon Peng; Ye, Enyi

    2017-01-01

    This review covers the recent development of metal nanostructures in electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensing. It highlights a variety of nanostructured materials including noble metals, other transition metals, bimetallic systems, and their hybrid with carbon-based nanomaterials. Particularly, attention is devoted to numerous approaches that have been implemented for improving the sensors performance by tailoring size, shape, composition, effective surface area, adsorption capability and electron-transfer properties. The correlation of the metal nanostructures to the glucose sensing performance is addressed with respect to the linear concentration range, sensitivity and detection limit. In overall, this review provides important clues from the recent scientific achievements of glucose sensor nanomaterials which will be essentially useful in designing better and more effective electrocatalysts for future electrochemical sensing industry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Para-hydrogen induced polarization of amino acids, peptides and deuterium-hydrogen gas.

    PubMed

    Glöggler, Stefan; Müller, Rafael; Colell, Johannes; Emondts, Meike; Dabrowski, Martin; Blümich, Bernhard; Appelt, Stephan

    2011-08-14

    Signal Amplification by Reversible-Exchange (SABRE) is a method of hyperpolarizing substrates by polarization transfer from para-hydrogen without hydrogenation. Here, we demonstrate that this method can be applied to hyperpolarize small amounts of all proteinogenic amino acids and some chosen peptides down to the nanomole regime and can be detected in a single scan in low-magnetic fields down to 0.25 mT (10 kHz proton frequency). An outstanding feature is that depending on the chemical state of the used catalyst and the investigated amino acid or peptide, hyperpolarized hydrogen-deuterium gas is formed, which was detected with (1)H and (2)H NMR spectroscopy at low magnetic fields of B(0) = 3.9 mT (166 kHz proton frequency) and 3.2 mT (20 kHz deuterium frequency).

  1. Relationship between Porcine Sperm Motility and Sperm Enzymatic Activity using Paper-based Devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsuura, Koji; Huang, Han-Wei; Chen, Ming-Cheng; Chen, Yu; Cheng, Chao-Min

    2017-04-01

    Mammalian sperm motility has traditionally been analyzed to determine fertility using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) systems. To develop low-cost and robust male fertility diagnostics, we created a paper-based MTT assay and used it to estimate motile sperm concentration. When porcine sperm motility was inhibited using sperm enzyme inhibitors for sperm enzymes related to mitochondrial activity and glycolysis, we simultaneously recorded sperm motility and enzymatic reactivity using a portable motility analysis system (iSperm) and a paper-based MTT assay, respectively. When using our paper-based MTT-assay, we calculated the area mean value signal intensity (AMV) to evaluate enzymatic reactivity. Both sperm motility and AMV decreased following treatment with iodoacetamide (IODO) and 3-bromopyruvic acid (3BP), both of which are inhibitors of glycolytic enzymes including glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). We found a correlation between recorded motility using iSperm and AMV from our paper-based assay (P < 0.05), suggesting that a sperm-related enzymatic reaction is involved in sperm motility. Under this protocol, MTT reduction was coupled with catalysis of GAPDH and was promoted by electron transfer from NADH. Based on this inhibitor study, sperm motility can be estimated using our paper-based MTT-assay.

  2. Deactivation of 6-Aminocoumarin Intramolecular Charge Transfer Excited State through Hydrogen Bonding

    PubMed Central

    Krystkowiak, Ewa; Dobek, Krzysztof; Maciejewski, Andrzej

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents results of the spectral (absorption and emission) and photophysical study of 6-aminocoumarin (6AC) in various aprotic hydrogen-bond forming solvents. It was established that solvent polarity as well as hydrogen-bonding ability influence solute properties. The hydrogen-bonding interactions between S1-electronic excited solute and solvent molecules were found to facilitate the nonradiative deactivation processes. The energy-gap dependence on radiationless deactivation in aprotic solvents was found to be similar to that in protic solvents. PMID:25244014

  3. Analysis of Material Sample Heated by Impinging Hot Hydrogen Jet in a Non-Nuclear Tester

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Ten-See; Foote, John; Litchford, Ron

    2006-01-01

    A computational conjugate heat transfer methodology was developed and anchored with data obtained from a hot-hydrogen jet heated, non-nuclear materials tester, as a first step towards developing an efficient and accurate multiphysics, thermo-fluid computational methodology to predict environments for hypothetical solid-core, nuclear thermal engine thrust chamber. The computational methodology is based on a multidimensional, finite-volume, turbulent, chemically reacting, thermally radiating, unstructured-grid, and pressure-based formulation. The multiphysics invoked in this study include hydrogen dissociation kinetics and thermodynamics, turbulent flow, convective and thermal radiative, and conjugate heat transfers. Predicted hot hydrogen jet and material surface temperatures were compared with those of measurement. Predicted solid temperatures were compared with those obtained with a standard heat transfer code. The interrogation of physics revealed that reactions of hydrogen dissociation and recombination are highly correlated with local temperature and are necessary for accurate prediction of the hot-hydrogen jet temperature.

  4. Structural characterization of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreated grasses exhibiting diverse lignin phenotypes

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background For cellulosic biofuels processes, suitable characterization of the lignin remaining within the cell wall and correlation of quantified properties of lignin to cell wall polysaccharide enzymatic deconstruction is underrepresented in the literature. This is particularly true for grasses which represent a number of promising bioenergy feedstocks where quantification of grass lignins is particularly problematic due to the high fraction of p-hydroxycinnamates. The main focus of this work is to use grasses with a diverse range of lignin properties, and applying multiple lignin characterization platforms, attempt to correlate the differences in these lignin properties to the susceptibility to alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic deconstruction. Results We were able to determine that the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to to glucose (i.e. digestibility) of four grasses with relatively diverse lignin phenotypes could be correlated to total lignin content and the content of p-hydroxycinnamates, while S/G ratios did not appear to contribute to the enzymatic digestibility or delignification. The lignins of the brown midrib corn stovers tested were significantly more condensed than a typical commercial corn stover and a significant finding was that pretreatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide increases the fraction of lignins involved in condensed linkages from 88–95% to ~99% for all the corn stovers tested, which is much more than has been reported in the literature for other pretreatments. This indicates significant scission of β-O-4 bonds by pretreatment and/or induction of lignin condensation reactions. The S/G ratios in grasses determined by analytical pyrolysis are significantly lower than values obtained using either thioacidolysis or 2DHSQC NMR due to presumed interference by ferulates. Conclusions It was found that grass cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes for grasses exhibiting a diversity of

  5. [Enzymatic analysis of the quality of foodstuffs].

    PubMed

    Kolesnov, A Iu

    1997-01-01

    Enzymatic analysis is an independent and separate branch of enzymology and analytical chemistry. It has become one of the most important methodologies used in food analysis. Enzymatic analysis allows the quick, reliable determination of many food ingredients. Often these contents cannot be determined by conventional methods, or if methods are available, they are determined only with limited accuracy. Today, methods of enzymatic analysis are being increasingly used in the investigation of foodstuffs. Enzymatic measurement techniques are used in industry, scientific and food inspection laboratories for quality analysis. This article describes the requirements of an optimal analytical method: specificity, sample preparation, assay performance, precision, sensitivity, time requirement, analysis cost, safety of reagents.

  6. Enzymatic regeneration of adenosine triphosphate cofactor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marshall, D. L.

    1974-01-01

    Regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) by enzymatic process which utilizes carbamyl phosphate as phosphoryl donor is technique used to regenerate expensive cofactors. Process allows complex enzymatic reactions to be considered as candidates for large-scale continuous processes.

  7. Study of Thermodynamic Vent and Screen Baffle Integration for Orbital Storage and Transfer of Liquid Hydrogen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cady, E. C.

    1973-01-01

    A comprehensive analytical and experimental program was performed to determine the feasibility of integrating an internal thermodynamic vent system and a full wall-screen liner for the orbital storage and transfer of liquid hydrogen (LH2). Ten screens were selected from a comprehensive screen survey. The experimental study determined the screen bubble point, flow-through pressure loss, and pressure loss along rectangular channels lined with screen on one side, for the 10 screens using LH2 saturated at 34.5 N/cm2 (50 psia). The correlated experimental data were used in an analysis to determine the optimum system characteristics in terms of minimum weight for 6 tanks ranging from 141.6 m3 (5,000 ft3) to 1.416 m3 (50 ft3) for orbital storage times of 30 and 300 days.

  8. New insights into designing metallacarborane based room temperature hydrogen storage media.

    PubMed

    Bora, Pankaj Lochan; Singh, Abhishek K

    2013-10-28

    Metallacarboranes are promising towards realizing room temperature hydrogen storage media because of the presence of both transition metal and carbon atoms. In metallacarborane clusters, the transition metal adsorbs hydrogen molecules and carbon can link these clusters to form metal organic framework, which can serve as a complete storage medium. Using first principles density functional calculations, we chalk out the underlying principles of designing an efficient metallacarborane based hydrogen storage media. The storage capacity of hydrogen depends upon the number of available transition metal d-orbitals, number of carbons, and dopant atoms in the cluster. These factors control the amount of charge transfer from metal to the cluster, thereby affecting the number of adsorbed hydrogen molecules. This correlation between the charge transfer and storage capacity is general in nature, and can be applied to designing efficient hydrogen storage systems. Following this strategy, a search for the best metallacarborane was carried out in which Sc based monocarborane was found to be the most promising H2 sorbent material with a 9 wt.% of reversible storage at ambient pressure and temperature.

  9. Hydrogen-bonding dynamics of free flavins in benzene and FAD in electron-transferring flavoprotein upon excitation.

    PubMed

    Sato, Kyousuke; Nishina, Yasuzou; Shiga, Kiyoshi; Tanaka, Fumio

    2003-01-01

    The dynamic natures of two hydrogen-bonding model systems, riboflavin tetrabutylate (RFTB)-trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and RFTB-phenol in benzene, and of electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) from pig kidney upon excitation of flavins was investigated by means of steady state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. In both model systems fluorescence intensities of RFTB decreased as TCA or phenol was added. The spectral characteristics of ETF under steady state excitation were quite similar to those of the RFTB-TCA system, but not to those of the RFTB-phenol system. The observed fluorescence decay curves of ETF fit well with the calculated decay curves with two lifetime components, as in the model systems. Averaged lifetime was 0.9 ns. The time-resolved fluorescence spectrum of ETF shifted toward longer wavelength with time after pulsed excitation, which was also observed in the RFTB-TCA system. In the RFTB-phenol system the emission spectrum did not shift at all with time. These results reveal that the dynamic nature of ETF can be ascribed to aliphatic hydrogen-bonding(s) of the isoalloxazine ring with surrounding amino acid(s). From the fluorescence characteristics of ETF in comparison with the model systems, human ETF and other flavoproteins, it was suggested that ETF from pig kidney does not contain Tyr-16 in the beta subunit, unlike human ETF.

  10. Hydrogen bonded charge transfer molecular salt (4-chloro anilinium-3-nitrophthalate) for photophysical and pharmacological applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singaravelan, K.; Chandramohan, A.; Saravanabhavan, M.; Muthu Vijayan Enoch, I. V.; Suganthi, V. S.

    2017-09-01

    Radical scavenging activity against DPPH radical and binding properties of a hydrogen bonded charge transfer molecular salt 4-chloro anilinium-3-nitrophthalate(CANP) with calf thymus DNA has been studied by electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy. The molecular structure and crystallinity of the CANP salt have been established by carried out powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis which indicated that cation and anion are linked through strong N+sbnd H…O- type of hydrogen bond. FTIR spectroscopic study was carried out to know the various functional groups present in the crystal. 1H and 13C NMR spectra were recorded to further confirm the molecular structure of the salt crystal. The thermal stability of the title salt was established by TG/DTA analyses simultaneously on the powdered sample of the title crystal. Further, the CANP salt was examined against various bacteria and fungi strains which showed a remarkable antimicrobial activity compared to that of the standards Ciproflaxin and Clotrimazole. The results showed that the CANP salt could interact with CT-DNA through intercalation. Antioxidant studies of the substrates alone and synthesized CANP salt showed that the latter has been better radical scavenging activity than that of the former against DPPH radical. The third order nonlinear susceptibility of the CANP salt was established by the Z-scan study.

  11. Linking protein structure and dynamics to catalysis: the role of hydrogen tunnelling

    PubMed Central

    Klinman, Judith P

    2006-01-01

    Early studies of enzyme-catalysed hydride transfer reactions indicated kinetic anomalies that were initially interpreted in the context of a ‘tunnelling correction’. An alternate model for tunnelling emerged following studies of the hydrogen atom transfer catalysed by the enzyme soybean lipoxygenase. This invokes full tunnelling of all isotopes of hydrogen, with reaction barriers reflecting the heavy atom, environmental reorganization terms. Using the latter approach, we offer an integration of the aggregate data implicating hydrogen tunnelling in enzymes (i.e. deviations from Swain–Schaad relationships and the semi-classical temperature dependence of the hydrogen isotope effect). The impact of site-specific mutations of enzymes plays a critical role in our understanding of the factors that control tunnelling in enzyme reactions. PMID:16873120

  12. An Effective Degumming Enzyme from Bacillus sp. Y1 and Synergistic Action of Hydrogen Peroxide and Protease on Enzymatic Degumming of Ramie Fibers

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Fenfen; Zou, Mouyong; Li, Xuezhi; Zhao, Jian; Qu, Yinbo

    2013-01-01

    Enzymatic degumming, as an alternative to chemical processing, has attracted wide attention. However, to date, little information about other enzyme components with effective degumming except pectinase has been reported, and there is no report about the effect of bleaching agent (H2O2) on enzymatic degumming and combining enzymatic degumming and H2O2 bleaching process. In this study, we found that the crude enzyme of wild-type Bacillus sp. Y1 had a powerful and fast degumming ability. Its PGL activity was the highest at pH 9.6–10.0 and 60°C and stable at pH 7–10.5 and 30–50°C, having a wide scope of pH and temperature. Its PGL also had a high H2O2 tolerance, and the gum loss and brightness of fibers could be significantly improved when H2O2 was added into it for degumming. The synergistic action was also found between it and H2O2 on the degumming and bleaching of ramie fibers. All showed that it was very suitable for a joint process of enzymatic degumming and H2O2 bleaching. It also contained more proteins compared with a control pectinase, and its high protease content was further substantiated as a factor for effective degumming. Protease and pectinase also had a synergistic action on degumming. PMID:23586022

  13. Bipyridinium array-type porous polymer displaying hydrogen storage, charge-transfer-type guest inclusion, and tunable magnetic properties.

    PubMed

    Yao, Qing-Xia; Pan, Long; Jin, Xu-Hui; Li, Jing; Ju, Zhan-Feng; Zhang, Jie

    2009-11-09

    A multifunctional pillared-layer porous coordination polymer, {[Mn(2)(Bpybc)(ox)(2)]8 H(2)O}(n), has been constructed based on a flexible viologen derivative, 1,1'-bis(4-carboxybenzyl)-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride (H(2)BpybcCl(2)), and an oxalate (ox) coligand. Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that the compound possesses multichannels with dimensions of about 6.1x6.6 A along the [110] and [-110] directions and 4.2x7.6 A along [100], and a void space of about 41.4 %. Hydrogen adsorption measurements at 77 K and 1 atm indicate that the compound exhibits a hydrogen uptake of 0.71 wt %. Owing to the incorporation of bipyridinium acceptor units, the compound can selectively accommodate aromatic donors into its nanosized pores based on charge-transfer interactions in an elastic way, and afford a specific color to different guests. Furthermore, the effect of perturbation exerted by the guest molecules on its magnetic properties has been investigated. The results indicate that the donor inclusion has little effect on its antiferromagnetic behavior, whereas dehydration of the compound decreases the strength of the magnetic exchange couplings and results in a change of the antiferromagnetic transition temperature from 14.7 to 9.8 K.

  14. Infrared spectra of proton transfer complexes of the cycleanine alkaloid in solid state

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kasende, Okuma E.; de Waal, D.

    2003-01-01

    Proton transfer complexes obtained between the cycleanine alkaloid and hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide and nitric acids have been investigated by infrared spectroscopic technique between 4000 and 400 cm -1 in KBr. The vibrational perturbations brought about by proton transfer complex formation, discussed in terms of preferred site of interaction, show that the proton of the inorganic acids is transferred to cycleanine through one of its N sites.

  15. A lactate electrochemical biosensor with a titanate nanotube as direct electron transfer promoter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Mingli; Wang, Jin; Li, Huaqing; Zheng, Jian-Guo; Wu, Nianqiang Nick

    2008-02-01

    Hydrogen titanate (H2Ti3O7) nanotubes (TNTs) have been synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal processing. Lactate oxidase (LOx) enzyme has been immobilized on the three-dimensional porous TNT network to make an electrochemical biosensor for lactate detection. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry tests reveal that the LOx enzyme, which is supported on TNTs, maintains their substrate-specific catalytic activity. The nanotubes offer the pathway for direct electron transfer between the electrode surface and the active redox centers of LOx, which enables the biosensor to operate at a low working potential and to avoid the influence of the presence of O2 on the amperometric current response. The biosensor exhibits a sensitivity of 0.24 µA cm-2 mM-1, a 90% response time of 5 s, and a linear response in the range from 0.5 to 14 mM and the redox center of enzyme obviates the need of redox mediators for electrochemical enzymatic sensors, which is attractive for the development of reagentless biosensors.

  16. Experimental Evidence for Hydrogen Tunneling when the Isotopic Arrhenius Prefactor (AH/AD) is Unity

    PubMed Central

    Sharma, Sudhir C.; Klinman, Judith P.

    2009-01-01

    The temperature dependence of the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is one of the major tools used for the investigation of hydrogen tunneling in condensed phase. Hydrogen transfer reactions displaying isotopic Arrhenius prefactor ratios (AH/AD) of unity are generally ascribed to a semi-classical mechanism. Here, we have identified a double mutant of soybean lipoxygenase (SLO-1, an enzyme previously shown to follow quantum mechanical hydrogen tunneling), that displays an AH/AD of unity and highly elevated (non-classical) KIEs. This observation highlights the shortcoming of assigning a hydrogen transfer reaction to a semi-classical model based solely on an Arrhenius prefactor ratio. PMID:19061319

  17. Hydrogen Purification Using Natural Zeolite Membranes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DelValle, William

    2003-01-01

    The School of Science at Universidad del Turabo (UT) have a long-lasting investigation plan to study the hydrogen cleaning and purification technologies. We proposed a research project for the synthesis, phase analysis and porosity characterization of zeolite based ceramic perm-selective membranes for hydrogen cleaning to support NASA's commitment to achieving a broad-based research capability focusing on aerospace-related issues. The present study will focus on technology transfer by utilizing inorganic membranes for production of ultra-clean hydrogen for application in combustion. We tested three different natural zeolite membranes (different particle size at different temperatures and time of exposure). Our results show that the membranes exposured at 900 C for 1Hr has the most higher permeation capacity, indicated that our zeolite membranes has the capacity to permeate hydrogen.

  18. Maltodextrin-powered enzymatic fuel cell through a non-natural enzymatic pathway

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Zhiguang; Wang, Yiran; Minteer, Shelley D.; Percival Zhang, Y.-H.

    Enzymatic fuel cells (EFCs) use a variety of fuels to generate electricity through oxidoreductase enzymes, such as oxidases or dehydrogenases, as catalysts on electrodes. We have developed a novel synthetic enzymatic pathway containing two free enzymes (maltodextrin phosphorylase and phosphoglucomutase) and one immobilized glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase that can utilize an oligomeric substrate maltodextrin for producing electrons mediated via a diaphorase and vitamin K 3 electron shuttle system. Three different enzyme immobilization approaches were compared based on electrostatic force entrapment, chemical cross-linking, and cross-linking with the aid of carbon nanotubes. At 10 mM glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) as a substrate concentration, the maximum power density of 0.06 mW cm -2 and retaining 42% of power output after 11 days were obtained through the method of chemical cross-linking with carbon nanotubes, approximately 6-fold and 3.5-fold better than those of the electrostatic force-based method, respectively. When changed to maltodextrin (degree of polymerization = 19) as the substrate, the EFC achieved a maximum power density of 0.085 mW cm -2. With the advantages of stable, low cost, high energy density, non-inhibitor to enzymes, and environmental friendly, maltodextrin is suggested to be an ideal fuel to power enzymatic fuel cells.

  19. Force-Manipulation Single-Molecule Spectroscopy Studies of Enzymatic Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, H. Peter; He, Yufan; Lu, Maolin; Cao, Jin; Guo, Qing

    2014-03-01

    Subtle conformational changes play a crucial role in protein functions, especially in enzymatic reactions involving complex substrate-enzyme interactions and chemical reactions. We applied AFM-enhanced and magnetic tweezers-correlated single-molecule spectroscopy to study the mechanisms and dynamics of enzymatic reactions involved with kinase and lysozyme proteins. Enzymatic reaction turnovers and the associated structure changes of individual protein molecules were observed simultaneously in real-time by single-molecule FRET detections. Our single-molecule spectroscopy measurements of enzymatic conformational dynamics have revealed time bunching effect and intermittent coherence in conformational state change dynamics involving in enzymatic reaction cycles. The coherent conformational state dynamics suggests that the enzymatic catalysis involves a multi-step conformational motion along the coordinates of substrate-enzyme complex formation and product releasing. Our results support a multiple-conformational state model, being consistent with a complementary conformation selection and induced-fit enzymatic loop-gated conformational change mechanism in substrate-enzyme active complex formation.

  20. Car-Parrinello simulation of hydrogen bond dynamics in sodium hydrogen bissulfate.

    PubMed

    Pirc, Gordana; Stare, Jernej; Mavri, Janez

    2010-06-14

    We studied proton dynamics of a short hydrogen bond of the crystalline sodium hydrogen bissulfate, a hydrogen-bonded ferroelectric system. Our approach was based on the established Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) methodology, followed by an a posteriori quantization of the OH stretching motion. The latter approach is based on snapshot structures taken from CPMD trajectory, calculation of proton potentials, and solving of the vibrational Schrodinger equation for each of the snapshot potentials. The so obtained contour of the OH stretching band has the center of gravity at about 1540 cm(-1) and a half width of about 700 cm(-1), which is in qualitative agreement with the experimental infrared spectrum. The corresponding values for the deuterated form are 1092 and 600 cm(-1), respectively. The hydrogen probability densities obtained by solving the vibrational Schrodinger equation allow for the evaluation of potential of mean force along the proton transfer coordinate. We demonstrate that for the present system the free energy profile is of the single-well type and features a broad and shallow minimum near the center of the hydrogen bond, allowing for frequent and barrierless proton (or deuteron) jumps. All the calculated time-averaged geometric parameters were in reasonable agreement with the experimental neutron diffraction data. As the present methodology for quantization of proton motion is applicable to a variety of hydrogen-bonded systems, it is promising for potential use in computational enzymology.

  1. Hydrogen Maser Clocks in Space for Solid-Earth Research and Time-Transfer Applications: Experiment Overview and Evaluation of Russian Miniature Sapphire Loaded Cavity,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    cavity, a technique pioneered at VNIIFTRI . Various contacts between West-European parties, headed by ESA, and the Russian parties, headed by RSA, Led...provided by ON and the other by VNIIFTRI . T/F transfer and precise positioning will be performed by both a microwave link, using PRARE equipment, and...sapphire loaded microwave cavity, on Loan from VNIIFTRI , was evaluated in a full-size EFOS hydrogen maser built by ON. The experimental evaluation

  2. Volume-energy parameters for heat transfer to supercritical fluids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumakawa, A.; Niino, M.; Hendricks, R. C.; Giarratano, P. J.; Arp, V. D.

    1986-01-01

    Reduced Nusselt numbers of supercritical fluids from different sources were grouped by several volume-energy parameters. A modified bulk expansion parameter was introduced based on a comparative analysis of data scatter. Heat transfer experiments on liquefied methane were conducted under near-critical conditions in order to confirm the usefulness of the parameters. It was experimentally revealed that heat transfer characteristics of near-critical methane are similar to those of hydrogen. It was shown that the modified bulk expansion parameter and the Gibbs-energy parameter grouped the heat transfer data of hydrogen, oxygen and methane including the present data on near-critical methane. It was also indicated that the effects of surface roughness on heat transfer were very important in grouping the data of high Reynolds numbers.

  3. Ammonia-hydrogen bromide and ammonia-hydrogen iodide complexes: anion photoelectron and ab initio studies.

    PubMed

    Eustis, S N; Whiteside, A; Wang, D; Gutowski, M; Bowen, K H

    2010-01-28

    The ammonia-hydrogen bromide and ammonia-hydrogen iodide, anionic heterodimers were studied by anion photoelectron spectroscopy. In complementary studies, these anions and their neutral counterparts were also investigated via ab initio theory at the coupled cluster level. In both systems, neutral NH(3)...HX dimers were predicted to be linear, hydrogen-bonded complexes, whereas their anionic dimers were found to be proton-transferred species of the form, (NH(4)(+)X(-))(-). Both experimentally measured and theoretically predicted vertical detachment energies (VDE) are in excellent agreement for both systems, with values for (NH(4)(+)Br(-))(-) being 0.65 and 0.67 eV, respectively, and values for (NH(4)(+)I(-))(-) being 0.77 and 0.81 eV, respectively. These systems are discussed in terms of our previous study of (NH(4)(+)Cl(-))(-).

  4. Design of metal cofactors activated by a protein–protein electron transfer system

    PubMed Central

    Ueno, Takafumi; Yokoi, Norihiko; Unno, Masaki; Matsui, Toshitaka; Tokita, Yuichi; Yamada, Masako; Ikeda-Saito, Masao; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yoshihito

    2006-01-01

    Protein-to-protein electron transfer (ET) is a critical process in biological chemistry for which fundamental understanding is expected to provide a wealth of applications in biotechnology. Investigations of protein–protein ET systems in reductive activation of artificial cofactors introduced into proteins remains particularly challenging because of the complexity of interactions between the cofactor and the system contributing to ET. In this work, we construct an artificial protein–protein ET system, using heme oxygenase (HO), which is known to catalyze the conversion of heme to biliverdin. HO uses electrons provided from NADPH/cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) through protein–protein complex formation during the enzymatic reaction. We report that a FeIII(Schiff-base), in the place of the active-site heme prosthetic group of HO, can be reduced by NADPH/CPR. The crystal structure of the Fe(10-CH2CH2COOH-Schiff-base)·HO composite indicates the presence of a hydrogen bond between the propionic acid carboxyl group and Arg-177 of HO. Furthermore, the ET rate from NADPH/CPR to the composite is 3.5-fold faster than that of Fe(Schiff-base)·HO, although the redox potential of Fe(10-CH2CH2COOH-Schiff-base)·HO (−79 mV vs. NHE) is lower than that of Fe(Schiff-base)·HO (+15 mV vs. NHE), where NHE is normal hydrogen electrode. This work describes a synthetic metal complex activated by means of a protein–protein ET system, which has not previously been reported. Moreover, the result suggests the importance of the hydrogen bond for the ET reaction of HO. Our Fe(Schiff-base)·HO composite model system may provide insights with regard to design of ET biosystems for sensors, catalysts, and electronics devices. PMID:16769893

  5. New insights into designing metallacarborane based room temperature hydrogen storage media

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bora, Pankaj Lochan; Singh, Abhishek K.

    Metallacarboranes are promising towards realizing room temperature hydrogen storage media because of the presence of both transition metal and carbon atoms. In metallacarborane clusters, the transition metal adsorbs hydrogen molecules and carbon can link these clusters to form metal organic framework, which can serve as a complete storage medium. Using first principles density functional calculations, we chalk out the underlying principles of designing an efficient metallacarborane based hydrogen storage media. The storage capacity of hydrogen depends upon the number of available transition metal d-orbitals, number of carbons, and dopant atoms in the cluster. These factors control the amount of chargemore » transfer from metal to the cluster, thereby affecting the number of adsorbed hydrogen molecules. This correlation between the charge transfer and storage capacity is general in nature, and can be applied to designing efficient hydrogen storage systems. Following this strategy, a search for the best metallacarborane was carried out in which Sc based monocarborane was found to be the most promising H{sub 2} sorbent material with a 9 wt.% of reversible storage at ambient pressure and temperature.« less

  6. Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol over Nitrogen-Doped Carbon-Supported Iron Catalysts.

    PubMed

    Li, Jiang; Liu, Jun-Ling; Zhou, Hong-Jun; Fu, Yao

    2016-06-08

    Iron-based heterogeneous catalysts, which were generally prepared by pyrolysis of iron complexes on supports at elevated temperature, were found to be capable of catalyzing the transfer hydrogenation of furfural (FF) to furfuryl alcohol (FFA). The effects of metal precursor, nitrogen precursor, pyrolysis temperature, and support on catalytic performance were examined thoroughly, and a comprehensive study of the reaction parameters was also performed. The highest selectivity of FFA reached 83.0 % with a FF conversion of 91.6 % under the optimal reaction condition. Catalyst characterization suggested that iron cations coordinated by pyridinic nitrogen functionalities were responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity. The iron catalyst could be recycled without significant loss of catalytic activity for five runs, and the destruction of the nitrogen-iron species, the presence of crystallized Fe2 O3 phase, and the pore structure change were the main reasons for catalyst deactivation. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Promiscuity in the Enzymatic Catalysis of Phosphate and Sulfate Transfer

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    The enzymes that facilitate phosphate and sulfate hydrolysis are among the most proficient natural catalysts known to date. Interestingly, a large number of these enzymes are promiscuous catalysts that exhibit both phosphatase and sulfatase activities in the same active site and, on top of that, have also been demonstrated to efficiently catalyze the hydrolysis of other additional substrates with varying degrees of efficiency. Understanding the factors that underlie such multifunctionality is crucial both for understanding functional evolution in enzyme superfamilies and for the development of artificial enzymes. In this Current Topic, we have primarily focused on the structural and mechanistic basis for catalytic promiscuity among enzymes that facilitate both phosphoryl and sulfuryl transfer in the same active site, while comparing this to how catalytic promiscuity manifests in other promiscuous phosphatases. We have also drawn on the large number of experimental and computational studies of selected model systems in the literature to explore the different features driving the catalytic promiscuity of such enzymes. Finally, on the basis of this comparative analysis, we probe the plausible origins and determinants of catalytic promiscuity in enzymes that catalyze phosphoryl and sulfuryl transfer. PMID:27187273

  8. Hydrogen and Storage Initiatives at the NASA JSC White Sands Test Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maes, Miguel; Woods, Stephen S.

    2006-01-01

    NASA WSTF Hydrogen Activities: a) Aerospace Test; b) System Certification & Verification; c) Component, System, & Facility Hazard Assessment; d) Safety Training Technical Transfer: a) Development of Voluntary Consensus Standards and Practices; b) Support of National Hydrogen Infrastructure Development.

  9. New electrochemiluminescent biosensors combining polyluminol and an enzymatic matrix.

    PubMed

    Sassolas, Audrey; Blum, Loïc J; Leca-Bouvier, Béatrice D

    2009-06-01

    Performant reagentless electrochemiluminescent (ECL) (bio)sensors have been developed using polymeric luminol as the luminophore. The polyluminol film is obtained by cyclic voltammetry (CV) on a screen-printed electrode either in a commonly used H(2)SO(4) medium or under more original near-neutral buffered conditions. ECL responses obtained after performing polymerization either at acidic pH or at pH 6 have been compared. It appears that polyluminol formed in near-neutral medium gives the best responses for hydrogen peroxide detection. Polymerization at pH 6 by cyclic voltammetry gives a linear range extending from 8 x 10(-8) to 1.3 x 10(-4) M H(2)O(2) concentrations. Based on this performant sensor for hydrogen peroxide detection, an enzymatic biosensor has been developed by associating the polyluminol film with an H(2)O(2)-producing oxidase. Here, choline oxidase (ChOD) has been chosen as a model enzyme. To develop the biosensor, luminol has been polymerized at pH 6 by CV, and then an enzyme-entrapping matrix has been formed on the above modified working electrode. Different biological (chitosan, agarose, and alginate) and chemical (silica gels, photopolymers, or reticulated matrices) gels have been tested. Best performances have been obtained by associating a ChOD-immobilizing photopolymer with the polyluminol film. In this case, choline can be detected with a linear range extending from 8 x 10(-8) to 1.3 x 10(-4) M.

  10. Enzymatic approaches to rare sugar production.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wenli; Zhang, Tao; Jiang, Bo; Mu, Wanmeng

    Rare sugars have recently attracted much attention because of their potential applications in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. A systematic strategy for enzymatic production of rare sugars, named Izumoring, was developed >10years ago. The strategy consists of aldose-ketose isomerization, ketose C-3 epimerization, and monosaccharide oxidation-reduction. Recent development of the Izumoring strategy is reviewed herein, especially the genetic approaches to the improvement of rare sugar-producing enzymes and the applications of target-oriented bioconversion. In addition, novel non-Izumoring enzymatic approaches are also summarized, including enzymatic condensation, phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cascade reaction, aldose epimerization, ulosonic acid decarboxylation, and biosynthesis of rare disaccharides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Use of Enzymatic Bio-Fenton as a New Approach in Decolorization of Malachite Green

    PubMed Central

    Karimi, Afzal; Aghbolaghy, Mostafa; Khataee, Alireza; Shoa Bargh, Shabnam

    2012-01-01

    An enzymatic reaction using glucose oxidase was applied for in situ production of hydrogen peroxide for use in simultaneously Fenton's reaction in decolorization of malachite green. It was found that decolorization rate increased by increasing of glucose concentration from 0.2 g/L to 1.5 g/L. Decolorization rate showed different behaviors versus temperature changes. Initial rate of decolorization process was increased by increasing of temperature; after 30 minutes, especially at temperatures above 30°C, the decolorization rate was gradually reduced. The pH value in the reaction media was decreased from natural to about pH = 3 which had synergic effect on the Fenton process by stabilizing of Fe2+ ions. PMID:22649310

  12. Ultralow charge-transfer resistance with ultralow Pt loading for hydrogen evolution and oxidation using Ru@Pt core-shell nanocatalysts

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Jia X.; Zhang, Yu; Capuano, Christopher B.; ...

    2015-07-15

    We evaluated the activities of well-defined Ru@Pt core-shell nanocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions (HER-HOR) using hanging strips of gas diffusion electrode (GDE) in solution cells. With gas transport limitation alleviated by micro-porous channels in the GDEs, the charge transfer resistances (CTRs) at the hydrogen reversible potential were conveniently determined from linear fit of ohmic-loss-corrected polarization curves. In 1M HClO₄ at 23°C, a CTR as low as 0.04 Ω cm² was obtained with only 20 μg cm⁻² Pt and 11 μg cm⁻² Ru using the carbon-supported Ru@Pt with 1:1 Ru:Pt atomic ratio. Derived from temperature-dependent CTRs, the activation barriermore » of the Ru@Pt catalyst for the HER-HOR in acids is 0.2 eV or 19 kJ mol⁻¹. Using the Ru@Pt catalyst with total metal loadings <50 μg cm⁻² for the HER in proton-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers, we recorded uncompromised activity and durability compared to the baseline established with 3 mg cm⁻² Pt black.« less

  13. Controlling enzymatic activity by immobilization on graphene oxide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bolibok, Paulina; Wiśniewski, Marek; Roszek, Katarzyna; Terzyk, Artur P.

    2017-04-01

    In this study, graphene oxide (GO) has been applied as a matrix for enzyme immobilization. The protein adsorption capacity of GO is much higher than of other large surface area carbonaceous materials. Its structure and physicochemical properties are reported beneficial also for enzymatic activity modifications. The experimental proof was done here that GO-based biocatalytic systems with immobilized catalase are modifiable in terms of catalyzed reaction kinetic constants. It was found that activity and stability of catalase, considered here as model enzyme, closely depend on enzyme/GO ratio. The changes in kinetic parameters can be related to secondary structure alterations. The correlation between enzyme/GO ratio and kinetic and structure parameters is reported for the first time and enables the conscious control of biocatalytic processes and their extended applications. The biological activity of obtained biocatalytic systems was confirmed in vitro by the use of functional test. The addition of immobilized catalase improved the cells' viability after they were exposed to hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl-hydroperoxide used as source of reactive oxygen species.

  14. Two-stage alkaline-enzymatic pretreatments to enhance biohydrogen production from sunflower stalks.

    PubMed

    Monlau, Florian; Trably, Eric; Barakat, Abdellatif; Hamelin, Jérôme; Steyer, Jean-Philippe; Carrere, Hélène

    2013-01-01

    Because of their rich composition in carbohydrates, lignocellulosic residues represent an interesting source of biomass to produce biohydrogen by dark fermentation. Nevertheless, pretreatments should be applied to enhance the solubilization of holocelluloses and increase their further conversion into biohydrogen. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thermo-alkaline pretreatment alone and combined with enzymatic hydrolysis to enhance biohydrogen production from sunflower stalks. A low increase of hydrogen potentials from 2.3 ± 0.9 to 4.4 ± 2.6 and 20.6 ± 5.6 mL of H2 g(-1) of volatile solids (VS) was observed with raw sunflower stalks and after thermo-alkaline pretreatment at 55 °C, 24 h, and 4% NaOH and 170 °C, 1 h, and 4% NaOH, respectively. Enzymatic pretreatment alone showed an enhancement of the biohydrogen yields to 30.4 mL of H2 g(-1) of initial VS, whereas it led to 49 and 59.5 mL of H2 g(-1) of initial VS when combined with alkaline pretreatment at 55 and 170 °C, respectively. Interestingly, a diauxic effect was observed with sequential consumption of sugars by the mixed cultures during dark fermentation. Glucose was first consumed, and once glucose was completely exhausted, xylose was used by the microorganisms, mainly related to Clostridium species.

  15. Circular states of atomic hydrogen

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lutwak, R.; Holley, J.; Chang, P.P.

    1997-08-01

    We describe the creation of circular states of hydrogen by adiabatic transfer of a Rydberg state in crossed electric and magnetic fields, and also by adiabatic passage in a rotating microwave field. The latter method permits rapid switching between the two circular states of a given n manifold. The two methods are demonstrated experimentally, and results are presented of an analysis of the field ionization properties of the circular states. An application for the circular states is illustrated by millimeter-wave resonance in hydrogen of the n=29{r_arrow}n=30 transition. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

  16. Controlled drive-in and precipitation of hydrogen during plasma hydrogenation of silicon using a thin compressively strained SiGe layer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Okba, F.; Departement Optique et Mecanique de Precision, Faculte des Sciences de l'Ingenieur, Universite Ferhat Abbas, Setif 19000; Cherkashin, N.

    2010-07-19

    We have quantitatively studied by transmission electron microscopy the growth kinetics of platelets formed during the continuous hydrogenation of a Si substrate/SiGe/Si heterostructure. We have evidenced and explained the massive transfer of hydrogen from a population of platelets initially generated in the upper Si layer by plasma hydrogenation towards a population of larger platelets located in the SiGe layer. We demonstrate that this type of process can be used not only to precisely localize the micro-cracks, then the fracture line at a given depth but also to 'clean' the top layer from pre-existing defects.

  17. Regioselectivity of enzymatic and photochemical single electron transfer promoted carbon-carbon bond fragmentation reactions of tetrameric lignin model compounds.

    PubMed

    Cho, Dae Won; Latham, John A; Park, Hea Jung; Yoon, Ung Chan; Langan, Paul; Dunaway-Mariano, Debra; Mariano, Patrick S

    2011-04-15

    New types of tetrameric lignin model compounds, which contain the common β-O-4 and β-1 structural subunits found in natural lignins, have been prepared and carbon-carbon bond fragmentation reactions of their cation radicals, formed by photochemical (9,10-dicyanoanthracene) and enzymatic (lignin peroxidase) SET-promoted methods, have been explored. The results show that cation radical intermediates generated from the tetrameric model compounds undergo highly regioselective C-C bond cleavage in their β-1 subunits. The outcomes of these processes suggest that, independent of positive charge and odd-electron distributions, cation radicals of lignins formed by SET to excited states of sensitizers or heme-iron centers in enzymes degrade selectively through bond cleavage reactions in β-1 vs β-O-4 moieties. In addition, the findings made in the enzymatic studies demonstrate that the sterically large tetrameric lignin model compounds undergo lignin peroxidase-catalyzed cleavage via a mechanism involving preliminary formation of an enzyme-substrate complex.

  18. Enzymatic hydrolysis of biomimetic bacterial cellulose-hemicellulose composites.

    PubMed

    Penttilä, Paavo A; Imai, Tomoya; Hemming, Jarl; Willför, Stefan; Sugiyama, Junji

    2018-06-15

    The production of biofuels and other chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is limited by the inefficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. Here a biomimetic composite material consisting of bacterial cellulose and wood-based hemicelluloses was used to study the effects of hemicelluloses on the enzymatic hydrolysis with a commercial cellulase mixture. Bacterial cellulose synthesized in the presence of hemicelluloses, especially xylan, was found to be more susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis than hemicellulose-free bacterial cellulose. The reason for the easier hydrolysis could be related to the nanoscale structure of the substrate, particularly the packing of cellulose microfibrils into ribbons or bundles. In addition, small-angle X-ray scattering was used to show that the average nanoscale morphology of bacterial cellulose remained unchanged during the enzymatic hydrolysis. The reported easier enzymatic hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose produced in the presence of wood-based xylan offers new insights to overcome biomass recalcitrance through genetic engineering. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Substitution-inert trinuclear platinum complexes efficiently condense/aggregate nucleic acids and inhibit enzymatic activity**

    PubMed Central

    Malina, Jaroslav; Farrell, Nicholas P.; Brabec, Viktor

    2015-01-01

    The trinuclear platinum complexes ([{Pt(NH3)3}2-μ-{trans-Pt(NH3)2(NH2(CH2)6NH2)2}]6+, TriplatinNC‐A; [{trans-Pt(NH3)2(NH2(CH2)6NH3+)}2-μ-{trans-Pt(NH3)2(NH2(CH2)6NH2)2}]8+, TriplatinNC) belong to a class of biologically active agents that bind to DNA via nonbonding noncovalent (hydrogen bonding, electrostatic) interactions. Charge delocalization (6+ to 8+) in these linear trinuclear platinum complexes results in a high cellular uptake and promising cytotoxic activity in several carcinoma cell lines. We show in the present work with the aid of the methods of biophysical chemistry that in particular TriplatinNC condenses DNA with unprecedented potency which is much higher than that of conventional DNA condensing agents. In addition, in contrast to other DNA condensing agents, both platinum complexes induce aggregation of small transfer RNA molecules. We also demonstrate for the first time that TriplatinNC-A and TriplatinNC in particular completely inhibit DNA transcriptional activity at markedly lower concentration than naturally occurring spermine. Notably, the topoisomerase I-mediated relaxation of supercoiled DNA was inhibited by TriplatinNC-A and TriplatinNC at ~60-fold and ~250-fold lower concentration than that of spermine, respectively. We suggest that the general mechanisms of biological activity of TriplatinNC-A and TriplatinNC may be associated with their unique ability to condense/aggregate nucleic acids with consequent inhibitory effect on crucial enzymatic activities. PMID:25256921

  20. Electron transfer flavoprotein domain II orientation monitored using double electron-electron resonance between an enzymatically reduced, native FAD cofactor, and spin labels.

    PubMed

    Swanson, Michael A; Kathirvelu, Velavan; Majtan, Tomas; Frerman, Frank E; Eaton, Gareth R; Eaton, Sandra S

    2011-03-01

    Human electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) is a soluble mitochondrial heterodimeric flavoprotein that links fatty acid β-oxidation to the main respiratory chain. The crystal structure of human ETF bound to medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase indicates that the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) domain (αII) is mobile, which permits more rapid electron transfer with donors and acceptors by providing closer access to the flavin and allows ETF to accept electrons from at least 10 different flavoprotein dehydrogenases. Sequence homology is high and low-angle X-ray scattering is identical for Paracoccus denitrificans (P. denitrificans) and human ETF. To characterize the orientations of the αII domain of P. denitrificans ETF, distances between enzymatically reduced FAD and spin labels in the three structural domains were measured by double electron-electron resonance (DEER) at X- and Q-bands. An FAD to spin label distance of 2.8 ± 0.15 nm for the label in the FAD-containing αII domain (A210C) agreed with estimates from the crystal structure (3.0 nm), molecular dynamics simulations (2.7 nm), and rotamer library analysis (2.8 nm). Distances between the reduced FAD and labels in αI (A43C) were between 4.0 and 4.5 ± 0.35 nm and for βIII (A111C) the distance was 4.3 ± 0.15 nm. These values were intermediate between estimates from the crystal structure of P. denitrificans ETF and a homology model based on substrate-bound human ETF. These distances suggest that the αII domain adopts orientations in solution that are intermediate between those which are observed in the crystal structures of free ETF (closed) and ETF bound to a dehydrogenase (open). Copyright © 2011 The Protein Society.

  1. Electron transfer flavoprotein domain II orientation monitored using double electron-electron resonance between an enzymatically reduced, native FAD cofactor, and spin labels

    PubMed Central

    Swanson, Michael A; Kathirvelu, Velavan; Majtan, Tomas; Frerman, Frank E; Eaton, Gareth R; Eaton, Sandra S

    2011-01-01

    Human electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) is a soluble mitochondrial heterodimeric flavoprotein that links fatty acid β-oxidation to the main respiratory chain. The crystal structure of human ETF bound to medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase indicates that the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) domain (αII) is mobile, which permits more rapid electron transfer with donors and acceptors by providing closer access to the flavin and allows ETF to accept electrons from at least 10 different flavoprotein dehydrogenases. Sequence homology is high and low-angle X-ray scattering is identical for Paracoccus denitrificans (P. denitrificans) and human ETF. To characterize the orientations of the αII domain of P. denitrificans ETF, distances between enzymatically reduced FAD and spin labels in the three structural domains were measured by double electron-electron resonance (DEER) at X- and Q-bands. An FAD to spin label distance of 2.8 ± 0.15 nm for the label in the FAD-containing αII domain (A210C) agreed with estimates from the crystal structure (3.0 nm), molecular dynamics simulations (2.7 nm), and rotamer library analysis (2.8 nm). Distances between the reduced FAD and labels in αI (A43C) were between 4.0 and 4.5 ± 0.35 nm and for βIII (A111C) the distance was 4.3 ± 0.15 nm. These values were intermediate between estimates from the crystal structure of P. denitrificans ETF and a homology model based on substrate-bound human ETF. These distances suggest that the αII domain adopts orientations in solution that are intermediate between those which are observed in the crystal structures of free ETF (closed) and ETF bound to a dehydrogenase (open). PMID:21308847

  2. Enzymatic Decontamination of Environmental Organophosphorus Compounds

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-12-04

    ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words) The abstract is below since many authors do not follow the 200 word limit 14. SUBJECT TERMS organophosphorus compounds ...5404 Enzymatic decontamination of environmental organophosphorus compounds REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION ON THIS PAGE...239-18 298-102 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UL - 4-Dec-2006 Enzymatic decontamination of environmental organophosphorus compounds

  3. Isotope Effects as Probes for Enzyme Catalyzed Hydrogen-Transfer Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Roston, Daniel; Islam, Zahidul; Kohen, Amnon

    2015-01-01

    Kinetic Isotope effects (KIEs) have long served as a probe for the mechanisms of both enzymatic and solution reactions. Here, we discuss various models for the physical sources of KIEs, how experimentalists can use those models to interpret their data, and how the focus of traditional models has grown to a model that includes motion of the enzyme and quantum mechanical nuclear tunneling. We then present two case studies of enzymes, thymidylate synthase and alcohol dehydrogenase, and discuss how KIEs have shed light on the C-H bond cleavages those enzymes catalyze. We will show how the combination of both experimental and computational studieshas changed our notion of how these enzymes exert their catalytic powers. PMID:23673528

  4. Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes bearing CCC-pincer bis-(carbene) ligands: synthesis, structures and activities toward recycle transfer hydrogenation reactions.

    PubMed

    Naziruddin, Abbas Raja; Huang, Zhao-Jiunn; Lai, Wei-Chih; Lin, Wan-Jung; Hwang, Wen-Shu

    2013-09-28

    A new series of ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes with benzene-based CCC-pincer bis-(carbene) ligands, [((R)CCC(R))Ru(CO)2(X)](0/+) and [((R)CCC(R))Ru(CO)(NN)](+) ((R)CCC(R) = 2,6-bis-(1-alkylimidazolylidene)benzene, R = Me or (n)Bu; X = I, Br, CH3CN, or 6-(aminomethyl)pyridine (ampy); NN = 2·CH3CN, or chelating ampy or bipyridine), was synthesized and fully characterized. X-Ray structure determinations revealed that these eight complexes have pseudo-octahedral configurations around the ruthenium center with the pincer ligand occupying three meridional sites. These complexes prove to be efficient precatalysts demonstrating very good activity and reusability for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones.

  5. Dual Mechanism of an Intramolecular Charge Transfer (ICT)-FRET-Based Fluorescent Probe for the Selective Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide.

    PubMed

    Liang, Xiao; Xu, Xiaoyi; Qiao, Dan; Yin, Zheng; Shang, Luqing

    2017-12-14

    A dual-mechanism intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)-FRET fluorescent probe for the selective detection of H 2 O 2 in living cells has been designed and synthesized. This probe used a coumarin-naphthalimide hybrid as the FRET platform and a boronate moiety as the recognition group. Upon the addition of H 2 O 2 , the probe exhibited a redshifted (73 nm) fluorescence emission, and the ratio of fluorescence intensities at λ=558 and 485 nm (F 558 /F 485 ) shifted notably (up to 100-fold). Moreover, there was a good linearity (R 2 =0.9911) between the ratio and concentration of H 2 O 2 in the range of 0 to 60 μm, with a limit of detection of 0.28 μm (signal to noise ratio (S/N)=3). This probe could also detect enzymatically generated H 2 O 2 . Importantly, it could be used to visualize endogenous H 2 O 2 produced by stimulation from epidermal growth factor. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Advanced water splitting for green hydrogen gas production through complete oxidation of starch by in vitro metabolic engineering.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jae-Eung; Kim, Eui-Jin; Chen, Hui; Wu, Chang-Hao; Adams, Michael W W; Zhang, Y-H Percival

    2017-11-01

    Starch is a natural energy storage compound and is hypothesized to be a high-energy density chemical compound or solar fuel. In contrast to industrial hydrolysis of starch to glucose, an alternative ATP-free phosphorylation of starch was designed to generate cost-effective glucose 6-phosphate by using five thermophilic enzymes (i.e., isoamylase, alpha-glucan phosphorylase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, phosphoglucomutase, and polyphosphate glucokinase). This enzymatic phosphorolysis is energetically advantageous because the energy of α-1,4-glycosidic bonds among anhydroglucose units is conserved in the form of phosphorylated glucose. Furthermore, we demonstrated an in vitro 17-thermophilic enzyme pathway that can convert all glucose units of starch, regardless of branched and linear contents, with water to hydrogen at a theoretic yield (i.e., 12 H 2 per glucose), three times of the theoretical yield from dark microbial fermentation. The use of a biomimetic electron transport chain enabled to achieve a maximum volumetric productivity of 90.2mmol of H 2 /L/h at 20g/L starch. The complete oxidation of starch to hydrogen by this in vitro synthetic (enzymatic) biosystem suggests that starch as a natural solar fuel becomes a high-density hydrogen storage compound with a gravimetric density of more than 14% H 2 -based mass and an electricity density of more than 3000Wh/kg of starch. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Preparation of Diacylglycerol from Lard by Enzymatic Glycerolysis and Its Compositional Characteristics

    PubMed Central

    Diao, Xiaoqin; Guan, Haining

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to prepare diacylglycerol (DAG) by enzymatic glycerolysis of lard. The effects of reaction parameters such as lipase type, reaction temperature, enzyme amount, substrate molar ratio (lard/glycerol), reaction time, and magnetic stirring speed were investigated. Lipozyme RMIM was found to be a more active biocatalyst than Novozym 435, and the optimal reaction conditions were 14:100 (W/W) of enzyme to lard substrate ratio, 1:1 of lard to glycerol molar ratio, and 500 rpm magnetic stirring speed. The reaction mixture was first incubated at 65℃ for 2 h and then transferred to 45℃ for 8 h. At the optimum reaction conditions, the conversion rate of triacylglycerol (TAG) and the content of DAG in the reaction mixture reached 76.26% and 61.76%, respectively, and the DAG content in purified glycerolized lard was 82.03% by molecular distillation. The distribution of fatty acids and Fourier transform infrared spectra in glycerolized lard samples were similar to those in lard samples. The results revealed that enzymatic glycerolysis and molecular distillation can be used to prepare more highly purified DAG from lard. PMID:29725202

  8. COLD-SAT: An orbital cryogenic hydrogen technology experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schuster, J. R.; Wachter, Joseph P.; Powers, Albert G.

    1989-01-01

    The COLD-SAT spacecraft will perform subcritical liquid hydrogen storage and transfer experiments under low-gravity conditions to provide engineering data for future space transportation missions. Consisting of an experiment module mated to a spacecraft bus, COLD-SAT will be placed in an initial 460 km circular orbit by an Atlas I commercial launch vehicle. After deployment, the three-axis-controlled spacecraft bus will provide electric power, experiment control and data management, communications, and attitude control along with propulsive acceleration levels ranging from 10(-6) to 10(-4)g. These accelerations are an important aspect of some of the experiments, as it is desired to know the effects that low gravity levels might have on the heat and mass transfer processes involved. The experiment module will contain the three liquid hydrogen tanks, valves, pressurization equipment, and instrumentation. At launch all the hydrogen will be in the largest tank, which has helium-purged MLI and is loaded and topped off by the hydrogen tanking system used for the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas. The two smaller tanks will be utilized in orbit for performing some of the experiments. The experiments are grouped into two classes on the basis of their priority, and include six regarded as enabling technology and nine regarded as enhancing technology.

  9. Oxidation levels differentially impact melanocytes: low versus high concentration of hydrogen peroxide promotes melanin synthesis and melanosome transfer.

    PubMed

    Tang, Luyan; Li, Jian; Lin, Xiao; Wu, Wenyu; Kang, Kefei; Fu, Wenwen

    2012-01-01

    UVB light can generate potentially harmful hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in vivo, but it can also promote the beneficial proliferation and migration of melanocytes. The successful use of UVB monotherapy for treatment of vitiligo suggests that H(2)O(2) may have a biphasic effect on melanin synthesis and melanosome transfer. To study the beneficial role of H(2)O(2) on melanogenesis and melanosome transport in living melanocytes and keratinocytes. A co-culture system model was constructed using the primary human melanocytes and keratinocytes. The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay was used to determine cell proliferation, NaOH was used to determine the melanin content, and real-time PCR was used to determine tyrosinase expression. Western blot was used to determine Rab-27A and protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) expression. This study demonstrated that tyrosinase was activated by low concentrations of H(2)O(2) (≤0.3 mM); however, this activity was downregulated by high concentrations of H(2)O(2) (>0.3 mM). Activation of high levels of melanin synthesis was induced when cells were treated with low concentrations of H(2)O(2) (0.3 mM). Further observation using an in vitro co-culture system of fluorescein (carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester, CFDA-SE)-labeled melanocytes and keratinocytes indicated that melanosome transfer occurred in normal human epidermal melanocytes. Fluorescence microscopy revealed increased melanosome transfer into keratinocytes treated with 0.3 mM H(2)O(2) in the co-culture compared to the control. Examination of melanosomes in the keratinocytes by flow cytometry confirmed these results. Furthermore, treatment with H(2)O(2) (0.3 mM) upregulated the expression of Rab-27A and PAR-2, significant proteins involved in melanosome transfer, according to Western blot. These results confirmed that low concentration levels of H(2)O(2) play a major role in the regulation of human pigmentation by increasing

  10. What's new in the proton transfer reaction from pyranine to water? A femtosecond study of the proton transfer dynamics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Prayer, C.; Gustavsson, T.; Tran-Thi, T.-H.

    1996-04-01

    The proton transfer from excited pyranine to water is studied by the femtosecond fluorescence upconversion technique. It is shown for the first time that the proton transfer reaction in water proceeds by three successive steps: the solvent cage relaxation, the specific solute-solvent hydrogen-bond formation and finally the ion pair dissociation/diffusion.

  11. Technology Development for Hydrogen Propellant Storage and Transfer at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Youngquist, Robert; Starr, Stanley; Krenn, Angela; Captain, Janine; Williams, Martha

    2016-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a major user of liquid hydrogen. In particular, NASA's John F. Kennedy (KSC) Space Center has operated facilities for handling and storing very large quantities of liquid hydrogen (LH2) since the early 1960s. Safe operations pose unique challenges and as a result NASA has invested in technology development to improve operational efficiency and safety. This paper reviews recent innovations including methods of leak and fire detection and aspects of large storage tank health and integrity. We also discuss the use of liquid hydrogen in space and issues we are addressing to ensure safe and efficient operations should hydrogen be used as a propellant derived from in-situ volatiles.

  12. Group transfer and electron transfer reactions of organometallic complexes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atwood, Jim D.

    During 1994, despite the disruptions, the authors have made progress in several aspects of their research on electron transfer reactions between organometallic complexes. This summary covers three areas that are relatively complete: (1) reactions between metal carbonyl anions and metal carbonyl halides, (2) reactions of hydrido- and alkyl-containing anions (RFe(CO)4(-) and RW(CO)5(-) with metal carbonyl cations; and (3) reactions of a seventeen-electron complex (Cp* Cr(CO)3*) with metal carbonyl derivatives. Two areas of examination that have just begun (possible carbene transfer and the possible role of metal carbonyl anions in carbon-hydrogen bond activation) will also be described.

  13. Bioelectrocatalytic NAD+/NADH inter-conversion: transformation of an enzymatic fuel cell into an enzymatic redox flow battery.

    PubMed

    Quah, Timothy; Milton, Ross D; Abdellaoui, Sofiene; Minteer, Shelley D

    2017-07-25

    Diaphorase and a benzylpropylviologen redox polymer were combined to create a bioelectrode that can both oxidize NADH and reduce NAD + . We demonstrate how bioelectrocatalytic NAD + /NADH inter-conversion can transform a glucose/O 2 enzymatic fuel cell (EFC) with an open circuit potential (OCP) of 1.1 V into an enzymatic redox flow battery (ERFB), which can be rapidly recharged by operation as an EFC.

  14. Effect of solvent hydrogen bonding on the photophysical properties of intramolecular charge transfer probe trans-ethyl p-(dimethylamino) cinamate and its derivative

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, T. Sanjoy; Moyon, N. S.; Mitra, Sivaprasad

    2009-08-01

    Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) behavior of trans-ethyl p-(dimethylamino) cinamate (EDAC) and 4-(dimethylamino) cinnamic acid (DMACA) were studied by steady state absorption and emission, picosecond time-resolved fluorescence experiments in various pure and mixed solvent systems. The large fluorescence spectral shift in more polar solvents indicates an efficient charge transfer from the donor site to the acceptor moiety in the excited state compared to the ground state. The energy for 0,0 transition ( ν0,0) for EDAC shows very good linear correlation with static solvent dielectric property; however, fluorescence emission maximum, stokes shift and fluorescence quantum yield show significant deviation from linearity in polar protic solvents, indicating a large contribution of solvent hydrogen bonding on the excited state relaxation mechanism. A quantitative estimation of contribution from different solvatochromic parameters was made using linear free energy relationship based on Kamlet-Taft equation.

  15. HYDROGENATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUNDS USING NI SUPPORT ON H-BETA ZEOLITE IN SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The primary rationale for use of supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent in hydrogenation is the elimination of mass transfer limitations, through enhancement of the solubility of hydrogen at the reaction locus. Hydrogenation of anthracene was performed using NiHB-zeolite catal...

  16. Ortho-para-hydrogen equilibration on Jupiter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carlson, Barbara E.; Lacis, Andrew A.; Rossow, William B.

    1992-01-01

    Voyager IRIS observations reveal that the Jovian para-hydrogen fraction is not in thermodynamic equilibrium near the NH3 cloud top, implying that a vertical gradient exists between the high-temperature equilibrium value of 0.25 at depth and the cloud top values. The height-dependent para-hydrogen profile is obtained using an anisotropic multiple-scattering radiative transfer model. A vertical correlation is found to exist between the location of the para-hydrogen gradient and the NH3 cloud, strongly suggesting that paramagnetic conversion on NH3 cloud particle surfaces is the dominant equilibration mechanism. Below the NH3 cloud layer, the para fraction is constant with depth and equal to the high-temperature equilibrium value of 0.25. The degree of cloud-top equilibration appears to depend on the optical depth of the NH3 cloud layer. Belt-zone variations in the para-hydrogen profile seem to be due to differences in the strength of the vertical mixing.

  17. The hydrogen-storing microporous silica 'Microcluster' reduces acetaldehyde contained in a distilled spirit.

    PubMed

    Kato, Shinya; Miwa, Nobuhiko

    2016-12-01

    Acetaldehyde is a detrimental substance produced in alcoholic liquor aging. We assessed an ability of hydrogen-storing microporous silica 'Microcluster' (MC+) to reduce acetaldehyde, as compared with autoclave-dehydrogenated MC+ (MC-). Acetaldehyde was quantified spectrophotometrically by an enzymatic method. Authentic acetaldehyde was treated by MC+ for 20min, and decreased from 43.4ppm to 10.9ppm, but maintained at 49.3ppm by MC-. On the other hand, acetaldehyde contained in a distilled spirit was decreased from 29.5ppm to 3.1ppm at 20min by MC+, but not decreased by MC-. Addition of MC+ or MC- to distilled water without acetaldehyde showed no seeming effect on the quantification used. Accordingly acetaldehyde in a distilled spirit is reduced to ethanol by hydrogen contained in MC+, but not by the silica moiety of MC+. Hydrogen gas of 1.2mL was released for 20min from MC+ of 0.59g in water, resulting in dissolved hydrogen of 1.09ppm and an oxidation- reduction potential of -687.0mV indicative of a marked reducing ability. Thus, MC+ has an ability to reduce acetaldehyde in a distilled spirit due to dissolved hydrogen released from MC+. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Ab initio study of charge transfer in B2+ low-energy collisions with atomic hydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turner, A. R.; Cooper, D. L.; Wang, J. G.; Stancil, P. C.

    2003-07-01

    Charge transfer processes due to collisions of ground state B2+(2s 2S) ions with atomic hydrogen are investigated using the quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (MOCC) method. The MOCC calculations utilize ab initio adiabatic potentials and nonadiabatic radial and rotational coupling matrix elements obtained with the spin-coupled valence-bond approach. Total and state-selective cross sections and rate coefficients are presented. Comparison with the existing experiments shows our results to be in good agreement. When E<80 eV/u, the differences between the current total MOCC cross sections with and without rotational coupling are small (<3%). Rotational coupling becomes more important with increasing energy: for collision energies E>400 eV/u, inclusion of rotational coupling increases the total cross section by 50% 80%, improving the agreement between the current calculations and experiments. For state-selective cross sections, rotational coupling induces mixing between different symmetries; however, its effect, especially at low collision energies, is not as important as had been suggested in previous work.

  19. A comparison of the distribution of enzymatically and non-enzymatically produced lead phosphate in insect flight muscle.

    PubMed

    Tice, L W

    1969-01-01

    Lead phosphate precipitates were produced in indirect flight muscles of Phormia regina by sequential incubation in solutions containing lead and inorganic phosphate and their distribution was compared with those produced by ATP hydrolysis in the presence of lead. Enzymatically produced precipitates were associated almost exclusively with thick filaments. Non-enzymatically produced precipitates were associated with thick filaments but were also found associated with thin filaments in significant numbers.

  20. An enzymatically-sensitized sequential and concentric energy transfer relay self-assembled around semiconductor quantum dots

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samanta, Anirban; Walper, Scott A.; Susumu, Kimihiro; Dwyer, Chris L.; Medintz, Igor L.

    2015-04-01

    The ability to control light energy within de novo nanoscale structures and devices will greatly benefit their continuing development and ultimate application. Ideally, this control should extend from generating the light itself to its spatial propagation within the device along with providing defined emission wavelength(s), all in a stand-alone modality. Here we design and characterize macromolecular nanoassemblies consisting of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), several differentially dye-labeled peptides and the enzyme luciferase which cumulatively demonstrate many of these capabilities by engaging in multiple-sequential energy transfer steps. To create these structures, recombinantly-expressed luciferase and the dye-labeled peptides were appended with a terminal polyhistidine sequence allowing for controlled ratiometric self-assembly around the QDs via metal-affinity coordination. The QDs serve to provide multiple roles in these structures including as central assembly platforms or nanoscaffolds along with acting as a potent energy harvesting and transfer relay. The devices are activated by addition of coelenterazine H substrate which is oxidized by luciferase producing light energy which sensitizes the central 625 nm emitting QD acceptor by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). The sensitized QD, in turn, acts as a relay and transfers the energy to a first peptide-labeled Alexa Fluor 647 acceptor dye displayed on its surface. This dye then transfers energy to a second red-shifted peptide-labeled dye acceptor on the QD surface through a second concentric Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) process. Alexa Fluor 700 and Cy5.5 are both tested in the role of this terminal FRET acceptor. Photophysical analysis of spectral profiles from the resulting sequential BRET-FRET-FRET processes allow us to estimate the efficiency of each of the transfer steps. Importantly, the efficiency of each step within this energy transfer cascade can be controlled to

  1. Homolytic cleavage of both heme-bound hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen sulfide leads to the formation of sulfheme

    DOE PAGES

    Arbelo-Lopez, Hector D.; Simakov, Nikolay A.; Smith, Jeremy C.; ...

    2016-06-29

    Many heme-containing proteins with a histidine in the distal E7 (HisE7) position can form sulfheme in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H 2S) and a reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide. For reasons unknown, sulfheme derivatives are formed specifically on solvent-excluded heme pyrrole B. Sulfhemes severely decrease the oxygen-binding affinity in hemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin (Mb). Here, use of hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods has permitted characterization of the entire process of sulfheme formation in the HisE7 mutant of hemoglobin I (HbI) from Lucina pectinata. This process includes a mechanism for H 2S to enter the solvent-excluded active sitemore » through a hydrophobic channel to ultimately form a hydrogen bond with H 2O 2 bound to Fe(III). Proton transfer from H 2O 2 to His64 to form compound (Cpd) 0, followed by hydrogen transfer from H 2S to the Fe(III) H 2O 2 complex, results in homolytic cleavage of the O–O and S–H bonds to form a reactive thiyl radical (HS*), ferryl heme Cpd II, and a water molecule. Subsequently, the addition of HS to Cpd II, followed by three proton transfer reactions, results in the formation of a three-membered ring ferric sulfheme that avoids migration of the radical to the protein matrix, in contrast to that in other peroxidative reactions. The transformation of this three-membered episulfide ring structure to the five-membered thiochlorin ring structure occurs through a significant potential energy barrier, although both structures are nearly isoenergetic. Both three- and five-membered ring structures reveal longer N B–Fe(III) bonds compared with other pyrrole nitrogen–Fe(III) bonds, which would lead to decreased oxygen binding. Altogether, these results are in agreement with a wide range of experimental data and provide fertile ground for further investigations of sulfheme formation in other heme proteins and additional effects of H 2S on cell signaling and reactivity.« less

  2. Homolytic cleavage of both heme-bound hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen sulfide leads to the formation of sulfheme

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Arbelo-Lopez, Hector D.; Simakov, Nikolay A.; Smith, Jeremy C.

    Many heme-containing proteins with a histidine in the distal E7 (HisE7) position can form sulfheme in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H 2S) and a reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide. For reasons unknown, sulfheme derivatives are formed specifically on solvent-excluded heme pyrrole B. Sulfhemes severely decrease the oxygen-binding affinity in hemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin (Mb). Here, use of hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods has permitted characterization of the entire process of sulfheme formation in the HisE7 mutant of hemoglobin I (HbI) from Lucina pectinata. This process includes a mechanism for H 2S to enter the solvent-excluded active sitemore » through a hydrophobic channel to ultimately form a hydrogen bond with H 2O 2 bound to Fe(III). Proton transfer from H 2O 2 to His64 to form compound (Cpd) 0, followed by hydrogen transfer from H 2S to the Fe(III) H 2O 2 complex, results in homolytic cleavage of the O–O and S–H bonds to form a reactive thiyl radical (HS*), ferryl heme Cpd II, and a water molecule. Subsequently, the addition of HS to Cpd II, followed by three proton transfer reactions, results in the formation of a three-membered ring ferric sulfheme that avoids migration of the radical to the protein matrix, in contrast to that in other peroxidative reactions. The transformation of this three-membered episulfide ring structure to the five-membered thiochlorin ring structure occurs through a significant potential energy barrier, although both structures are nearly isoenergetic. Both three- and five-membered ring structures reveal longer N B–Fe(III) bonds compared with other pyrrole nitrogen–Fe(III) bonds, which would lead to decreased oxygen binding. Altogether, these results are in agreement with a wide range of experimental data and provide fertile ground for further investigations of sulfheme formation in other heme proteins and additional effects of H 2S on cell signaling and reactivity.« less

  3. Enzymatic DNA molecules

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Joyce, Gerald F. (Inventor); Breaker, Ronald R. (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    The present invention discloses deoxyribonucleic acid enzymes--catalytic or enzymatic DNA molecules--capable of cleaving nucleic acid sequences or molecules, particularly RNA, in a site-specific manner, as well as compositions including same. Methods of making and using the disclosed enzymes and compositions are also disclosed.

  4. Production of hydrogen by electron transfer catalysis using conventional and photochemical means

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rillema, D. P.

    1981-01-01

    Alternate methods of generating hydrogen from the sulfuric acid thermal or electrochemical cycles are presented. A number of processes requiring chemical, electrochemical or photochemical methods are also presented. These include the design of potential photoelectrodes and photocatalytic membranes using Ru impregnated nafion tubing, and the design of experiments to study the catalyzed electrolytic formation of hydrogen and sulfuric acid from sulfur dioxide and water using quinones as catalysts. Experiments are carried out to determine the value of these approaches to energy conversion.

  5. Photo-fermentative hydrogen production from crop residue: A mini review.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Quanguo; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Zhiping; Lee, Duu-Jong; Zhou, Xuehua; Jing, Yanyan; Ge, Xumeng; Jiang, Danping; Hu, Jianjun; He, Chao

    2017-04-01

    Photofermentative hydrogen production from crop residues, if feasible, can lead to complete conversion of organic substances to hydrogen (and carbon dioxide). This mini review lists the studies on photofermentative hydrogen production using crop residues as feedstock. Pretreatment methods, substrate structure, mechanism of photosynthetic bacteria growth and metabolism were discussed. Photofermentative hydrogen production from pure culture, consortia and mutants, and the geometry, light sources, mass transfer resistances and the operational strategies of the photo-bioreactor were herein reviewed. Future studies of regulation mechanism of photosynthetic bacteria, such as highly-efficient strain breeding and gene reconstruction, and development of new-generation photo-bioreactor were suggested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Hydrogen production under salt stress conditions by a freshwater Rhodopseudomonas palustris strain.

    PubMed

    Adessi, Alessandra; Concato, Margherita; Sanchini, Andrea; Rossi, Federico; De Philippis, Roberto

    2016-03-01

    Hydrogen represents a possible alternative energy carrier to face the growing request for energy and the shortage of fossil fuels. Photofermentation for the production of H2 constitutes a promising way for integrating the production of energy with waste treatments. Many wastes are characterized by high salinity, and polluted seawater can as well be considered as a substrate. Moreover, the application of seawater for bacterial culturing is considered cost-effective. The aims of this study were to assess the capability of the metabolically versatile freshwater Rhodopseudomonas palustris 42OL of producing hydrogen on salt-containing substrates and to investigate its salt stress response strategy, never described before. R. palustris 42OL was able to produce hydrogen in media containing up to 3 % added salt concentration and to grow in media containing up to 4.5 % salinity without the addition of exogenous osmoprotectants. While the hydrogen production performances in absence of sea salts were higher than in their presence, there was no significant difference in performances between 1 and 2 % of added sea salts. Nitrogenase expression levels indicated that the enzyme was not directly inhibited during salt stress, but a regulation of its expression may have occurred in response to salt concentration increase. During cell growth and hydrogen production in the presence of salts, trehalose was accumulated as a compatible solute; it protected the enzymatic functionality against salt stress, thus allowing hydrogen production. The possibility of producing hydrogen on salt-containing substrates widens the range of wastes that can be efficiently used in production processes.

  7. Hydrogen atoms in protein structures: high-resolution X-ray diffraction structure of the DFPase

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Hydrogen atoms represent about half of the total number of atoms in proteins and are often involved in substrate recognition and catalysis. Unfortunately, X-ray protein crystallography at usual resolution fails to access directly their positioning, mainly because light atoms display weak contributions to diffraction. However, sub-Ångstrom diffraction data, careful modeling and a proper refinement strategy can allow the positioning of a significant part of hydrogen atoms. Results A comprehensive study on the X-ray structure of the diisopropyl-fluorophosphatase (DFPase) was performed, and the hydrogen atoms were modeled, including those of solvent molecules. This model was compared to the available neutron structure of DFPase, and differences in the protein and the active site solvation were noticed. Conclusions A further examination of the DFPase X-ray structure provides substantial evidence about the presence of an activated water molecule that may constitute an interesting piece of information as regard to the enzymatic hydrolysis mechanism. PMID:23915572

  8. Doping Ag in ZnO Nanorods to Improve the Performance of Related Enzymatic Glucose Sensors.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Fan; Jing, Weixuan; Liu, Pengcheng; Han, Dejun; Jiang, Zhuangde; Wei, Zhengying

    2017-09-27

    In this paper, the performance of a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod-based enzymatic glucose sensor was enhanced with silver (Ag)-doped ZnO (ZnO-Ag) nanorods. The effect of the doped Ag on the surface morphologies, wettability, and electron transfer capability of the ZnO-Ag nanorods, as well as the catalytic character of glucose oxidase (GOx) and the performance of the glucose sensor was investigated. The results indicate that the doped Ag slightly weakens the surface roughness and hydrophilicity of the ZnO-Ag nanorods, but remarkably increases their electron transfer ability and enhances the catalytic character of GOx. Consequently, the combined effects of the above influencing factors lead to a notable improvement of the performance of the glucose sensor, that is, the sensitivity increases and the detection limit decreases. The optimal amount of the doped Ag is determined to be 2 mM, and the corresponding glucose sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 3.85 μA/(mM·cm²), detection limit of 1.5 μM, linear range of 1.5 × 10 -3 -6.5 mM, and Michaelis-Menten constant of 3.87 mM. Moreover, the glucose sensor shows excellent selectivity to urea, ascorbic acid, and uric acid, in addition to displaying good storage stability. These results demonstrate that ZnO-Ag nanorods are promising matrix materials for the construction of other enzymatic biosensors.

  9. Doping Ag in ZnO Nanorods to Improve the Performance of Related Enzymatic Glucose Sensors

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Fan; Jing, Weixuan; Liu, Pengcheng; Han, Dejun; Jiang, Zhuangde; Wei, Zhengying

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, the performance of a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod-based enzymatic glucose sensor was enhanced with silver (Ag)-doped ZnO (ZnO-Ag) nanorods. The effect of the doped Ag on the surface morphologies, wettability, and electron transfer capability of the ZnO-Ag nanorods, as well as the catalytic character of glucose oxidase (GOx) and the performance of the glucose sensor was investigated. The results indicate that the doped Ag slightly weakens the surface roughness and hydrophilicity of the ZnO-Ag nanorods, but remarkably increases their electron transfer ability and enhances the catalytic character of GOx. Consequently, the combined effects of the above influencing factors lead to a notable improvement of the performance of the glucose sensor, that is, the sensitivity increases and the detection limit decreases. The optimal amount of the doped Ag is determined to be 2 mM, and the corresponding glucose sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 3.85 μA/(mM·cm2), detection limit of 1.5 μM, linear range of 1.5 × 10−3–6.5 mM, and Michaelis-Menten constant of 3.87 mM. Moreover, the glucose sensor shows excellent selectivity to urea, ascorbic acid, and uric acid, in addition to displaying good storage stability. These results demonstrate that ZnO-Ag nanorods are promising matrix materials for the construction of other enzymatic biosensors. PMID:28953217

  10. Impact of mutation on proton transfer reactions in ketosteroid isomerase: insights from molecular dynamics simulations.

    PubMed

    Chakravorty, Dhruva K; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

    2010-06-02

    The two proton transfer reactions catalyzed by ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) involve a dienolate intermediate stabilized by hydrogen bonds with Tyr14 and Asp99. Molecular dynamics simulations based on an empirical valence bond model are used to examine the impact of mutating these residues on the hydrogen-bonding patterns, conformational changes, and van der Waals and electrostatic interactions during the proton transfer reactions. While the rate constants for the two proton transfer steps are similar for wild-type (WT) KSI, the simulations suggest that the rate constant for the first proton transfer step is smaller in the mutants due to the significantly higher free energy of the dienolate intermediate relative to the reactant. The calculated rate constants for the mutants D99L, Y14F, and Y14F/D99L relative to WT KSI are qualitatively consistent with the kinetic experiments indicating a significant reduction in the catalytic rates along the series of mutants. In the simulations, WT KSI retained two hydrogen-bonding interactions between the substrate and the active site, while the mutants typically retained only one hydrogen-bonding interaction. A new hydrogen-bonding interaction between the substrate and Tyr55 was observed in the double mutant, leading to the prediction that mutation of Tyr55 will have a greater impact on the proton transfer rate constants for the double mutant than for WT KSI. The electrostatic stabilization of the dienolate intermediate relative to the reactant was greater for WT KSI than for the mutants, providing a qualitative explanation for the significantly reduced rates of the mutants. The active site exhibited restricted motion during the proton transfer reactions, but small conformational changes occurred to facilitate the proton transfer reactions by strengthening the hydrogen-bonding interactions and by bringing the proton donor and acceptor closer to each other with the proper orientation for proton transfer. Thus, these calculations

  11. BASE-CATALYZED DESTRUCTION OF PCBS-NEW DONORS, NEW TRANSFER AGENTS/CATALYSTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The use of hydrogen transfer agents and catalysts to improve the base-catalyzed decomposition of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated. The reaction proceeded only in the presence of base, but the rate of PCB disappearance increased with increasing amount of hydrogen ...

  12. Synthesis, spectral and thermal studies of the newly hydrogen bonded charge transfer complex of o-phenylenediamine with π acceptor picric acid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Ishaat M.; Ahmad, Afaq

    2010-10-01

    Newly proton or charge transfer complex [(OPDH) +(PA) -] was synthesized by the reaction of the donor, o-phenylenediamine (OPD) with acceptor, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (PAH). The chemical reaction has occurred via strong hydrogen bonding followed by migration of proton from acceptor to donor. UV-vis, 1H NMR and FTIR spectra, in addition to the thermal and elemental analysis were used to confirm the proposed occurrence of the chemical reaction and to investigate the newly synthesized solid CT complex. The stoichiometry of the CT complex was found to be 1:1. The formation constant and molar extinction coefficient of the CT complex were evaluated by the Benesi-Hildebrand equation.

  13. Hydrogen-bonded structures from adamantane-based catechols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawahata, Masatoshi; Matsuura, Miku; Tominaga, Masahide; Katagiri, Kosuke; Yamaguchi, Kentaro

    2018-07-01

    Adamantane-based bis- and tris-catechols were synthesized to examine the effect of hydrogen bonds on the arrangement and packing of the components in the crystalline state. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that hydrogen bonds formed by the hydroxyl groups of catechol groups play essential roles in the production of various types of unique structures. 1,3-Bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)adamantane (1) provided hydrogen-bonded network structures composed of helical chains in crystal from chloroform/methanol, and layer structures in crystal from ethyl acetate/hexane. The complexation of 1 with 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene or 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene resulted in the formation of co-crystals, respectively. One-dimensional hydrogen-bonded structures were constructed from the adamantane-based molecules, which participated in charge-transfer interactions with guests. 1,3,5-Tris(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)adamantane also afforded crystal, and the components were assembled into infinite polymers.

  14. Safety in new uses of hydrogen energy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knowlton, R. E.

    The paper presents the results of two projects of the Canadian Hydrogen Safety Committee: one concerned with the safety of hydrogen as a ground transportation fuel (with emphasis on LH2), and the other concerned with finding new uses for hydrogen energy. Bulk storage distribution, retail storage, refueling, and in-vehicle use of LH2 are discussed together with the hazards of LH2 use. Applications discussed include: (1) small submarines (with 3-11 crew members) for under-ice operations and for maintenance of installations; (2) mine vehicles; (3) the use of radiant heat from H2-O2 flames to disperse fog by radiant heat transfer; and (4) the use of slush hydrogen both as a fuel and for superconducting motors and magnets. The latter concept could become the basis for a high-speed passenger transport system with linear motors and magnetic levitation.

  15. The Prediction of Nozzle Performance and Heat Transfer in Hydrogen/Oxygen Rocket Engines with Transpiration Cooling, Film Cooling, and High Area Ratios

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kacynski, Kenneth J.; Hoffman, Joe D.

    1994-01-01

    An advanced engineering computational model has been developed to aid in the analysis of chemical rocket engines. The complete multispecies, chemically reacting and diffusing Navier-Stokes equations are modelled, including the Soret thermal diffusion and Dufour energy transfer terms. Demonstration cases are presented for a 1030:1 area ratio nozzle, a 25 lbf film-cooled nozzle, and a transpiration-cooled plug-and-spool rocket engine. The results indicate that the thrust coefficient predictions of the 1030:1 nozzle and the film-cooled nozzle are within 0.2 to 0.5 percent, respectively, of experimental measurements. Further, the model's predictions agree very well with the heat transfer measurements made in all of the nozzle test cases. It is demonstrated that thermal diffusion has a significant effect on the predicted mass fraction of hydrogen along the wall of the nozzle and was shown to represent a significant fraction of the diffusion fluxes occurring in the transpiration-cooled rocket engine.

  16. Hydrogen dimer structures in the far-infrared spectra of Jupiter and Saturn

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frommhold, L.; Samuelson, R.; Birnbaum, G.

    1984-01-01

    On the basis of a spectral line shape computation and radiative transfer calculations, it is shown that the unexplained, diminutive structures seen in the Voyager IRIS Jovian spectra near the hydrogen S0(0) and S0(1) rotational frequencies are due to bound-free transitions involving hydrogen dimers. The absorption intensities of these transitions, as well as of the collision-induced background, are given. These dimer structures may possibly prove to be useful for determining the helium/hydrogen ratio and the para-hydrogen fraction in the atmospheres of the outer planets.

  17. Effect of sub- and supercritical water treatments on the physicochemical properties of crab shell chitin and its enzymatic degradation.

    PubMed

    Osada, Mitsumasa; Miura, Chika; Nakagawa, Yuko S; Kaihara, Mikio; Nikaido, Mitsuru; Totani, Kazuhide

    2015-12-10

    This study examined the effects of sub- and supercritical water pretreatments on the physicochemical properties of crab shell α-chitin and its enzymatic degradation to obtain N,N'-diacetylchitobiose (GlcNAc)2. Following sub- and supercritical water pretreatments, the protein in the crab shell was removed and the residue of crab shell contained α-chitin and CaCO3. Prolonged pretreatment led to α-chitin decomposition. The reaction of pure α-chitin in sub- and supercritical water pretreatments was investigated separately; we observed lower mean molecular weight and weaker hydrogen bonds compared with untreated α-chitin. (GlcNAc)2 yields from enzymatic degradation of subcritical (350 °C, 7 min) and supercritical water (400 °C, 2.5 min) pretreated crab shell were 8% and 6%, compared with 0% without any pretreatment. This study shows that sub- and supercritical water pretreatments of crab shell provide to an alternative method to the use of acid and base for decalcification and deproteinization of crab shell required for (GlcNAc)2 production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Total enzymatic synthesis of cholecystokinin CCK-5.

    PubMed

    Xiang, H; Xiang, G Y; Lu, Z M; Guo, L; Eckstein, H

    2004-08-01

    This paper describes the enzymatic synthesis of the C-terminal fragment H-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 of cholecystokinin. Immobilized enzymes were used for the formation of all peptide bonds except thermolysin. Beginning the synthesis with phenylacetyl (PhAc) glycine carboxamidomethyl ester (OCam) and H-Trp-OMe by using immobilized papain as biocatalyst in buffered ethyl acetate, the dipeptide methyl ester was then coupled directly with Met-OEt.HCl by alpha-chymotrypsin/Celite 545 in a solvent free system. For the 3+2 coupling PhAc-Gly-Trp-Met-OEt had to be converted into its OCam ester. The other fragment H-Asp(OMe)-Phe-NH2 resulted from the coupling of Cbo-Asp(OMe)-OH with H-Phe-NH2.HCl and thermolysin as catalyst, followed by catalytic hydrogenation. Finally PhAc-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 was obtained in a smooth reaction from PhAc-Gly-Trp-Met-OCam and H-Asp(OMe)-Phe-NH2 with alpha-chymotrypsin/Celite 545 in acetonitrile, followed by basic hydrolysis of the beta-methyl ester. The PhAc-group is removed with penicillin G amidase and CCK-5 is obtained in an overall isolated yield of 19.6%.

  19. Dehydrogenation, disproportionation and transfer hydrogenation reactions of formic acid catalyzed by molybdenum hydride compounds.

    PubMed

    Neary, Michelle C; Parkin, Gerard

    2015-03-01

    The cyclopentadienyl molybdenum hydride compounds, Cp R Mo(PMe 3 ) 3- x (CO) x H (Cp R = Cp, Cp*; x = 0, 1, 2 or 3), are catalysts for the dehydrogenation of formic acid, with the most active catalysts having the composition Cp R Mo(PMe 3 ) 2 (CO)H. The mechanism of the catalytic cycle is proposed to involve (i) protonation of the molybdenum hydride complex, (ii) elimination of H 2 and coordination of formate, and (iii) decarboxylation of the formate ligand to regenerate the hydride species. NMR spectroscopy indicates that the nature of the resting state depends on the composition of the catalyst. For example, (i) the resting states for the CpMo(CO) 3 H and CpMo(PMe 3 )(CO) 2 H systems are the hydride complexes themselves, (ii) the resting state for the CpMo(PMe 3 ) 3 H system is the protonated species [CpMo(PMe 3 ) 3 H 2 ] + , and (iii) the resting state for the CpMo(PMe 3 ) 2 (CO)H system is the formate complex, CpMo(PMe 3 ) 2 (CO)(κ 1 -O 2 CH), in the presence of a high concentration of formic acid, but CpMo(PMe 3 ) 2 (CO)H when the concentration of acid is low. While CO 2 and H 2 are the principal products of the catalytic reaction induced by Cp R Mo(PMe 3 ) 3- x (CO) x H, methanol and methyl formate are also observed. The generation of methanol is a consequence of disproportionation of formic acid, while methyl formate is a product of subsequent esterification. The disproportionation of formic acid is a manifestation of a transfer hydrogenation reaction, which may also be applied to the reduction of aldehydes and ketones. Thus, CpMo(CO) 3 H also catalyzes the reduction of a variety of ketones and aldehydes to alcohols by formic acid, via a mechanism that involves ionic hydrogenation.

  20. Hydrogen Plasma Processing of Iron Ore

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sabat, Kali Charan; Murphy, Anthony B.

    2017-06-01

    Iron is currently produced by carbothermic reduction of oxide ores. This is a multiple-stage process that requires large-scale equipment and high capital investment, and produces large amounts of CO2. An alternative to carbothermic reduction is reduction using a hydrogen plasma, which comprises vibrationally excited molecular, atomic, and ionic states of hydrogen, all of which can reduce iron oxides, even at low temperatures. Besides the thermodynamic and kinetic advantages of a hydrogen plasma, the byproduct of the reaction is water, which does not pose any environmental problems. A review of the theory and practice of iron ore reduction using a hydrogen plasma is presented. The thermodynamic and kinetic aspects are considered, with molecular, atomic and ionic hydrogen considered separately. The importance of vibrationally excited hydrogen molecules in overcoming the activation energy barriers, and in transferring energy to the iron oxide, is emphasized. Both thermal and nonthermal plasmas are considered. The thermophysical properties of hydrogen and argon-hydrogen plasmas are discussed, and their influence on the constriction and flow in the of arc plasmas is considered. The published R&D on hydrogen plasma reduction of iron oxide is reviewed, with both the reduction of molten iron ore and in-flight reduction of iron ore particles being considered. Finally, the technical and economic feasibility of the process are discussed. It is shown that hydrogen plasma processing requires less energy than carbothermic reduction, mainly because pelletization, sintering, and cokemaking are not required. Moreover, the formation of the greenhouse gas CO2 as a byproduct is avoided. In-flight reduction has the potential for a throughput at least equivalent to the blast furnace process. It is concluded that hydrogen plasma reduction of iron ore is a potentially attractive alternative to standard methods.

  1. Enzymatic Inverse Opal Hydrogel Particles for Biocatalyst.

    PubMed

    Wang, Huan; Gu, Hongcheng; Chen, Zhuoyue; Shang, Luoran; Zhao, Ze; Gu, Zhongze; Zhao, Yuanjin

    2017-04-19

    Enzymatic carriers have a demonstrated value for chemical reactions and industrial applications. Here, we present a novel kind of inverse opal hydrogel particles as the enzymatic carriers. The particles were negatively replicated from spherical colloidal crystal templates by using magnetic nanoparticles tagged acrylamide hydrogel. Thus, they were endowed with the features of monodispersity, small volume, complete penetrating structure, and controllable motion, which are all beneficial for improving the efficiency of biocatalysis. In addition, due to the ordered porous nanostructure, the inverse opal hydrogel particles were imparted with unique photonic band gaps (PBGs) and vivid structural colors for encoding varieties of immobilized enzymes and for constructing a multienzymes biocatalysis system. These features of the inverse opal hydrogel particles indicate that they are ideal enzymatic carriers for biocatalysis.

  2. Enzymatic Processes in Marine Biotechnology.

    PubMed

    Trincone, Antonio

    2017-03-25

    In previous review articles the attention of the biocatalytically oriented scientific community towards the marine environment as a source of biocatalysts focused on the habitat-related properties of marine enzymes. Updates have already appeared in the literature, including marine examples of oxidoreductases, hydrolases, transferases, isomerases, ligases, and lyases ready for food and pharmaceutical applications. Here a new approach for searching the literature and presenting a more refined analysis is adopted with respect to previous surveys, centering the attention on the enzymatic process rather than on a single novel activity. Fields of applications are easily individuated: (i) the biorefinery value-chain, where the provision of biomass is one of the most important aspects, with aquaculture as the prominent sector; (ii) the food industry, where the interest in the marine domain is similarly developed to deal with the enzymatic procedures adopted in food manipulation; (iii) the selective and easy extraction/modification of structurally complex marine molecules, where enzymatic treatments are a recognized tool to improve efficiency and selectivity; and (iv) marine biomarkers and derived applications (bioremediation) in pollution monitoring are also included in that these studies could be of high significance for the appreciation of marine bioprocesses.

  3. Enzymatic Processes in Marine Biotechnology

    PubMed Central

    Trincone, Antonio

    2017-01-01

    In previous review articles the attention of the biocatalytically oriented scientific community towards the marine environment as a source of biocatalysts focused on the habitat-related properties of marine enzymes. Updates have already appeared in the literature, including marine examples of oxidoreductases, hydrolases, transferases, isomerases, ligases, and lyases ready for food and pharmaceutical applications. Here a new approach for searching the literature and presenting a more refined analysis is adopted with respect to previous surveys, centering the attention on the enzymatic process rather than on a single novel activity. Fields of applications are easily individuated: (i) the biorefinery value-chain, where the provision of biomass is one of the most important aspects, with aquaculture as the prominent sector; (ii) the food industry, where the interest in the marine domain is similarly developed to deal with the enzymatic procedures adopted in food manipulation; (iii) the selective and easy extraction/modification of structurally complex marine molecules, where enzymatic treatments are a recognized tool to improve efficiency and selectivity; and (iv) marine biomarkers and derived applications (bioremediation) in pollution monitoring are also included in that these studies could be of high significance for the appreciation of marine bioprocesses. PMID:28346336

  4. Printing enzymatic reactions.

    PubMed

    Tian, Junfei; Shen, Wei

    2011-02-07

    We used relief and planographic printing methods to print the catalytic effect of an enzyme, but not the enzyme molecules, onto paper. Printing enzymatic reactions have applications in bioactive papers, low-cost diagnostics, anti-counterfeiting devices and advanced packaging materials. These methods can create novel printing effects on commodity surfaces for advanced applications.

  5. Nickel-Based Superalloy Resists Embrittlement by Hydrogen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Jonathan; Chen, PoShou

    2008-01-01

    A nickel-based superalloy that resists embrittlement by hydrogen more strongly than does nickel alloy 718 has been developed. Nickel alloy 718 is the most widely used superalloy. It has excellent strength and resistance to corrosion as well as acceptably high ductility, and is recognized as the best alloy for many high-temperature applications. However, nickel alloy 718 is susceptible to embrittlement by hydrogen and to delayed failure and reduced tensile properties in gaseous hydrogen. The greater resistance of the present nickel-based superalloy to adverse effects of hydrogen makes this alloy a superior alternative to nickel alloy 718 for applications that involve production, transfer, and storage of hydrogen, thereby potentially contributing to the commercial viability of hydrogen as a clean-burning fuel. The table shows the composition of the present improved nickel-based superalloy in comparison with that of nickel alloy 718. This composition was chosen to obtain high resistance to embrittlement by hydrogen while maintaining high strength and exceptional resistance to oxidation and corrosion. The most novel property of this alloy is that it resists embrittlement by hydrogen while retaining tensile strength greater than 175 kpsi (greater than 1.2 GPa). This alloy exhibits a tensile elongation of more than 20 percent in hydrogen at a pressure of 5 kpsi (approximately equal to 34 MPa) without loss of ductility. This amount of elongation corresponds to 50 percent more ductility than that exhibited by nickel alloy 718 under the same test conditions.

  6. Transition-state charge transfer reveals electrophilic, ambiphilic, and nucleophilic carbon-hydrogen bond activation.

    PubMed

    Ess, Daniel H; Nielsen, Robert J; Goddard, William A; Periana, Roy A

    2009-08-26

    Absolutely localized molecular orbital energy decomposition analysis of C-H activation transition states (TSs), including Pt, Au, Ir, Ru, W, Sc, and Re metal centers, shows an electrophilic, ambiphilic, and nucleophilic charge transfer (CT) continuum irrespective of the bonding paradigm (oxidative addition, sigma-bond metathesis, oxidative hydrogen migration, 1,2-substitution). Pt(II) insertion and Au(III) substitution TSs are highly electrophilic and dominated by C-H bond to metal/ligand orbital stabilization, while Ir-X and Ru-X (X = R, NH(2), OR, or BOR(2)) substitution TSs are ambiphilic in nature. In this ambiphilic activation regime, an increase in one direction of CT typically leads to a decrease in the reverse direction. Comparison of Tp(CO)Ru-OH and Tp(CO)Ru-NH(2) complexes showed no evidence for the classic d(pi)-p(pi) repulsion model. Complexes such as and Cp(CO)(2)W-B(OR)(2), (PNP)Ir(I), Cp(2)ScMe, and (acac-kappaO,kappaO)(2)Re(III)-OH were found to mediate nucleophilic C-H activation, where the CT is dominated by the metal/ligand orbital to C-H antibonding orbital interaction. This CT continuum ultimately affects the metal-alkyl intermediate polarization and possible functionalization reactions. This analysis will impact the design of new activation reactions and stimulate the discovery of more nucleophilic activation complexes.

  7. Optimization study on the hydrogen peroxide pretreatment and production of bioethanol from seaweed Ulva prolifera biomass.

    PubMed

    Li, Yinping; Cui, Jiefen; Zhang, Gaoli; Liu, Zhengkun; Guan, Huashi; Hwang, Hueymin; Aker, Winfred G; Wang, Peng

    2016-08-01

    The seaweed Ulva prolifera, distributed in inter-tidal zones worldwide, contains a large percentage of cellulosic materials. The technical feasibility of using U. prolifera residue (UPR) obtained after extraction of polysaccharides as a renewable energy resource was investigated. An environment-friendly and economical pretreatment process was conducted using hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide pretreatment improved the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. The resulting yield of reducing sugar reached a maximum of 0.42g/g UPR under the optimal pretreatment condition (hydrogen peroxide 0.2%, 50°C, pH 4.0, 12h). The rate of conversion of reducing sugar in the concentrated hydrolysates to bioethanol reached 31.4% by Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation, which corresponds to 61.7% of the theoretical maximum yield. Compared with other reported traditional processes on Ulva biomass, the reducing sugar and bioethanol yield are substantially higher. Thus, hydrogen peroxide pretreatment is an effective enhancement of the process of bioethanol production from the seaweed U. prolifera. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Electronic origin of the dependence of hydrogen bond strengths on nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor hydrogen bonds in polyhedral water clusters (H 2 O) n , n = 8, 20 and 24

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Iwata, Suehiro; Akase, Dai; Aida, Misako

    2016-01-01

    The relative stability and the characteristics of the hydrogen bond networks in the cubic cages of (H2O)8, dodecahedral cages of (H2O)20,and tetrakaidodecahedral cages of (H2O)24 are studied. The charge-transfer and dispersion interaction terms of every pair of the hydrogen bonds are evaluated by using the perturbation theory based on the locally-projected molecular orbital (LPMO PT). Every water molecule and every hydrogen-bonded pair in polyhedral clusters are classified by the types of the adjacent molecules and hydrogen bonds. The relative binding energies among the polyhedral clusters are grouped by these classifications. The necessary condition for the stable conformers and the rulesmore » of the ordering of the relative stability among the isomers are derived from the analysis. The O–O distances and the pair-wise charge-transfer terms are dependent not only on the types of the hydrogen donor and acceptor waters but also on the types of the adjacent waters. This dependence is analyzed with Mulliken’s charge-transfer theory. The work is partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Science Research of JSPS (SI, DA, MA). SSX was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Battelle operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy.« less

  9. Physicochemical structural changes of cellulosic substrates during enzymatic saccharification

    DOE PAGES

    Meng, Xianzhi; Yoo, Chang Geun; Li, Mi; ...

    2016-12-30

    Enzymatic hydrolysis represents one of the major steps and barriers in the commercialization process of converting cellulosic substrates into biofuels and other value added products. It is usually achieved by a synergistic action of enzyme mixture typically consisting of multiple enzymes such as glucanase, cellobiohydrolase and β-glucosidase with different mode of actions. Due to the innate biomass recalcitrance, enzymatic hydrolysis normally starts with an initial fast rate of hydrolysis followed by a rapid decrease of rate toward the end of hydrolysis. With majority of literature studies focusing on the effect of key substrate characteristics on the initial rate or finalmore » yield of enzymatic hydrolysis, information about physicochemical structural changes of cellulosic substrates during enzymatic hydrolysis is still quite limited. Consequently, what slows down the reaction rate toward the end of hydrolysis is not well understood. Lastly, this review highlights recent advances in understanding the structural changes of cellulosic substrates during the hydrolysis process, to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of enzymatic hydrolysis.« less

  10. Physicochemical structural changes of cellulosic substrates during enzymatic saccharification

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Meng, Xianzhi; Yoo, Chang Geun; Li, Mi

    Enzymatic hydrolysis represents one of the major steps and barriers in the commercialization process of converting cellulosic substrates into biofuels and other value added products. It is usually achieved by a synergistic action of enzyme mixture typically consisting of multiple enzymes such as glucanase, cellobiohydrolase and β-glucosidase with different mode of actions. Due to the innate biomass recalcitrance, enzymatic hydrolysis normally starts with an initial fast rate of hydrolysis followed by a rapid decrease of rate toward the end of hydrolysis. With majority of literature studies focusing on the effect of key substrate characteristics on the initial rate or finalmore » yield of enzymatic hydrolysis, information about physicochemical structural changes of cellulosic substrates during enzymatic hydrolysis is still quite limited. Consequently, what slows down the reaction rate toward the end of hydrolysis is not well understood. Lastly, this review highlights recent advances in understanding the structural changes of cellulosic substrates during the hydrolysis process, to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of enzymatic hydrolysis.« less

  11. Use of 5-deazaFAD to study hydrogen transfer in the D-amino acid oxidase reaction.

    PubMed

    Hersh, L B; Jorns, M S

    1975-11-25

    The apoprotein of hog kidney D-amino acid oxidase was reconstituted with 5-deazaflavin adenine dinucleotide (5-deazaFAD) to yield a protein which contains 1.5 mol of 5-deazaFAD/mol of enzyme. The deazaFAD-containing enzyme forms complexes with benzoate, 2-amino benzoate, and 4-aminobenzoate which are both qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those observed with native enzyme. The complex with 2-aminobenzoate exhibits a new long wavelength absorption band characteristic of a flavin charge-transfer complex. The reconstituted enzyme exhibits no activity when assayed by D-alanine oxidation. However, the bound chromophore can be reduced by alanine, phenylalanine, proline, methionine, and valine, but not by glutamate or aspartate, indicating the deazaFAD enzyme retains the substrate specificity of the native enzyme. Reduction of the enzyme by D-alanine exhibits a 1.6-fold deuterium isotope effect. Reoxidation of the reduced enzyme occurred in the presence of pyruvate plus ammonia, but not with pyruvate alone or ammonia alone. beta-Phenylpyruvate and alpha-ketobutyrate, but not alpha-ketoglutarate could replace pyruvate. Reduced enzyme isolated following reaction with [alpha-3H]alanine was found to contain 0.5 mol of tritium/mol of deazaFADH2. After denaturation of the tritium-labeled enzyme, the radioactivity was identified as deazaFADH2. Reaction of the reduced tritium-labeled enzyme with pyruvate plus ammonia prior to denaturation yields [alpha-3H]alanine and unlabeled deazaFAD. These results suggest that reduction and reoxidation of enzyme-bound deazaFAD involves the stereo-specific transfer of alpha-hydrogen from substrate to deazaFAD.

  12. Enzymatic induction of supramolecular order and bioactivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Chengbiao; Ren, Xinrui; Ding, Dan; Wang, Ling; Yang, Zhimou

    2016-05-01

    We showed in this study that enzymatic triggering is a totally different pathway for the preparation of self-assembling nanomaterials to the heating-cooling process. Because the molecules were under lower energy levels and the molecular conformation was more ordered during the enzymatic triggeration under mild conditions, nanomaterials with higher supramolecular order could be obtained through biocatalytic control. In this study, nanoparticles were obtained by an enzymatic reaction and nanofibers were observed through the heating-cooling process. We observed a distinct trough at 318 nm from the CD spectrum of a particle sample but not a fiber sample, suggesting the long range arrangement of molecules and helicity in the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles with higher supramolecular order possessed much better potency as a protein vaccine adjuvant because it accelerated the DC maturation and elicited stronger T-cells cytokine production than the nanofibers. Our study demonstrated that biocatalytic triggering is a useful method for preparing supramolecular nanomaterials with higher supramolecular order and probably better bioactivity.We showed in this study that enzymatic triggering is a totally different pathway for the preparation of self-assembling nanomaterials to the heating-cooling process. Because the molecules were under lower energy levels and the molecular conformation was more ordered during the enzymatic triggeration under mild conditions, nanomaterials with higher supramolecular order could be obtained through biocatalytic control. In this study, nanoparticles were obtained by an enzymatic reaction and nanofibers were observed through the heating-cooling process. We observed a distinct trough at 318 nm from the CD spectrum of a particle sample but not a fiber sample, suggesting the long range arrangement of molecules and helicity in the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles with higher supramolecular order possessed much better potency as a protein vaccine

  13. Improvement of ecological characteristics of the hydrogen diesel engine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Natriashvili, T.; Kavtaradze, R.; Glonti, M.

    2018-02-01

    In the article are considered the questions of influence of a swirl intensity of the shot and injector design on the ecological indices of the hydrogen diesel, little-investigated till now. The necessity of solution of these problems arises at conversion of the serial diesel engine into the hydrogen diesel. The mathematical model consists of the three-dimensional non-stationary equations of transfer and also models of turbulence and combustion. The numerical experiments have been carried out with the use of program code FIRE. The optimal values of parameters of the working process, ensuring improvement of the effective and ecological indices of the hydrogen diesel are determined.

  14. Enzymatic Enantioselective Decarboxylative Protonation of Heteroaryl Malonates

    PubMed Central

    Lewin, Ross; Goodall, Mark; Thompson, Mark L; Leigh, James; Breuer, Michael; Baldenius, Kai; Micklefield, Jason

    2015-01-01

    The enzyme aryl/alkenyl malonate decarboxylase (AMDase) catalyses the enantioselective decarboxylative protonation (EDP) of a range of disubstituted malonic acids to give homochiral carboxylic acids that are valuable synthetic intermediates. AMDase exhibits a number of advantages over the non-enzymatic EDP methods developed to date including higher enantioselectivity and more environmentally benign reaction conditions. In this report, AMDase and engineered variants have been used to produce a range of enantioenriched heteroaromatic α-hydroxycarboxylic acids, including pharmaceutical precursors, from readily accessible α-hydroxymalonates. The enzymatic method described here represents an improvement upon existing synthetic chemistry methods that have been used to produce similar compounds. The relationship between the structural features of these new substrates and the kinetics associated with their enzymatic decarboxylation is explored, which offers further insight into the mechanism of AMDase. PMID:25766433

  15. Film Boiling Heat Transfer Properties of Liquid Hydrogen in Natural Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horie, Y.; Shirai, Y.; Shiotsu, M.; Matsuzawa, T.; Yoneda, K.; Shigeta, H.; Tatsumoto, H.; Hata, K.; Naruo, Y.; Kobayashi, H.; Inatani, Y.

    Film boiling heat transfer properties of LH2 for various pressures and subcooling conditions were measured by applying electric current to give an exponential heat input to a PtCo wire with a diameter of 1.2 mm submerged in LH2. The heated wire was set to be horizontal to the ground. The heat transfer coefficient in the film boiling region was higher for higher pressure and higher subcooling. The experimental results are compared with the equation of pool film boiling heat transfer. It is confirmed that the pool film boiling heat transfer coefficients in LH2 can be expressed by this equation.

  16. Trapping hydrogen atoms from a neon-gas matrix: a theoretical simulation.

    PubMed

    Bovino, S; Zhang, P; Kharchenko, V; Dalgarno, A

    2009-08-07

    Hydrogen is of critical importance in atomic and molecular physics and the development of a simple and efficient technique for trapping cold and ultracold hydrogen atoms would be a significant advance. In this study we simulate a recently proposed trap-loading mechanism for trapping hydrogen atoms released from a neon matrix. Accurate ab initio quantum calculations are reported of the neon-hydrogen interaction potential and the energy- and angular-dependent elastic scattering cross sections that control the energy transfer of initially cold atoms are obtained. They are then used to construct the Boltzmann kinetic equation, describing the energy relaxation process. Numerical solutions of the Boltzmann equation predict the time evolution of the hydrogen energy distribution function. Based on the simulations we discuss the prospects of the technique.

  17. Enzymatic modification of schizophyllan

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    An enzymatic method was developed for the progressive modification of the polysaccharide schizophyllan. Fungal strains Hypocrea nigricans NRRL 62555, Penicillium crustosum NRRL 62558, and Penicillium simplicissimum NRRL 62550 were previously identified as novel sources of ß-endoglucanase with specif...

  18. Perspective on recent developments on sulfur-containing agents and hydrogen sulfide signaling.

    PubMed

    Jacob, Claus; Anwar, Awais; Burkholz, Torsten

    2008-10-01

    The last couple of years have witnessed the coming together of several initially unconnected lines of investigation which now link natural sulfur products to hydrogen sulfide release and wide ranging cardiovascular protection. It has become apparent that sulfur compounds contained within garlic, onions, mushrooms and various edible beans and fruits may be transformed chemically or enzymatically in the human body with subsequent formation of hydrogen sulfide. The latter has emerged during the last decade from a shadowy existence as toxic gas to be recognized as the third gaseous transmitter besides nitric oxide ( (.)NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). Hydrogen sulfide is formed endogenously in the human body by enzymes such as cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) in the brain and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE) in liver, vascular and non-vascular smooth muscle. Although its exact chemical and biochemical modes of action are still not fully understood, levels of hydrogen sulfide in the brain and vasculature have unambiguously been associated with human health and disease. Not surprisingly, agents releasing hydrogen sulfide, as well as inhibitors of hydrogen sulfide synthesis (CBS and CSE inhibitors) have been investigated. Apart from linking our daily diet to a healthy brain and cardiovasculature, these findings may also provide new leads for drug design. Future studies will therefore need to focus on how such compounds are formed and transformed in the relevant plants, how food processing affects their chemical constitution, and how they release hydrogen sulfide (or control its levels) in the human body. Such multidisciplinary research should ultimately answer the all-important question if a hearty diet is also good for the heart.

  19. Effect of Electronic Excitation on Hydrogen Atom Transfer (Tautomerization) Reactions for the DNA Base Adenine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chaban, Galina M.; Salter, Latasha M.; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Geometrical structures and energetic properties for four different tautomers of adenine are calculated in this study, using multi-configurational wave functions. Both the ground and the lowest single excited state potential energy surface are studied. The energetic order of the tautomers on the ground state potential surface is 9H less than 7H less than 3H less than 1H, while on the excited state surface this order is found to be different: 3H less than 1H less than 9H less than 7H. Minimum energy reaction paths are obtained for hydrogen atom transfer (9 yields 3 tautomerization) reactions in the ground and the lowest excited electronic state. It is found that the barrier heights and the shapes of the reaction paths are different for the ground and the excited electronic state, suggesting that the probability of such tautomerization reaction is higher on the excited state potential energy surface. The barrier for this reaction in the excited state may become very low in the presence of water or other polar solvent molecules, and therefore such tautomerization reaction may play an important role in the solution phase photochemistry of adenine.

  20. Synthesis, spectral and thermal studies of the newly hydrogen bonded charge transfer complex of o-phenylenediamine with pi acceptor picric acid.

    PubMed

    Khan, Ishaat M; Ahmad, Afaq

    2010-10-01

    Newly proton or charge transfer complex [(OPDH)(+)(PA)(-)] was synthesized by the reaction of the donor, o-phenylenediamine (OPD) with acceptor, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (PAH). The chemical reaction has occurred via strong hydrogen bonding followed by migration of proton from acceptor to donor. UV-vis, (1)H NMR and FTIR spectra, in addition to the thermal and elemental analysis were used to confirm the proposed occurrence of the chemical reaction and to investigate the newly synthesized solid CT complex. The stoichiometry of the CT complex was found to be 1:1. The formation constant and molar extinction coefficient of the CT complex were evaluated by the Benesi-Hildebrand equation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. NMR studies of double proton transfer in hydrogen bonded cyclic N,N'-diarylformamidine dimers: conformational control, kinetic HH/HD/DD isotope effects and tunneling.

    PubMed

    Lopez, Juan Miguel; Männle, Ferdinand; Wawer, Iwona; Buntkowsky, Gerd; Limbach, Hans-Heinrich

    2007-08-28

    Using dynamic NMR spectroscopy, the kinetics of the degenerate double proton transfer in cyclic dimers of polycrystalline (15)N,(15)N'-di-(4-bromophenyl)-formamidine (DBrFA) have been studied including the kinetic HH/HD/DD isotope effects in a wide temperature range. This transfer is controlled by intermolecular interactions, which in turn are controlled by the molecular conformation and hence the molecular structure. At low temperatures, rate constants were determined by line shape analysis of (15)N NMR spectra obtained using cross-polarization (CP) and magic angle spinning (MAS). At higher temperatures, in the microsecond time scale, rate constants and kinetic isotope effects were obtained by a combination of longitudinal (15)N and (2)H relaxation measurements. (15)N CPMAS line shape analysis was also employed to study the non-degenerate double proton transfer of polycrystalline (15)N,(15)N'-diphenyl-formamidine (DPFA). The kinetic results are in excellent agreement with the kinetics of DPFA and (15)N,(15)N'-di-(4-fluorophenyl)-formamidine (DFFA) studied previously for solutions in tetrahydrofuran. Two large HH/HD and HD/DD isotope effects are observed in the whole temperature range which indicates a concerted double proton transfer mechanism in the domain of the reaction energy surface. The Arrhenius curves are non-linear indicating a tunneling mechanism. Arrhenius curve simulations were performed using the Bell-Limbach tunneling model. The role of the phenyl group conformation and hydrogen bond compression on the barrier of the proton transfer is discussed.

  2. Role of basic and acidic centers of MgO and modified MgO in catalytic transfer hydrogenation of ketones studied by infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szöllösi, György; Bartók, Mihály

    1999-05-01

    In this study our aim was to identify the active sites and the surface species responsible for deactivation of MgO during catalytic transfer hydrogenations (CTH) of ketones using alcohols as hydrogen donors. Our previous studies showed that deactivation of MgO could be prevented by previous treatment with chloromethanes. Therefore the surface species formed during the reaction were studied before and after treatment with chloroform or chloroform- d by in situ infrared spectroscopy (IR). As a result, it was concluded that the reaction requires the presence of surface basic and acidic centers. The presence of Lewis acid centers was not necessary, the reaction could proceed on weakly acidic surface Brönsted sites, as the alterations in intensity and position of the ν(OH) bands indicated. Modification with chloroform resulted also in the generation of surface OH groups with a proper acidity for the reaction. The shift in carbonyl vibrations led us to the conclusion that Lewis acid and base centers were responsible for the catalyst poisoning, so covering these acid sites by Cl - led to a stable catalyst.

  3. Release of hydrogen from nanoconfined hydrides by application of microwaves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanz-Moral, Luis Miguel; Navarrete, Alexander; Sturm, Guido; Link, Guido; Rueda, Miriam; Stefanidis, Georgios; Martín, Ángel

    2017-06-01

    The release of hydrogen from solid hydrides by thermolysis can be improved by nanoconfinement of the hydride in a suitable micro/mesoporous support, but the slow heat transfer by conduction through the support can be a limitation. In this work, a C/SiO2 mesoporous material has been synthesized and employed as matrix for nanoconfinement of hydrides. The matrix showed high surface area and pore volume (386 m2/g and 1.41 cm3/g), which enabled the confinement of high concentrations of hydride. Furthermore, by modification of the proportion between C and SiO2, the dielectric properties of the complex could be modified, making it susceptible to microwave heating. As with this heating method the entire sample is heated simultaneously, the heat transfer resistances associated to conduction were eliminated. To demonstrate this possibility, ethane 1,2-diaminoborane (EDAB) was embedded on the C/SiO2 matrix at concentrations ranging from 11 to 31%wt using a wet impregnation method, and a device appropriate for hydrogen release from this material by application of microwaves was designed with the aid of a numerical simulation. Hydrogen liberation tests by conventional heating and microwaves were compared, showing that by microwave heating hydrogen release can be initiated and stopped in shorter times.

  4. Membraneless enzymatic ethanol/O2 fuel cell: Transitioning from an air-breathing Pt-based cathode to a bilirubin oxidase-based biocathode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aquino Neto, Sidney; Milton, Ross D.; Hickey, David P.; De Andrade, Adalgisa R.; Minteer, Shelley D.

    2016-08-01

    The bioelectrooxidation of ethanol was investigated in a fully enzymatic membraneless ethanol/O2 biofuel cell assembly using hybrid bioanodes containing multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-decorated gold metallic nanoparticles with either a pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme or a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent ADH enzyme. The biofuel cell anode was prepared with the PQQ-dependent enzyme and designed using either a direct electron transfer (DET) architecture or via a mediated electron transfer (MET) configuration through a redox polymer, 1,1‧-dimethylferrocene-modified linear polyethyleneimine (FcMe2-C3-LPEI). In the case of the bioanode containing the NAD+-dependent enzyme, only the mediated electron transfer mechanism was employed using an electropolymerized methylene green film to regenerate the NAD+ cofactor. Regardless of the enzyme being employed at the anode, a bilirubin oxidase-based biocathode prepared within a DET architecture afforded efficient electrocatalytic oxygen reduction in an ethanol/O2 biofuel cell. The power curves showed that DET-based bioanodes via the PQQ-dependent ADH still lack high current densities, whereas the MET architecture furnished maximum power density values as high as 226 ± 21 μW cm-2. Considering the complete membraneless enzymatic biofuel cell with the NAD+-dependent ADH-based bioanode, power densities as high as 111 ± 14 μW cm-2 were obtained. This shows the advantage of PQQ-dependent ADH for membraneless ethanol/O2 biofuel cell applications.

  5. Protective effect of enzymatic hydrolysates from highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line.

    PubMed

    Senevirathne, Mahinda; Kim, Soo-Hyun; Jeon, You-Jin

    2010-06-01

    Blueberry was enzymatically hydrolyzed using selected commercial food grade carbohydrases (AMG, Celluclast, Termamyl, Ultraflo and Viscozyme) and proteases (Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Kojizyme, Neutrase and Protamex) to obtain water soluble compounds, and their protective effect was investigated against H(2)O(2)-induced damage in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line (V79-4) via various published methods. Both AMG and Alcalase hydrolysates showed higher total phenolic content as well as higher cell viability and ROS scavenging activities, and hence, selected for further antioxidant assays. Both AMG and Alcalase hydrolysates also showed higher protective effects against lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptotic body formation in a dose-dependent fashion. Thus, the results indicated that water soluble compounds obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of blueberry possess good antioxidant activity against H(2)O(2)-induced cell damage in vitro.

  6. Sulfate radicals enable a non-enzymatic Krebs cycle precursor

    PubMed Central

    Keller, Markus A.; Kampjut, Domen; Harrison, Stuart A.; Ralser, Markus

    2017-01-01

    The evolutionary origins of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), or Krebs cycle, are so far unclear. Despite a few years ago, the existence of a simple non-enzymatic Krebs-cycle catalyst has been dismissed ‘as an appeal to magic’, citrate and other intermediates have meanwhile been discovered on a carbonaceous meteorite and do interconvert non-enzymatically. To identify the non-enzymatic Krebs cycle catalyst, we used combinatorial, quantitative high-throughput metabolomics to systematically screen iron and sulfate reaction milieus that orient on Archean sediment constituents. TCA cycle intermediates are found stable in water and in the presence of most iron and sulfate species, including simple iron-sulfate minerals. However, we report that TCA intermediates undergo 24 interconversion reactions in the presence of sulfate radicals that form from peroxydisulfate. The non-enzymatic reactions critically cover a topology as present in the Krebs cycle, the glyoxylate shunt and the succinic semialdehyde pathways. Assembled in a chemical network, the reactions achieve more than ninety percent carbon recovery. Our results show that a non-enzymatic precursor for the Krebs cycle is biologically sensible, efficient, and forms spontaneously in the presence of sulfate radicals. PMID:28584880

  7. Mechanistic aspects of hydrogen abstraction for phenolic antioxidants. Electronic structure and topological electron density analysis.

    PubMed

    Singh, Nakul; O'Malley, Patrick J; Popelier, Paul L A

    2005-02-21

    Density functional calculations using the B3LYP functional are used to provide insight into the hydrogen abstraction mechanism of phenolic antioxidants. The energy profiles for 13 ortho, meta, para and di-methyl substituted phenols with hydroperoxyl radical have been determined. An excellent correlation between the enthalpy (DeltaH) and activation energy (DeltaEa) was found, obeying the Evans-Polanyi rule. The effects of hydrogen bonding on DeltaEa are also discussed. Electron donating groups at the ortho and para positions are able to lower the activation energy for hydrogen abstraction. The highly electron withdrawing fluoro substituent increases the activation energies relative to phenol at the meta position but not at the para position. The electron density is studied using the atoms in molecules (AIM) approach. Atomic and bond properties are extracted to describe the hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism. It is found that on going from reactants to transition state, the hydrogen atom experiences a loss in volume, electronic population and dipole moment. These features suggest that the phenol hydroperoxyl reactions proceed according to a proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) as opposed to a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanism.

  8. Ferrocene-Modified Linear Poly(ethylenimine) for Enzymatic Immobilization and Electron Mediation.

    PubMed

    Hickey, David P

    2017-01-01

    Enzymatic glucose biosensors and biofuel cells make use of the electrochemical transduction between an oxidoreductase enzyme, such as glucose oxidase (GOx), and an electrode to either quantify the amount of glucose in a solution or generate electrical energy. However, many enzymes including GOx are not able to electrochemically interact with an electrode surface directly, but require an external electrochemical relay to shuttle electrons to the electrode. Ferrocene-modified linear poly(ethylenimine) (Fc-LPEI) redox polymers have been designed to simultaneously immobilize glucose oxidase (GOx) at an electrode and mediate electron transfer from their flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) active site to the electrode surface. Cross-linked films of Fc-LPEI create hydrogel networks that allow for rapid transport of glucose, while the covalently bound ferrocene moieties are able to facilitate rapid electron transfer due to the ability of ferrocene to exchange electrons between adjacent ferrocene residues. For these reasons, Fc-LPEI films have been widely used in the development of high current density bioanode materials. This chapter describes the synthesis of a commonly used dimethylferrocene-modified linear poly(ethylenimine), as well as the subsequent preparation and electrochemical characterization of a GOx bioanode film utilizing the synthesized polymer.

  9. Homogeneous, Heterogeneous, and Enzymatic Catalysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oyama, S. Ted; Somorjai, Gabor A.

    1988-01-01

    Discusses three areas of catalysis: homegeneous, heterogeneous, and enzymatic. Explains fundamentals and economic impact of catalysis. Lists and discusses common industrial catalysts. Provides a list of 107 references. (MVL)

  10. Chirped frequency transfer: a tool for synchronization and time transfer.

    PubMed

    Raupach, Sebastian M F; Grosche, Gesine

    2014-06-01

    We propose and demonstrate the phase-stabilized transfer of a chirped frequency as a tool for synchronization and time transfer. Technically, this is done by evaluating remote measurements of the transferred, chirped frequency. The gates of the frequency counters, here driven by a 10-MHz oscillation derived from a hydrogen maser, play a role analogous to the 1-pulse per second (PPS) signals usually employed for time transfer. In general, for time transfer, the gates consequently must be related to the external clock. Synchronizing observations based on frequency measurements, on the other hand, only requires a stable oscillator driving the frequency counters. In a proof of principle, we demonstrate the suppression of symmetrical delays, such as the geometrical path delay. We transfer an optical frequency chirped by around 240 kHz/s over a fiber link of around 149 km. We observe an accuracy and simultaneity, as well as a precision (Allan deviation, 18,000 s averaging interval) of the transferred frequency of around 2 × 10(-19). We apply chirped frequency transfer to remote measurements of the synchronization between two counters' gate intervals. Here, we find a precision of around 200 ps at an estimated overall uncertainty of around 500 ps. The measurement results agree with those obtained from reference measurements, being well within the uncertainty. In the present setup, timing offsets up to 4 min can be measured unambiguously. We indicate how this range can be extended further.

  11. Direct Electron Transfer of Dehydrogenases for Development of 3rd Generation Biosensors and Enzymatic Fuel Cells.

    PubMed

    Bollella, Paolo; Gorton, Lo; Antiochia, Riccarda

    2018-04-24

    Dehydrogenase based bioelectrocatalysis has been increasingly exploited in recent years in order to develop new bioelectrochemical devices, such as biosensors and biofuel cells, with improved performances. In some cases, dehydrogeases are able to directly exchange electrons with an appropriately designed electrode surface, without the need for an added redox mediator, allowing bioelectrocatalysis based on a direct electron transfer process. In this review we briefly describe the electron transfer mechanism of dehydrogenase enzymes and some of the characteristics required for bioelectrocatalysis reactions via a direct electron transfer mechanism. Special attention is given to cellobiose dehydrogenase and fructose dehydrogenase, which showed efficient direct electron transfer reactions. An overview of the most recent biosensors and biofuel cells based on the two dehydrogenases will be presented. The various strategies to prepare modified electrodes in order to improve the electron transfer properties of the device will be carefully investigated and all analytical parameters will be presented, discussed and compared.

  12. Effect of supercritical carbon dioxide on the enzymatic production of biodiesel from waste animal fat using immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B variant.

    PubMed

    Pollardo, Aldricho Alpha; Lee, Hong-Shik; Lee, Dohoon; Kim, Sangyong; Kim, Jaehoon

    2017-09-09

    Waste animal fat is a promising feedstock to replace vegetable oil that widely used in commercial biodiesel process, however the high content of free fatty acid in waste fat makes it unfeasible to be processed with commercial base-catalytic process. Enzymatic process is preferable to convert waste fat into biodiesel since enzyme can catalyze both esterification of free fatty acid and transesterification of triglyceride. However, enzymatic reaction still has some drawbacks such as lower reaction rates than base-catalyzed transesterification and the limitation of reactant concentration due to the enzyme inhibition of methanol. Supercritical CO 2 is a promising reaction media for enzyme-catalyzed transesterification to overcome those drawbacks. The transesterification of waste animal fat was carried out in supercritical CO 2 with varied concentration of feedstock and methanol in CO 2 . The CO 2 to feedstock mass ratio of 10:1 showed the highest yield compared to other ratios, and the highest FAME yield obtained from waste animal fat was 78%. The methanol concentration effect was also observed with variation 12%, 14%, and 16% of methanol to feedstock ratio. The best yield was 87% obtained at the CO 2 to feedstock ratio of 10: 1 and at the methanol to feedstock ratio of 14% after 6 h of reaction. Enzymatic transesterification to produce biodiesel from waste animal fat in supercritical fluid media is a potential method for commercialization since it could enhance enzyme activity due to supercritical fluid properties to remove mass transfer limitation. The high yield of FAME when using high mass ratio of CO 2 to oil showed that supercritical CO 2 could increase the reaction and mass transfer rate while reducing methanol toxicity to enzyme activity. The increase of methanol concentration also increased the FAME yield because it might shift the reaction equilibrium to FAME production. This finding describes that the application of supercritical CO 2 in the enzymatic

  13. Determination of myoglobin based on its enzymatic activity by stopped-flow spectrophotometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Qi; Liu, Zhihong; Cai, Ruxiu

    2005-04-01

    A new method has been developed for the determination of myoglobin (Mb) based on its enzymatic activity for the oxidation of o-phenylenediamine (OPDA) with hydrogen peroxide. Stopped-flow spectrophotometry was used to study the kinetic behavior of the oxidation reaction. The catalytic activity of Mb was compared to other three kinds of catalyst. The time dependent absorbance of the reaction product, 2,3-diamimophenazine (DAPN), at a wavelength of 426 nm was recorded. The initial reaction rate obtained at 40 °C was found to be proportional to the concentration of Mb in the range of 1.0 × 10 -6 to 4.0 × 10 -9 mol L -1. The detection limit of Mb was found to be 9.93 × 10 -10 mol L -1. The relative standard deviations were within 5% for the determination of different concentrations of Mb. Excess of bovine serum albumin (BSA), Ca(II), Mg(II), Cu(II), glucose, caffeine, lactose and uric acid did not interfere.

  14. Recycling the liquid fraction of alkaline hydrogen peroxide in the pretreatment of corn stover.

    PubMed

    Alencar, Bárbara Ribeiro Alves; Reis, Alexandre Libanio Silva; de Souza, Raquel de Fatima Rodrigues; Morais, Marcos Antônio; Menezes, Rômulo Simões Cezar; Dutra, Emmanuel Damilano

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of recycling the liquid fraction of pretreatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) on the hydrolysis of corn stover. Corn stover was pretreated in the traditional condition with 7.5% v/v H 2 O 2 . After pretreatment, the solids were separated from the liquid fraction and five successive reuse cycles of the liquid fraction were tested. The solid fraction from pretreatment in each recycle was submitted to enzymatic hydrolysis. The number of recycles had a linear negative effect (R 2 =0.98) on biomass delignification efficiency and also affected negatively the enzymatic conversion efficiency. Despite the decrease in efficiency after each recycling step, reuse of the liquid fraction leads to reduction in water, H 2 O 2 and NaOH consumption of up to 57.6%, 59.6% and 57.6%, respectively. These findings point to an efficient recycling technology, which may reduce costs and save water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Efficacy of enzymatic debridement of deeply burned hands.

    PubMed

    Krieger, Yuval; Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Alexander; Gurfinkel, Reuven; Silberstein, Eldad; Sagi, Amiram; Rosenberg, Lior

    2012-02-01

    The burned hand is a common and difficult to care-for entity in the field of burns. Due to the anatomy of the hand (important and delicate structures crowded in a small limited space without sub-dermal soft tissue), surgical debridement of the burned tissue is technically difficult and may cause considerable complications and, therefore, should be performed judiciously. Selective enzymatic debridement of the burn wound can preserve the spontaneous epithelialisation potential and reduce the added injury to the traumatised tissue added by a surgical debridement. The aim of the study was to assess the implication of a selective enzymatic compound (Debrase(®) - Ds) in the special field of deep hand burns, by comparing the actual burn area that required surgical coverage after enzymatic debridement to the burn area clinically judged to require skin grafting prior to debridement. This was a retrospective data collection and analysis from 154 complete files of prospective, open-label study in 275 hospitalised, Ds-treated burn patients. A total of 69 hand burns diagnosed as 'deep' was analysed; 36% of the wounds required surgical intervention after enzymatic debridement; 28.6% of the total burned area estimated initially as deep was covered by skin graft (statistically significant p<0.001). Debridement of deep-hand burns with a selective enzymatic agent decreased the perceived full-thickness wound area and skin-graft use. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

  16. A Summary of the Slush Hydrogen Technology Program for the National Aero-Space Plane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcnelis, Nancy B.; Hardy, Terry L.; Whalen, Margaret V.; Kudlac, Maureen T.; Moran, Matthew E.; Tomsik, Thomas M.; Haberbusch, Mark S.

    1995-01-01

    Slush hydrogen, a mixture of solid and liquid hydrogen, offers advantages of higher density (16 percent) and higher heat capacity (18 percent) than normal boiling point hydrogen. The combination of increased density and heat capacity of slush hydrogen provided a potential to decrease the gross takeoff weight of the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) and therefore slush hydrogen was selected as the propellant. However, no large-scale data was available on the production, transfer and tank pressure control characteristics required to use slush hydrogen as a fuel. Extensive testing has been performed at the NASA Lewis Research Center K-Site and Small Scale Hydrogen Test Facility between 1990 and the present to provide a database for the use of slush hydrogen. This paper summarizes the results of this testing.

  17. Apparatus for separating and recovering hydrogen isotopes

    DOEpatents

    Heung, Leung K.

    1994-01-01

    An apparatus for recovering hydrogen and separating its isotopes. The apparatus includes a housing bearing at least a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A baffle is disposed within the housing, attached thereto by a bracket. A hollow conduit is coiled about the baffle, in spaced relation to the baffle and the housing. The coiled conduit is at least partially filled with a hydride. The hydride can be heated to a high temperature and cooled to a low temperature quickly by circulating a heat transfer fluid in the housing. The spacing between the baffle and the housing maximizes the heat exchange rate between the fluid in the housing and the hydride in the conduit. The apparatus can be used to recover hydrogen isotopes (protium, deuterium and tritium) from gaseous mixtures, or to separate hydrogen isotopes from each other.

  18. Cascade catalysis in membranes with enzyme immobilization for multi-enzymatic conversion of CO2 to methanol.

    PubMed

    Luo, Jianquan; Meyer, Anne S; Mateiu, R V; Pinelo, Manuel

    2015-05-25

    Facile co-immobilization of enzymes is highly desirable for bioconversion methods involving multi-enzymatic cascade reactions. Here we show for the first time that three enzymes can be immobilized in flat-sheet polymeric membranes simultaneously or separately by simple pressure-driven filtration (i.e. by directing membrane fouling formation), without any addition of organic solvent. Such co-immobilization and sequential immobilization systems were examined for the production of methanol from CO2 with formate dehydrogenase (FDH), formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FaldDH) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). Enzyme activity was fully retained by this non-covalent immobilization strategy. The two immobilization systems had similar catalytic efficiencies because the second reaction (formic acid→formaldehyde) catalyzed by FaldDH was found to be the cascade bottleneck (a threshold substrate concentration was required). Moreover, the trade-off between the mitigation of product inhibition and low substrate concentration for the adjacent enzymes probably made the co-immobilization meaningless. Thus, sequential immobilization could be used for multi-enzymatic cascade reactions, as it allowed the operational conditions for each single step to be optimized, not only during the enzyme immobilization but also during the reaction process, and the pressure-driven mass transfer (flow-through mode) could overcome the diffusion resistance between enzymes. This study not only offers a green and facile immobilization method for multi-enzymatic cascade systems, but also reveals the reaction bottleneck and provides possible solutions for the bioconversion of CO2 to methanol. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Protective effect of enzymatic hydrolysates from highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line

    PubMed Central

    Senevirathne, Mahinda; Kim, Soo-Hyun

    2010-01-01

    Blueberry was enzymatically hydrolyzed using selected commercial food grade carbohydrases (AMG, Celluclast, Termamyl, Ultraflo and Viscozyme) and proteases (Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Kojizyme, Neutrase and Protamex) to obtain water soluble compounds, and their protective effect was investigated against H2O2-induced damage in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line (V79-4) via various published methods. Both AMG and Alcalase hydrolysates showed higher total phenolic content as well as higher cell viability and ROS scavenging activities, and hence, selected for further antioxidant assays. Both AMG and Alcalase hydrolysates also showed higher protective effects against lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptotic body formation in a dose-dependent fashion. Thus, the results indicated that water soluble compounds obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of blueberry possess good antioxidant activity against H2O2-induced cell damage in vitro. PMID:20607062

  20. Thermodynamic Evaluation of Hydrogen Absorption by Niobium During SRF Fabrication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ricker, R. E.; Myneni, G. R.

    2011-03-01

    The properties and performance of the ultra high purity Nb used to fabricate superconducting radio frequency (SRF) particle accelerator cavities have been found to vary with processing conditions. One hypothesis for these variations is that hydrogen, absorbed during processing, is responsible for this behavior. The key assumption behind this hypothesis is that niobium can absorb hydrogen from one or more of the processing environments. This paper reviews work examining the validity of this assumption. It was determined that Nb will spontaneously react with water producing adsorbed atomic hydrogen that is readily absorbed into the metal. The passivating oxide film normally prevents this reaction, but this film is frequently removed during processing and it is attacked by the fluoride ion used in the polishing solutions for SRF cavities. However, during electropolishing that cathodic reduction of hydrogen is transferred to the auxiliary electrode and this should suppress hydrogen absorption.

  1. Rotating packed bed reactor for enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel.

    PubMed

    Xu, Juntao; Liu, Changsheng; Wang, Meng; Shao, Lei; Deng, Li; Nie, Kaili; Wang, Fang

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the present work was to study the applicability of rotating packed bed (RPB) for biodiesel through the biocatalytic method. In this research, the RPB facilitated a more homogeneous mixture of substrates due to its higher mass transfer efficiency and better micromixing environment. This was superior to the traditional continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system. Candida sp. 99-125 lipase was used without any organic solvent or additive, and demonstrated a significant catalyst efficiency. The key factors, such as the high gravity factor (β), pattern of the catalyst and methanol-FFA molar ratio etc. were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the hydrolysis yield of fatty acids was 97.0% after 24h and the esterification yield of biodiesel was 96.0% 6h later. The esterifying yield didn't have an obvious decline in the fifth batch. Consequently, the RPB is an attractive and effective reactor for enzymatic synthesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding on the fluorescence of a bimetallic platinum complex.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Guang-Jiu; Northrop, Brian H; Han, Ke-Li; Stang, Peter J

    2010-09-02

    The bimetallic platinum complexes are known as unique building blocks and arewidely utilized in the coordination-driven self-assembly of functionalized supramolecular metallacycles. Hence, photophysical study of the bimetallic platinum complexes will be very helpful for the understanding on the optical properties and further applications of coordination-driven self-assembled supramolecular metallacycles. Herein, we report steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic experiments as well as quantum chemistry calculations to investigate the significant intermolecular hydrogen bonding effects on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) fluorescence of a bimetallic platinum compound 4,4'-bis(trans-Pt(PEt(3))(2)OTf)benzophenone 3 in solution. We demonstrated that the fluorescent state of compound 3 can be assigned as a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) state. Moreover, it was observed that the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds can effectively lengthen the fluorescence lifetime of 3 in alcoholic solvents compared with that in hexane solvent. At the same time, the electronically excited states of 3 in solution are definitely changed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. As a consequence, we propose a new fluorescence modulation mechanism by hydrogen bonding to explain different fluorescence emissions of 3 in hydrogen-bonding solvents and nonhydrogen-bonding solvents.

  3. Hirshfeld atom refinement for modelling strong hydrogen bonds.

    PubMed

    Woińska, Magdalena; Jayatilaka, Dylan; Spackman, Mark A; Edwards, Alison J; Dominiak, Paulina M; Woźniak, Krzysztof; Nishibori, Eiji; Sugimoto, Kunihisa; Grabowsky, Simon

    2014-09-01

    High-resolution low-temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction data of the salt L-phenylalaninium hydrogen maleate are used to test the new automated iterative Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR) procedure for the modelling of strong hydrogen bonds. The HAR models used present the first examples of Z' > 1 treatments in the framework of wavefunction-based refinement methods. L-Phenylalaninium hydrogen maleate exhibits several hydrogen bonds in its crystal structure, of which the shortest and the most challenging to model is the O-H...O intramolecular hydrogen bond present in the hydrogen maleate anion (O...O distance is about 2.41 Å). In particular, the reconstruction of the electron density in the hydrogen maleate moiety and the determination of hydrogen-atom properties [positions, bond distances and anisotropic displacement parameters (ADPs)] are the focus of the study. For comparison to the HAR results, different spherical (independent atom model, IAM) and aspherical (free multipole model, MM; transferable aspherical atom model, TAAM) X-ray refinement techniques as well as results from a low-temperature neutron-diffraction experiment are employed. Hydrogen-atom ADPs are furthermore compared to those derived from a TLS/rigid-body (SHADE) treatment of the X-ray structures. The reference neutron-diffraction experiment reveals a truly symmetric hydrogen bond in the hydrogen maleate anion. Only with HAR is it possible to freely refine hydrogen-atom positions and ADPs from the X-ray data, which leads to the best electron-density model and the closest agreement with the structural parameters derived from the neutron-diffraction experiment, e.g. the symmetric hydrogen position can be reproduced. The multipole-based refinement techniques (MM and TAAM) yield slightly asymmetric positions, whereas the IAM yields a significantly asymmetric position.

  4. Alkali pretreated of wheat straw and its enzymatic hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Han, Lirong; Feng, Juntao; Zhang, Shuangxi; Ma, Zhiqing; Wang, Yonghong; Zhang, Xing

    2012-01-01

    The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose can be improved by various pretreatments of the substrate. In order to increase the efficiency of enzymatic saccharification of the wheat straw, we determined the effect of different pretreatments on the physical structure, chemical components and enzymatic saccharification of wheat straw. Our results showed that combination of grinding and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment had high effect on the enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straws. The optimal pretreatment condition was to grind the wheat straws into the sizes of 120 meshes followed by treatment with 1.0% NaOH for 1.5 h (121°C/15psi). Under this condition, the cellulose content of wheat straw was increased by 44.52%, while the content of hemicellulose and lignin was decreased by 44.15% and 42.52%, respectively. Scanning Electronic Microscopy and infrared spectrum analyses showed that significant changes occurred in the structure of wheat straws after pretreatment, which is favorable for the hydrolysis and saccharification. Cellulase produced by Penicillium waksmanii F10-2 was used to hydrolyze the pretreated wheat straw and the optimal condition was determined to be 30 h of enzymatic reaction under the temperature of 55°C, pH 5.5 and substrate concentration of 3%.

  5. Rice straw pretreatment using deep eutectic solvents with different constituents molar ratios: Biomass fractionation, polysaccharides enzymatic digestion and solvent reuse.

    PubMed

    Li, Ao-Lin; Hou, Xue-Dan; Lin, Kai-Peng; Zhang, Xuan; Fu, Ming-Hui

    2018-04-12

    Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment with deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is a promising and challenging process for production of biofuels and valuable platform chemicals. In this work, rice straw was mainly fractionated into carbohydrate-rich materials (CRMs) and lignin-rich materials (LRMs) by 90% lactic acid/choline chloride (LC)-water solution with different molar ratio of hydrogen bond donor (HBD, lactic acid) and hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA, choline chloride). It was found that high HBD/HBA molar ratio of DESs was favorable for achieving CRMs and LRMs with high purity, and both HBD and HBA were responsible for effective biomass fractionation possibly due to their synergistic effect on highly efficient breakage of the linkage between hemicellulose and lignin and thus lignin extraction. About 30%-35% of lignin in native rice straw was fractionated as LRMs, and exceeding 70% of xylan were removed and fractionated into the liquid stream as forms of xylose, furfural and humins after pretreatment using aqueous LC (3:1, 5:1) solution. Consequently, polysaccharides enzymatic hydrolysis of the CRMs were significantly enhanced. Moreover, all the DESs could be recovered with high yields of around 90%, and 69% of the LC (3:1) was recovered after 5 cycles reuse at 90 °C. Besides, the recycled DES maintained a good pretreatment ability, and glucose yields of 60-70% were achieved in the enzymatic hydrolysis of CRMs obtained in each cycle. The facile process established in present work is promising for large scale production of fermentable sugars and other chemicals. Copyright © 2018 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. High throughput, high resolution enzymatic lithography process: effect of crystallite size, moisture, and enzyme concentration.

    PubMed

    Mao, Zhantong; Ganesh, Manoj; Bucaro, Michael; Smolianski, Igor; Gross, Richard A; Lyons, Alan M

    2014-12-08

    By bringing enzymes into contact with predefined regions of a surface, a polymer film can be selectively degraded to form desired patterns that find a variety of applications in biotechnology and electronics. This so-called "enzymatic lithography" is an environmentally friendly process as it does not require actinic radiation or synthetic chemicals to develop the patterns. A significant challenge to using enzymatic lithography has been the need to restrict the mobility of the enzyme in order to maintain control of feature sizes. Previous approaches have resulted in low throughput and were limited to polymer films only a few nanometers thick. In this paper, we demonstrate an enzymatic lithography system based on Candida antartica lipase B (CALB) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) that can resolve fine-scale features, (<1 μm across) in thick (0.1-2.0 μm) polymer films. A Polymer Pen Lithography (PPL) tool was developed to deposit an aqueous solution of CALB onto a spin-cast PCL film. Immobilization of the enzyme on the polymer surface was monitored using fluorescence microscopy by labeling CALB with FITC. The crystallite size in the PCL films was systematically varied; small crystallites resulted in significantly faster etch rates (20 nm/min) and the ability to resolve smaller features (as fine as 1 μm). The effect of printing conditions and relative humidity during incubation is also presented. Patterns formed in the PCL film were transferred to an underlying copper foil demonstrating a "Green" approach to the fabrication of printed circuit boards.

  7. Momentum Distribution as a Fingerprint of Quantum Delocalization in Enzymatic Reactions: Open-Chain Path-Integral Simulations of Model Systems and the Hydride Transfer in Dihydrofolate Reductase.

    PubMed

    Engel, Hamutal; Doron, Dvir; Kohen, Amnon; Major, Dan Thomas

    2012-04-10

    The inclusion of nuclear quantum effects such as zero-point energy and tunneling is of great importance in studying condensed phase chemical reactions involving the transfer of protons, hydrogen atoms, and hydride ions. In the current work, we derive an efficient quantum simulation approach for the computation of the momentum distribution in condensed phase chemical reactions. The method is based on a quantum-classical approach wherein quantum and classical simulations are performed separately. The classical simulations use standard sampling techniques, whereas the quantum simulations employ an open polymer chain path integral formulation which is computed using an efficient Monte Carlo staging algorithm. The approach is validated by applying it to a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator and symmetric double-well potential. Subsequently, the method is applied to the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) catalyzed reduction of 7,8-dihydrofolate by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydride (NADPH) to yield S-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate and NADP(+). The key chemical step in the catalytic cycle of DHFR involves a stereospecific hydride transfer. In order to estimate the amount of quantum delocalization, we compute the position and momentum distributions for the transferring hydride ion in the reactant state (RS) and transition state (TS) using a recently developed hybrid semiempirical quantum mechanics-molecular mechanics potential energy surface. Additionally, we examine the effect of compression of the donor-acceptor distance (DAD) in the TS on the momentum distribution. The present results suggest differential quantum delocalization in the RS and TS, as well as reduced tunneling upon DAD compression.

  8. FLUSH: A tool for the design of slush hydrogen flow systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hardy, Terry L.

    1990-01-01

    As part of the National Aerospace Plane Project an analytical model was developed to perform calculations for in-line transfer of solid-liquid mixtures of hydrogen. This code, called FLUSH, calculates pressure drop and solid fraction loss for the flow of slush hydrogen through pipe systems. The model solves the steady-state, one-dimensional equation of energy to obtain slush loss estimates. A description of the code is provided as well as a guide for users of the program. Preliminary results are also presented showing the anticipated degradation of slush hydrogen solid content for various piping systems.

  9. A metal-organic cage incorporating multiple light harvesting and catalytic centres for photochemical hydrogen production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Sha; Li, Kang; Zhao, Fang; Zhang, Lei; Pan, Mei; Fan, Yan-Zhong; Guo, Jing; Shi, Jianying; Su, Cheng-Yong

    2016-11-01

    Photocatalytic water splitting is a natural but challenging chemical way of harnessing renewable solar power to generate clean hydrogen energy. Here we report a potential hydrogen-evolving photochemical molecular device based on a self-assembled ruthenium-palladium heterometallic coordination cage, incorporating multiple photo- and catalytic metal centres. The photophysical properties are investigated by absorption/emission spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements and preliminary DFT calculations and the stepwise electron transfer processes from ruthenium-photocentres to catalytic palladium-centres is probed by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic hydrogen production assessments reveal an initial reaction rate of 380 μmol h-1 and a turnover number of 635 after 48 h. The efficient hydrogen production may derive from the directional electron transfers through multiple channels owing to proper organization of the photo- and catalytic multi-units within the octahedral cage, which may open a new door to design photochemical molecular devices with well-organized metallosupramolecules for homogenous photocatalytic applications.

  10. Substrate mass transfer: analytical approach for immobilized enzyme reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Senthamarai, R.; Saibavani, T. N.

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, the boundary value problem in immobilized enzyme reactions is formulated and approximate expression for substrate concentration without external mass transfer resistance is presented. He’s variational iteration method is used to give approximate and analytical solutions of non-linear differential equation containing a non linear term related to enzymatic reaction. The relevant analytical solution for the dimensionless substrate concentration profile is discussed in terms of dimensionless reaction parameters α and β.

  11. Proton-transfer compounds with 4-amino-N-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide (sulfamethazine): the structures and hydrogen bonding in the salts with 5-nitrosalicylic acid and picric acid.

    PubMed

    Smith, Graham; Wermuth, Urs D

    2013-05-01

    The structures of the anhydrous proton-transfer compounds of the sulfa drug sulfamethazine with 5-nitrosalicylic acid and picric acid, namely 2-(4-aminobenzenesulfonamido)-4,6-dimethylpyrimidinium 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzoate, C12H15N4O2S(+)·C7H4NO4(-), (I), and 2-(4-aminobenzenesulfonamido)-4,6-dimethylpyrimidinium 2,4,6-trinitrophenolate, C12H15N4O2S(+)·C6H2N3O7(-), (II), respectively, have been determined. In the asymmetric unit of (I), there are two independent but conformationally similar cation-anion heterodimer pairs which are formed through duplex intermolecular N(+)-H···O(carboxylate) and N-H···O(carboxylate) hydrogen-bond pairs, giving a cyclic motif [graph set R2(2)(8)]. These heterodimers form separate and different non-associated substructures through aniline N-H···O hydrogen bonds, one one-dimensional, involving carboxylate O-atom acceptors, the other two-dimensional, involving both carboxylate and hydroxy O-atom acceptors. The overall two-dimensional structure is stabilized by π-π interactions between the pyrimidinium ring and the 5-nitrosalicylate ring in both heterodimers [minimum ring-centroid separation = 3.4580 (8) Å]. For picrate (II), the cation-anion interaction involves a slightly asymmetric chelating N-H···O R2(1)(6) hydrogen-bonding association with the phenolate O atom, together with peripheral conjoint R1(2)(6) interactions between the same N-H groups and O atoms of the ortho-related nitro groups. An inter-unit amine N-H···O(sulfone) hydrogen bond gives one-dimensional chains which extend along a and inter-associate through π-π interactions between the pyrimidinium rings [centroid-centroid separation = 3.4752 (9) Å]. The two structures reported here now bring to a total of four the crystallographically characterized examples of proton-transfer salts of sulfamethazine with strong organic acids.

  12. Enzymatic membrane reactors for biodegradation of recalcitrant compounds. Application to dye decolourisation.

    PubMed

    López, C; Mielgo, I; Moreira, M T; Feijoo, G; Lema, J M

    2002-11-13

    Membrane bioreactors are being increasingly used in enzymatic catalysed transformations. However, the application of enzymatic-based treatment systems in the environmental field is rather unusual. The aim of this paper is to overview the application of enzymatic membrane reactors to wastewater treatment, more specifically to dye decolourisation. Firstly, the basic aspects such as different configurations of enzymatic reactors, advantages and disadvantages associated to their utilisation are revised as well as the application of this technology to wastewater treatment. Secondly, dye decolourisation by white-rot fungi and their oxidative enzymes are discussed, presenting an overall view from for in vivo and in vitro systems. Finally, dye decolourisation by manganese peroxidase in an enzymatic membrane reactor in continuous operation is presented.

  13. From Förster resonance energy transfer to coherent resonance energy transfer and back

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clegg, Robert M.; Sener, Melih; Govindjee, .

    2010-02-01

    Photosynthesis converts solar energy into chemical energy. It provides food and oxygen; and, in the future, it could directly provide bioenergy or renewable energy sources, such as bio-alcohol or hydrogen. To exploit such a highly efficient capture of energy requires an understanding of the fundamental physics. The process is initiated by photon absorption, followed by highly efficient and extremely rapid transfer and trapping of the excitation energy. We first review early fluorescence experiments on in vivo energy transfer, which were undertaken to understand the mechanism of such efficient energy capture. A historical synopsis is given of experiments and interpretations by others that dealt with the question of how energy is transferred from the original location of photon absorption in the photosynthetic antenna system into the reaction centers, where it is converted into useful chemical energy. We conclude by examining the physical basis of some current models concerning the roles of coherent excitons and incoherent hopping in the exceptionally efficient transfer of energy into the reaction center.

  14. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding in malonaldehyde and its radical analogues.

    PubMed

    Lin, Chen; Kumar, Manoj; Finney, Brian A; Francisco, Joseph S

    2017-09-28

    High level Brueckner doubles with triples correction method-based ab initio calculations have been used to investigate the nature of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer in cis-malonaldehyde (MA) and its radical analogues. The radicals considered here are the ones that correspond to the homolytic cleavage of C-H bonds in cis-MA. The results suggest that cis-MA and its radical analogues, cis-MA RS , and cis-MA RA , both exist in planar geometry. The calculated intramolecular O-H⋯O=C bond in cis-MA is shorter than that in the radical analogues. The intramolecular hydrogen bond in cis-MA is stronger than in its radicals by at least 3.0 kcal/mol. The stability of a cis-malonaldehyde radical correlates with the extent of electron spin delocalization; cis-MA RA , in which the radical spin is more delocalized, is the most stable MA radical, whereas cis-MA RS , in which the radical spin is strongly localized, is the least stable radical. The natural bond orbital analysis indicates that the intramolecular hydrogen bonding (O⋯H⋯O) in cis-malonaldehyde radicals is stabilized by the interaction between the lone pair orbitals of donor oxygen and the σ * orbital of acceptor O-H bond (n → σ * OH ). The calculated barriers indicate that the intramolecular proton transfer in cis-MA involves 2.2 kcal/mol lower barrier than that in cis-MA RS .

  15. Hydrogen bonds and heat diffusion in α-helices: a computational study.

    PubMed

    Miño, German; Barriga, Raul; Gutierrez, Gonzalo

    2014-08-28

    Recent evidence has shown a correlation between the heat diffusion pathways and the known allosteric communication pathways in proteins. Allosteric communication in proteins is a central, yet unsolved, problem in biochemistry, and the study and characterization of the structural determinants that mediate energy transfer among different parts of proteins is of major importance. In this work, we characterized the role of hydrogen bonds in diffusivity of thermal energy for two sets of α-helices with different abilities to form hydrogen bonds. These hydrogen bonds can be a constitutive part of the α-helices or can arise from the lateral chains. In our in vacuo simulations, it was observed that α-helices with a higher possibility of forming hydrogen bonds also had higher rates of thermalization. Our simulations also revealed that heat readily flowed through atoms involved in hydrogen bonds. As a general conclusion, according to our simulations, hydrogen bonds fulfilled an important role in heat diffusion in structural patters of proteins.

  16. Design of a genetic algorithm for the simulated evolution of a library of asymmetric transfer hydrogenation catalysts.

    PubMed

    Vriamont, Nicolas; Govaerts, Bernadette; Grenouillet, Pierre; de Bellefon, Claude; Riant, Olivier

    2009-06-15

    A library of catalysts was designed for asymmetric-hydrogen transfer to acetophenone. At first, the whole library was submitted to evaluation using high-throughput experiments (HTE). The catalysts were listed in ascending order, with respect to their performance, and best catalysts were identified. In the second step, various simulated evolution experiments, based on a genetic algorithm, were applied to this library. A small part of the library, called the mother generation (G0), thus evolved from generation to generation. The goal was to use our collection of HTE data to adjust the parameters of the genetic algorithm, in order to obtain a maximum of the best catalysts within a minimal number of generations. It was namely found that simulated evolution's results depended on the selection of G0 and that a random G0 should be preferred. We also demonstrated that it was possible to get 5 to 6 of the ten best catalysts while investigating only 10 % of the library. Moreover, we developed a double algorithm making this result still achievable if the evolution started with one of the worst G0.

  17. New horizons in chemical propulsion. [processes using free radicals, atomic hydrogen, excited species, etc

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, W.

    1973-01-01

    After a review of the work of the late-Fifties on free radicals for propulsion, it is concluded that atomic hydrogen would provide a potentially large increase in specific impulse. Work conducted to find an approach for isolating atomic hydrogen is considered. Other possibilities for obtaining propellants of greatly increased capability might be connected with the technology for the generation of activated states of gases, metallic hydrogen, fuels obtained from other planets, and laser transfer of energy.

  18. National hydrogen technology competitiveness analysis with an integrated fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS approaches: In case of hydrogen production and storage technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Seongkon; Mogi, Gento

    2017-02-01

    The demand of fossil fuels, including oil, gas, and coal has been increasing with the rapid development of developing countries such as China and India. U.S., Japan, EU, and Korea have been making efforts to transfer to low carbon and green growth economics for sustainable development. And they also have been measuring to cope with climate change and the depletion of conventional fuels. Advanced nations implemented strategic energy technology development plans to lead the future energy market. Strategic energy technology development is crucial alternative to address the energy issues. This paper analyze the relative competitiveness of hydrogen energy technologies in case of hydrogen production and storage technologies from 2006 to 2010. Hydrogen energy technology is environmentally clean technology comparing with the previous conventional energy technologies and will play a key role to solve the greenhouse gas effect. Leading nations have increasingly focused on hydrogen technology R&D. This research is carried out the relative competitiveness of hydrogen energy technologies employed by an integrated fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy AHP) and The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approaches. We make four criteria, accounting for technological status, R&D budget, R&D human resource, and hydrogen infra. This research can be used as fundamental data for implementing national hydrogen energy R&D planning for energy policy-makers.

  19. Microwave plasma generation of arsine from hydrogen and solid arsenic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Omstead, Thomas R.; Annapragada, Ananth V.; Jensen, Klavs F.

    1990-12-01

    The generation of arsine from the reactions of hydrogen and elemental arsenic in a microwave plasma reactor is described. The arsenic is evaporated from a solid source upstream and carried into the microwave plasma region by a mixture of hydrogen and argon. Stable reaction products, arsine and diarsine are observed by molecular beam sampled mass spectroscopy along with partially hydrogenated species (e.g., AsH and AsH2). The effect of composition and flow rate of the argon/hydrogen carrier gas mixture on the amount of arsine generated is investigated. The arsine production reaches a maximum for an argon-to-hydrogen ratio of unity indicating that metastable argon species act as energy transfer intermediates in the overall reaction. The generation of arsine and diarsine from easily handled solid arsenic by this technique makes it attractive as a possible arsenic source for the growth of compound semiconductors by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition.

  20. Hydrogen sulfide emission in sewer networks: a two-phase modeling approach to the sulfur cycle.

    PubMed

    Yongsiri, C; Vollertsen, J; Hvitved-Jacobsen, T

    2004-01-01

    Wherever transport of anaerobic wastewater occurs, potential problems associated with hydrogen sulfide in relation to odor nuisance, health risk and corrosion exist. Improved understanding of prediction of hydrogen sulfide emission into the sewer atmosphere is needed for better evaluation of such problems in sewer networks. A two-phase model for emission of hydrogen sulfide along stretches of gravity sewers is presented to estimate the occurrence of both sulfide in the water phase and hydrogen sulfide in the sewer atmosphere. The model takes into account air-water mass transfer of hydrogen sulfide and interactions with other processes in the sulfur cycle. Various emission scenarios are simulated to illustrate the release characteristics of hydrogen sulfide.

  1. Tunable Enzymatic Activity and Enhanced Stability of Cellulase Immobilized in Biohybrid Nanogels.

    PubMed

    Peng, Huan; Rübsam, Kristin; Jakob, Felix; Schwaneberg, Ulrich; Pich, Andrij

    2016-11-14

    This paper reports a facile approach for encapsulation of enzymes in nanogels. Our approach is based on the use of reactive copolymers able to get conjugated with enzyme and build 3D colloidal networks or biohybrid nanogels. In a systematic study, we address the following question: how the chemical structure of nanogel network influences the biocatalytic activity of entrapped enzyme? The developed method allows precise control of the enzyme activity and improvement of enzyme resistance against harsh store conditions, chaotropic agents, and organic solvents. The nanogels were constructed via direct chemical cross-linking of water-soluble reactive copolymers poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone-co-N-methacryloxysuccinimide) with proteins such as enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and cellulase in water-in-oil emulsion. The water-soluble reactive copolymers with controlled amount of reactive succinimide groups and narrow dispersity were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Poly(ethylene glycol) bis(3-aminopropyl) and branched polyethylenimine were utilized as model cross-linkers to optimize synthesis of nanogels with different architectures in the preliminary experiments. Biofluorescent nanogels with different loading amount of EGFP and varying cross-linking densities were obtained. We demonstrate that the biocatalytic activity of cellulase-conjugated nanogels (CNG) can be elegantly tuned by control of their cross-linking degrees. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra demonstrated that the secondary structures of the immobilized cellulase were changed in the aspect of α-helix contents. The secondary structures of cellulase in highly cross-linked nanogels were strongly altered compared with loosely cross-linked nanogels. The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based study further revealed that nanogels with lower cross-linking degree enable higher substrate transport rate, providing easier access to the active site of

  2. Palladium configuration dependence of hydrogen detection sensitivity based on graphene FET for breath analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakamoto, Yuri; Uemura, Kohei; Ikuta, Takashi; Maehashi, Kenzo

    2018-04-01

    We have succeeded in fabricating a hydrogen gas sensor based on palladium-modified graphene field-effect transistors (FETs). The negative-voltage shift in the transfer characteristics was observed with exposure to hydrogen gas, which was explained by the change in work function. The hydrogen concentration dependence of the voltage shift was investigated using graphene FETs with palladium deposited by three different evaporation processes. The results indicate that the hydrogen detection sensitivity of the palladium-modified graphene FETs is strongly dependent on the palladium configuration. Therefore, the palladium-modified graphene FET is a candidate for breath analysis.

  3. Bioaccumulation of nickel by intercalation into polycrystalline hydrogen uranyl phosphate deposited via an enzymatic mechanism.

    PubMed

    Bonthrone, K M; Basnakova, G; Lin, F; Macaskie, L E

    1996-05-01

    A Citrobacter sp. accumulates uranyl ion (UO2(2+)) as crystalline HUO2PO4.4H2O (HUP), using enzymatically generated inorganic phosphate. Ni was not removed by this mechanism, but cells already loaded with HUP removed Ni2+ by intercalative ion-exchange, forming Ni(UO2PO4)2.7H2O, as concluded by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE) analyses. The loaded biomass became saturated with Ni rapidly, with a molar ratio of Ni:U in the cellbound deposit of approx. 1:6; Ni penetration was probably surface-localized. Cochallenge of the cells with Ni2+ and UO2(2+), and glycerol 2-phosphate (phosphate donor for phosphate release and metal bioprecipitation) gave sustained removal of both metals in a flow through bioreactor, with more extensively accumulated Ni. We propose 'Microbially Enhanced Chemisorption of Heavy Metals' (MECHM) to describe this hybrid mechanism of metal bioaccumulation via intercalation into preformed, biogenic crystals, and note also that MECHM can promote the removal of the transuranic radionuclide neptunium, which is difficult to achieve by conventional methods.

  4. Hydrogen production profiles using furans in microbial electrolysis cells.

    PubMed

    Catal, Tunc; Gover, Tansu; Yaman, Bugra; Droguetti, Jessica; Yilancioglu, Kaan

    2017-06-01

    Microbial electrochemical cells including microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are novel biotechnological tools that can convert organic substances in wastewater or biomass into electricity or hydrogen. Electroactive microbial biofilms used in this technology have ability to transfer electrons from organic compounds to anodes. Evaluation of biofilm formation on anode is crucial for enhancing our understanding of hydrogen generation in terms of substrate utilization by microorganisms. In this study, furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were analyzed for hydrogen generation using single chamber membrane-free MECs (17 mL), and anode biofilms were also examined. MECs were inoculated with mixed bacterial culture enriched using chloroethane sulphonate. Hydrogen was succesfully produced in the presence of HMF, but not furfural. MECs generated similar current densities (5.9 and 6 mA/cm 2 furfural and HMF, respectively). Biofilm samples obtained on the 24th and 40th day of cultivation using aromatic compounds were evaluated by using epi-fluorescent microscope. Our results show a correlation between biofilm density and hydrogen generation in single chamber MECs.

  5. Enzymatic Transition States, Transition-State Analogs, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, and Lifetimes

    PubMed Central

    Schramm, Vern L.

    2017-01-01

    Experimental analysis of enzymatic transition-state structures uses kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) to report on bonding and geometry differences between reactants and the transition state. Computational correlation of experimental values with chemical models permits three-dimensional geometric and electrostatic assignment of transition states formed at enzymatic catalytic sites. The combination of experimental and computational access to transition-state information permits (a) the design of transition-state analogs as powerful enzymatic inhibitors, (b) exploration of protein features linked to transition-state structure, (c) analysis of ensemble atomic motions involved in achieving the transition state, (d) transition-state lifetimes, and (e) separation of ground-state (Michaelis complexes) from transition-state effects. Transition-state analogs with picomolar dissociation constants have been achieved for several enzymatic targets. Transition states of closely related isozymes indicate that the protein’s dynamic architecture is linked to transition-state structure. Fast dynamic motions in catalytic sites are linked to transition-state generation. Enzymatic transition states have lifetimes of femtoseconds, the lifetime of bond vibrations. Binding isotope effects (BIEs) reveal relative reactant and transition-state analog binding distortion for comparison with actual transition states. PMID:21675920

  6. Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation As a Tool to Identify Aerobic and Anaerobic PAH Biodegradation.

    PubMed

    Kümmel, Steffen; Starke, Robert; Chen, Gao; Musat, Florin; Richnow, Hans H; Vogt, Carsten

    2016-03-15

    Aerobic and anaerobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) biodegradation was characterized by compound specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of the carbon and hydrogen isotope effects of the enzymatic reactions initiating specific degradation pathways, using naphthalene and 2-methylnaphtalene as model compounds. Aerobic activation of naphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene by Pseudomonas putida NCIB 9816 and Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 17483 containing naphthalene dioxygenases was associated with moderate carbon isotope fractionation (εC = -0.8 ± 0.1‰ to -1.6 ± 0.2‰). In contrast, anaerobic activation of naphthalene by a carboxylation-like mechanism by strain NaphS6 was linked to negligible carbon isotope fractionation (εC = -0.2 ± 0.2‰ to -0.4 ± 0.3‰). Notably, anaerobic activation of naphthalene by strain NaphS6 exhibited a normal hydrogen isotope fractionation (εH = -11 ± 2‰ to -47 ± 4‰), whereas an inverse hydrogen isotope fractionation was observed for the aerobic strains (εH = +15 ± 2‰ to +71 ± 6‰). Additionally, isotope fractionation of NaphS6 was determined in an overlaying hydrophobic carrier phase, resulting in more reliable enrichment factors compared to immobilizing the PAHs on the bottle walls without carrier phase. The observed differences especially in hydrogen fractionation might be used to differentiate between aerobic and anaerobic naphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene biodegradation pathways at PAH-contaminated field sites.

  7. Hydrogen embrittlement in nickel-hydrogen cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gross, Sidney

    1989-01-01

    It was long known that many strong metals can become weakened and brittle as the result of the accumulation of hydrogen within the metal. When the metal is stretched, it does not show normal ductile properties, but fractures prematurely. This problem can occur as the result of a hydrogen evolution reaction such as corrosion or electroplating, or due to hydrogen in the environment at the metal surface. High strength alloys such as steels are especially susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Nickel-hydrogen cells commonly use Inconel 718 alloy for the pressure container, and this also is susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Metals differ in their susceptibility to embrittlement. Hydrogen embrittlement in nickel-hydrogen cells is analyzed and the reasons why it may or may not occur are discussed. Although Inconel 718 can display hydrogen embrittlement, experience has not identified any problem with nickel-hydrogen cells. No hydrogen embrittlement problem is expected with the 718 alloy pressure container used in nickel-hydrogen cells.

  8. Amide group anchored glucose oxidase based anodic catalysts for high performance enzymatic biofuel cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chung, Yongjin; Ahn, Yeonjoo; Kim, Do-Heyoung; Kwon, Yongchai

    2017-01-01

    A new enzyme catalyst is formed by fabricating gold nano particle (GNP)-glucose oxidase (GOx) clusters that are then attached to polyethyleneimine (PEI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) with cross-linkable terephthalaldehyde (TPA) (TPA/[CNT/PEI/GOx-GNP]). Especially, amide bonds belonging to TPA play an anchor role for incorporating rigid bonding among GNP, GOx and CNT/PEI, while middle size GNP is well bonded with thiol group of GOx to form strong GNP-GOx cluster. Those bonds are identified by chemical and electrochemical characterizations like XPS and cyclic voltammogram. The anchording effect of amide bonds induces fast electron transfer and strong chemical bonding, resulting in enhancements in (i) catalytic activity, (ii) amount of immobilized GOx and (ii) performance of enzymatic biofuel cell (EBC) including the catalyst. Regarding the catalytic activity, the TPA/[CNT/PEI/GOx-GNP] produces high electron transfer rate constant (6 s-1), high glucose sensitivity (68 μA mM-1 cm-2), high maximum current density (113 μA cm-2), low charge transfer resistance (17.0 Ω cm2) and long-lasting durability while its chemical structure is characterized by XPS confirming large portion of amide bond. In EBC measurement, it has high maximum power density (0.94 mW cm-2) compatible with catalytic acitivity measurements.

  9. Method of transferring strained semiconductor structure

    DOEpatents

    Nastasi, Michael A [Santa Fe, NM; Shao, Lin [College Station, TX

    2009-12-29

    The transfer of strained semiconductor layers from one substrate to another substrate involves depositing a multilayer structure on a substrate having surface contaminants. An interface that includes the contaminants is formed in between the deposited layer and the substrate. Hydrogen atoms are introduced into the structure and allowed to diffuse to the interface. Afterward, the deposited multilayer structure is bonded to a second substrate and is separated away at the interface, which results in transferring a multilayer structure from one substrate to the other substrate. The multilayer structure includes at least one strained semiconductor layer and at least one strain-induced seed layer. The strain-induced seed layer can be optionally etched away after the layer transfer.

  10. The prediction of nozzle performance and heat transfer in hydrogen/oxygen rocket engines with transpiration cooling, film cooling, and high area ratios

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kacynski, Kenneth J.; Hoffman, Joe D.

    1993-01-01

    An advanced engineering computational model has been developed to aid in the analysis and design of hydrogen/oxygen chemical rocket engines. The complete multi-species, chemically reacting and diffusing Navier-Stokes equations are modelled, finite difference approach that is tailored to be conservative in an axisymmetric coordinate system for both the inviscid and viscous terms. Demonstration cases are presented for a 1030:1 area ratio nozzle, a 25 lbf film cooled nozzle, and transpiration cooled plug-and-spool rocket engine. The results indicate that the thrust coefficient predictions of the 1030:1 nozzle and the film cooled nozzle are within 0.2 to 0.5 percent, respectively, of experimental measurements when all of the chemical reaction and diffusion terms are considered. Further, the model's predictions agree very well with the heat transfer measurements made in all of the nozzle test cases. The Soret thermal diffusion term is demonstrated to have a significant effect on the predicted mass fraction of hydrogen along the wall of the nozzle in both the laminar flow 1030:1 nozzle and the turbulent plug-and-spool rocket engine analysis cases performed. Further, the Soret term was shown to represent a significant fraction of the diffusion fluxes occurring in the transpiration cooled rocket engine.

  11. Proton transfer and hydrogen bonding in the organic solid state: a combined XRD/XPS/ssNMR study of 17 organic acid-base complexes.

    PubMed

    Stevens, Joanna S; Byard, Stephen J; Seaton, Colin C; Sadiq, Ghazala; Davey, Roger J; Schroeder, Sven L M

    2014-01-21

    The properties of nitrogen centres acting either as hydrogen-bond or Brønsted acceptors in solid molecular acid-base complexes have been probed by N 1s X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as (15)N solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy and are interpreted with reference to local crystallographic structure information provided by X-ray diffraction (XRD). We have previously shown that the strong chemical shift of the N 1s binding energy associated with the protonation of nitrogen centres unequivocally distinguishes protonated (salt) from hydrogen-bonded (co-crystal) nitrogen species. This result is further supported by significant ssNMR shifts to low frequency, which occur with proton transfer from the acid to the base component. Generally, only minor chemical shifts occur upon co-crystal formation, unless a strong hydrogen bond is formed. CASTEP density functional theory (DFT) calculations of (15)N ssNMR isotropic chemical shifts correlate well with the experimental data, confirming that computational predictions of H-bond strengths and associated ssNMR chemical shifts allow the identification of salt and co-crystal structures (NMR crystallography). The excellent agreement between the conclusions drawn by XPS and the combined CASTEP/ssNMR investigations opens up a reliable avenue for local structure characterization in molecular systems even in the absence of crystal structure information, for example for non-crystalline or amorphous matter. The range of 17 different systems investigated in this study demonstrates the generic nature of this approach, which will be applicable to many other molecular materials in organic, physical, and materials chemistry.

  12. Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs): Toward a Hydrogen-free Hydrogen Economy.

    PubMed

    Preuster, Patrick; Papp, Christian; Wasserscheid, Peter

    2017-01-17

    The need to drastically reduce CO 2 emissions will lead to the transformation of our current, carbon-based energy system to a more sustainable, renewable-based one. In this process, hydrogen will gain increasing importance as secondary energy vector. Energy storage requirements on the TWh scale (to bridge extended times of low wind and sun harvest) and global logistics of renewable energy equivalents will create additional driving forces toward a future hydrogen economy. However, the nature of hydrogen requires dedicated infrastructures, and this has prevented so far the introduction of elemental hydrogen into the energy sector to a large extent. Recent scientific and technological progress in handling hydrogen in chemically bound form as liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) supports the technological vision that a future hydrogen economy may work without handling large amounts of elemental hydrogen. LOHC systems are composed of pairs of hydrogen-lean and hydrogen-rich organic compounds that store hydrogen by repeated catalytic hydrogenation and dehydrogenation cycles. While hydrogen handling in the form of LOHCs allows for using the existing infrastructure for fuels, it also builds on the existing public confidence in dealing with liquid energy carriers. In contrast to hydrogen storage by hydrogenation of gases, such as CO 2 or N 2 , hydrogen release from LOHC systems produces pure hydrogen after condensation of the high-boiling carrier compounds. This Account highlights the current state-of-the-art in hydrogen storage using LOHC systems. It first introduces fundamental aspects of a future hydrogen economy and derives therefrom requirements for suitable LOHC compounds. Molecular structures that have been successfully applied in the literature are presented, and their property profiles are discussed. Fundamental and applied aspects of the involved hydrogenation and dehydrogenation catalysis are discussed, characteristic differences for the catalytic conversion of

  13. A Multiplex Enzymatic Machinery for Cellular Protein S-nitrosylation.

    PubMed

    Seth, Divya; Hess, Douglas T; Hausladen, Alfred; Wang, Liwen; Wang, Ya-Juan; Stamler, Jonathan S

    2018-02-01

    S-nitrosylation, the oxidative modification of Cys residues by nitric oxide (NO) to form S-nitrosothiols (SNOs), modifies all main classes of proteins and provides a fundamental redox-based cellular signaling mechanism. However, in contrast to other post-translational protein modifications, S-nitrosylation is generally considered to be non-enzymatic, involving multiple chemical routes. We report here that endogenous protein S-nitrosylation in the model organism E. coli depends principally upon the enzymatic activity of the hybrid cluster protein Hcp, employing NO produced by nitrate reductase. Anaerobiosis on nitrate induces both Hcp and nitrate reductase, thereby resulting in the S-nitrosylation-dependent assembly of a large interactome including enzymes that generate NO (NO synthase), synthesize SNO-proteins (SNO synthase), and propagate SNO-based signaling (trans-nitrosylases) to regulate cell motility and metabolism. Thus, protein S-nitrosylation by NO in E. coli is essentially enzymatic, and the potential generality of the multiplex enzymatic mechanism that we describe may support a re-conceptualization of NO-based cellular signaling. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Recalcitrant carbohydrates after enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Alcantara, Maria Angeles Bermudez; Dobruchowska, Justyna; Azadi, Parastoo

    To reduce the cost of the enzymes for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, two main strategies have been followed: one, the reduction of enzyme dosing by the use of more efficient and stable enzymatic cocktails; another, to include accessory enzymes in the cocktails to increase yields by reducing the recalcitrant carbohydrate fraction remaining at the end of the process. To guide this second strategy, we have explored the chemical bond composition of different fractions of recalcitrant carbohydrates after enzymatic hydrolysis. As a result, two lignocellulosic feedstocks of relevance for the biofuels industry have been analyzed, corn stover and sugarcane straw.more » On comparing the composition of chemical bonds of the starting pretreated material with samples after standard and forced hydrolysis (with enzyme overdosing), we obtained similar sugar and chemical bond composition. In conclusion, this suggests that the current enzymatic cocktails bear the set of enzymes needed to hydrolyze these feedstocks. From our point of view, the results show the need for a parallel fine-tuning of the enzymatic cocktails with the pretreatment process to maximize sugar release yield.« less

  15. Recalcitrant carbohydrates after enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass

    DOE PAGES

    Alcantara, Maria Angeles Bermudez; Dobruchowska, Justyna; Azadi, Parastoo; ...

    2016-10-06

    To reduce the cost of the enzymes for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, two main strategies have been followed: one, the reduction of enzyme dosing by the use of more efficient and stable enzymatic cocktails; another, to include accessory enzymes in the cocktails to increase yields by reducing the recalcitrant carbohydrate fraction remaining at the end of the process. To guide this second strategy, we have explored the chemical bond composition of different fractions of recalcitrant carbohydrates after enzymatic hydrolysis. As a result, two lignocellulosic feedstocks of relevance for the biofuels industry have been analyzed, corn stover and sugarcane straw.more » On comparing the composition of chemical bonds of the starting pretreated material with samples after standard and forced hydrolysis (with enzyme overdosing), we obtained similar sugar and chemical bond composition. In conclusion, this suggests that the current enzymatic cocktails bear the set of enzymes needed to hydrolyze these feedstocks. From our point of view, the results show the need for a parallel fine-tuning of the enzymatic cocktails with the pretreatment process to maximize sugar release yield.« less

  16. Recalcitrant carbohydrates after enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass.

    PubMed

    Alcántara, María Ángeles Bermúdez; Dobruchowska, Justyna; Azadi, Parastoo; García, Bruno Díez; Molina-Heredia, Fernando P; Reyes-Sosa, Francisco Manuel

    2016-01-01

    To reduce the cost of the enzymes for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, two main strategies have been followed: one, the reduction of enzyme dosing by the use of more efficient and stable enzymatic cocktails; another, to include accessory enzymes in the cocktails to increase yields by reducing the recalcitrant carbohydrate fraction remaining at the end of the process. To guide this second strategy, we have explored the chemical bond composition of different fractions of recalcitrant carbohydrates after enzymatic hydrolysis. Two lignocellulosic feedstocks of relevance for the biofuels industry have been analyzed, corn stover and sugarcane straw. On comparing the composition of chemical bonds of the starting pretreated material with samples after standard and forced hydrolysis (with enzyme overdosing), we obtained similar sugar and chemical bond composition. This suggests that the current enzymatic cocktails bear the set of enzymes needed to hydrolyze these feedstocks. From our point of view, the results show the need for a parallel fine-tuning of the enzymatic cocktails with the pretreatment process to maximize sugar release yield.

  17. Modelling Tethered Enzymatic Reactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solis Salas, Citlali; Goyette, Jesse; Coker-Gordon, Nicola; Bridge, Marcus; Isaacson, Samuel; Allard, Jun; Maini, Philip; Dushek, Omer

    Enzymatic reactions are key to cell functioning, and whilst much work has been done in protein interaction in cases where diffusion is possible, interactions of tethered proteins are poorly understood. Yet, because of the large role cell membranes play in enzymatic reactions, several reactions may take place where one of the proteins is bound to a fixed point in space. We develop a model to characterize tethered signalling between the phosphatase SHP-1 interacting with a tethered, phosphorylated protein. We compare our model to experimental data obtained using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We show that a single SPR experiment recovers 5 independent biophysical/biochemical constants. We also compare the results between a three dimensional model and a two dimensional model. The work gives the opportunity to use known techniques to learn more about signalling processes, and new insights into how enzyme tethering alters cellular signalling. With support from the Mexican Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT), the Public Education Secretariat (SEP), and the Mexican National Autonomous University's Foundation (Fundacion UNAM).

  18. Influence of heat transfer rates on pressurization of liquid/slush hydrogen propellant tanks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sasmal, G. P.; Hochstein, J. I.; Hardy, T. L.

    1993-01-01

    A multi-dimensional computational model of the pressurization process in liquid/slush hydrogen tank is developed and used to study the influence of heat flux rates at the ullage boundaries on the process. The new model computes these rates and performs an energy balance for the tank wall whereas previous multi-dimensional models required a priori specification of the boundary heat flux rates. Analyses of both liquid hydrogen and slush hydrogen pressurization were performed to expose differences between the two processes. Graphical displays are presented to establish the dependence of pressurization time, pressurant mass required, and other parameters of interest on ullage boundary heat flux rates and pressurant mass flow rate. Detailed velocity fields and temperature distributions are presented for selected cases to further illuminate the details of the pressurization process. It is demonstrated that ullage boundary heat flux rates do significantly effect the pressurization process and that minimizing heat loss from the ullage and maximizing pressurant flow rate minimizes the mass of pressurant gas required to pressurize the tank. It is further demonstrated that proper dimensionless scaling of pressure and time permit all the pressure histories examined during this study to be displayed as a single curve.

  19. Radiation exposure and performance of multiple burn LEO-GEO orbit transfer trajectories

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gorland, S. H.

    1985-01-01

    Many potential strategies exist for the transfer of spacecraft from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous (GEO) orbit. One strategy has generally been utilized, that being a single impulsive burn at perigee and a GEO insertion burn at apogee. Multiple burn strategies were discussed for orbit transfer vehicles (OTVs) but the transfer times and radiation exposure, particularly for potentially manned missions, were used as arguments against those options. Quantitative results concerning the trip time and radiation encountered by multiple burn orbit transfer missions in order to establish the feasibility of manned missions, the vulnerability of electronics, and the shielding requirements are presented. The performance of these multiple burn missions is quantified in terms of the payload and propellant variances from the minimum energy mission transfer. The missions analyzed varied from one to eight perigee burns and ranged from a high thrust, 1 g acceleration, cryogenic hydrogen-oxygen chemical prpulsion system to a continuous burn, 0.001 g acceleration, hydrogen fueled resistojet propulsion system with a trip time of 60 days.

  20. Lignosulfonate and elevated pH can enhance enzymatic saccharification of lignocelluloses

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Nonspecific (nonproductive) binding (adsorption) of cellulase by lignin has been identified as a key barrier to reduce cellulase loading for economical sugar and biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. Sulfite Pretreatment to Overcome Recalcitrance of Lignocelluloses (SPORL) is a relatively new process, but demonstrated robust performance for sugar and biofuel production from woody biomass especially softwoods in terms of yields and energy efficiencies. This study demonstrated the role of lignin sulfonation in enhancing enzymatic saccharification of lignocelluloses – lignosulfonate from SPORL can improve enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocelluloses, contrary to the conventional belief that lignin inhibits enzymatic hydrolysis due to nonspecific binding of cellulase. Results The study found that lignosulfonate from SPORL pretreatment and from a commercial source inhibits enzymatic hydrolysis of pure cellulosic substrates at low concentrations due to nonspecific binding of cellulase. Surprisingly, the reduction in enzymatic saccharification efficiency of a lignocellulosic substrate was fully recovered as the concentrations of these two lignosulfonates increased. We hypothesize that lignosulfonate serves as a surfactant to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis at higher concentrations and that this enhancement offsets its inhibitive effect from nonspecific binding of cellulase, when lignosulfonate is applied to lignocellulosic solid substrates. Lignosulfonate can block nonspecific binding of cellulase by bound lignin on the solid substrates, in the same manner as a nonionic surfactant, to significantly enhance enzymatic saccharification. This enhancement is linearly proportional to the amount of lignosulfonate applied which is very important to practical applications. For a SPORL-pretreated lodgepole pine solid, 90% cellulose saccharification was achieved at cellulase loading of 13 FPU/g glucan with the application of its corresponding pretreatment hydrolysate

  1. A plastic total internal reflection-based photoluminescence device for enzymatic biosensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thakkar, Ishan G.

    on fluorescence intensity and scattered excitation light intensity is investigated. The fluorescence intensity to the scattered excitation light intensity ratio for dye deposition is found to increase with increase in concentration. However, both the absolute fluorescence intensity and absolute scatter intensity are found to decrease in different amounts with an increase in concentration. An enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor is made and demonstrated by depositing Ruthenium-based phosphorescent dye (Ru(dpp) 3) and catalase-enzyme on the surface of the waveguide core. The O 2-sensitive phosphorescence of Ru(dpp)3 is used as a transduction signal and the catalase-enzyme is used as a bio-component for sensing. The H2O2 sensor exhibits a phosphorescence signal to scattered excitation light ratio of 100+/-18 without filtering. The unfiltered device demonstrates a detection limit of (2.20+/-0.6) microM with the linear range from 200microM to 20mM. An enzymatic lactose sensor is designed and characterized using Si-adhesive gel based Ru(dpp)3 deposition and oxidase enzyme. The lactose sensor exhibits the linear range of up to 0.8mM, which is too small for its application in industrial process control. So, a flow cell-based sensor device with a fluid reservoir is proposed and fabricated to increase the linear range of the sensor. Also, a multi-channel pH-sensor device with four channels is designed and fabricated for simultaneous sensing of multiple analytes.

  2. Vent System Analysis for the Cryogenic Propellant Storage Transfer Ground Test Article

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hedayat, A

    2013-01-01

    To test and validate key capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements such as large cryogenic propulsion stages and propellant depots, NASA is leading the efforts to develop and design the Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) payload. The primary objectives of CPST payload are to demonstrate: 1) in-space storage of cryogenic propellants for long duration applications; and 2) in-space transfer of cryogenic propellants. The Ground Test Article (GTA) is a technology development version of the CPST payload. The GTA consists of flight-sized and flight-like storage and transfer tanks, liquid acquisition devices, transfer, and pressurization systems with all of the CPST functionality. The GTA is designed to perform integrated passive and active thermal storage and transfer performance testing with liquid hydrogen (LH2) in a vacuum environment. The GTA storage tank is designed to store liquid hydrogen and the transfer tank is designed to be 5% of the storage tank volume. The LH2 transfer subsystem is designed to transfer propellant from one tank to the other utilizing pressure or a pump. The LH2 vent subsystem is designed to prevent over-pressurization of the storage and transfer tanks. An in-house general-purpose computer program was utilized to model and simulate the vent subsystem operation. The modeling, analysis, and the results will be presented in the final paper.

  3. Enzymatic transformation of nonfood biomass to starch

    PubMed Central

    You, Chun; Chen, Hongge; Myung, Suwan; Sathitsuksanoh, Noppadon; Ma, Hui; Zhang, Xiao-Zhou; Li, Jianyong; Zhang, Y.-H. Percival

    2013-01-01

    The global demand for food could double in another 40 y owing to growth in the population and food consumption per capita. To meet the world’s future food and sustainability needs for biofuels and renewable materials, the production of starch-rich cereals and cellulose-rich bioenergy plants must grow substantially while minimizing agriculture’s environmental footprint and conserving biodiversity. Here we demonstrate one-pot enzymatic conversion of pretreated biomass to starch through a nonnatural synthetic enzymatic pathway composed of endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolyase, cellobiose phosphorylase, and alpha-glucan phosphorylase originating from bacterial, fungal, and plant sources. A special polypeptide cap in potato alpha-glucan phosphorylase was essential to push a partially hydrolyzed intermediate of cellulose forward to the synthesis of amylose. Up to 30% of the anhydroglucose units in cellulose were converted to starch; the remaining cellulose was hydrolyzed to glucose suitable for ethanol production by yeast in the same bioreactor. Next-generation biorefineries based on simultaneous enzymatic biotransformation and microbial fermentation could address the food, biofuels, and environment trilemma. PMID:23589840

  4. Enzymatic biomarkers can portray nanoCuO-induced oxidative and neuronal stress in freshwater shredders.

    PubMed

    Pradhan, Arunava; Silva, Carla O; Silva, Carlos; Pascoal, Cláudia; Cássio, Fernanda

    2016-11-01

    Commercial applications of nanometal oxides have increased concern about their release into natural waters and consequent risks to aquatic biota and the processes they drive. In forest streams, the invertebrate shredder Allogamus ligonifer plays a key role in detritus food webs by transferring carbon and energy from plant litter to higher trophic levels. We assessed the response profiles of oxidative and neuronal stress enzymatic biomarkers in A. ligonifer after 96h exposure to nanoCuO at concentration ranges enzymatic responses to Cu 2+ exposure at similar effective concentrations were compared. The highest activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) were observed at concentrations enzymatic activities decreased at effective concentrations between LC 10 and LC 30 . GR activity remained higher than in control at all concentrations. The activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) increased whereas that of catalase (CAT) decreased at concentrations between LC 10 and LC 30 . The response patterns suggested that antioxidant enzymes could prevent oxidative stress at low concentrations (

  5. Producing Hydrogen by Plasma Pyrolysis of Methane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atwater, James; Akse, James; Wheeler, Richard

    2010-01-01

    Plasma pyrolysis of methane has been investigated for utility as a process for producing hydrogen. This process was conceived as a means of recovering hydrogen from methane produced as a byproduct of operation of a life-support system aboard a spacecraft. On Earth, this process, when fully developed, could be a means of producing hydrogen (for use as a fuel) from methane in natural gas. The most closely related prior competing process - catalytic pyrolysis of methane - has several disadvantages: a) The reactor used in the process is highly susceptible to fouling and deactivation of the catalyst by carbon deposits, necessitating frequent regeneration or replacement of the catalyst. b) The reactor is highly susceptible to plugging by deposition of carbon within fixed beds, with consequent channeling of flow, high pressure drops, and severe limitations on mass transfer, all contributing to reductions in reactor efficiency. c) Reaction rates are intrinsically low. d) The energy demand of the process is high.

  6. Relationship between femtosecond-picosecond dynamics to enzyme catalyzed H-transfer

    PubMed Central

    Cheatum, Christopher M.; Kohen, Amnon

    2015-01-01

    At physiological temperatures, enzymes exhibit a broad spectrum of conformations, which interchange via thermally activated dynamics. These conformations are sampled differently in different complexes of the protein and its ligands, and the dynamics of exchange between these conformers depends on the mass of the group that is moving and the length scale of the motion, as well as restrictions imposed by the globular fold of the enzymatic complex. Many of these motions have been examined and their role in the enzyme function illuminated, yet most experimental tools applied so far have identified dynamics at time scales of seconds to nanoseconds, which are much slower than the time scale for H-transfer between two heavy atoms. This chemical conversion and other processes involving cleavage of covalent bonds occur on picosecond to femtosecond time scales, where slower processes mask both the kinetics and dynamics. Here we present a combination of kinetic and spectroscopic methods that may enable closer examination of the relationship between enzymatic C-H→C transfer and the dynamics of the active site environment at the chemically relevant time scale. These methods include kinetic isotope effects and their temperature dependence, which are used to study the kinetic nature of the H-transfer, and 2D IR spectroscopy, which is used to study the dynamics of transition-state- and ground-state-analog complexes. The combination of these tools is likely to provide a new approach to examine the protein dynamics that directly influence the chemical conversion catalyzed by enzymes. PMID:23539379

  7. Nickel-hydrogen separator development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gonzalez-Sanabria, O. D.

    1986-01-01

    The separator technology is a critical element in the nickel-hydrogen (Ni-H2) systems. Previous research and development work carried out at NASA Lewis Research Center has determined that separators made from zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and potassium titanate (PKT) fibers will function satisfactorily in Ni-H2 cells without exhibiting the problems associated with the asbestos separators. A program has been established to transfer the separator technology into a commercial production line. A detailed plan of this program will be presented and the preliminary results will be discussed.

  8. Light-driven enzymatic catalysis of DNA repair: a review of recent biophysical studies on photolyase.

    PubMed

    Weber, Stefan

    2005-02-25

    More than 50 years ago, initial experiments on enzymatic photorepair of ultraviolet (UV)-damaged DNA were reported [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 35 (1949) 73]. Soon after this discovery, it was recognized that one enzyme, photolyase, is able to repair UV-induced DNA lesions by effectively reversing their formation using blue light. The enzymatic process named DNA photoreactivation depends on a non-covalently bound cofactor, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Flavins are ubiquitous redox-active catalysts in one- and two-electron transfer reactions of numerous biological processes. However, in the case of photolyase, not only the ground-state redox properties of the FAD cofactor are exploited but also, and perhaps more importantly, its excited-state properties. In the catalytically active, fully reduced redox form, the FAD absorbs in the blue and near-UV ranges of visible light. Although there is no direct experimental evidence, it appears generally accepted that starting from the excited singlet state, the chromophore initiates a reductive cleavage of the two major DNA photodamages, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts, by short-distance electron transfer to the DNA lesion. Back electron transfer from the repaired DNA segment is believed to eventually restore the initial redox states of the cofactor and the DNA nucleobases, resulting in an overall reaction with net-zero exchanged electrons. Thus, the entire process represents a true catalytic cycle. Many biochemical and biophysical studies have been carried out to unravel the fundamentals of this unique mode of action. The work has culminated in the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme in 1995 that revealed remarkable details, such as the FAD-cofactor arrangement in an unusual U-shaped configuration. With the crystal structure of the enzyme at hand, research on photolyases did not come to an end but, for good reason, intensified: the geometrical structure of the enzyme

  9. Theoretical studies of charge transfer and proton transfer complex formation between 3,5-dinitrobenzic acid and 1,2-dimethylimidazole

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Afroz, Ziya; Faizan, Mohd.; Alam, Mohammad Jane; Ahmad, Shabbir; Ahmad, Afaq

    2018-05-01

    Natural atomic charge analysis and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surface analysis of hydrogen bonded charge transfer (HBCT) and proton transfer (PT) complex of 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (DNBA) and 1,2-dimethylimidazole (DMI) have been investigated by theoretical modelling using widely employed DFT/B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. Along with this analysis, Hirshfeld surface study of the intermolecular interactions and associated 2D finger plot for reported PT complex between DNBA and DMI have been explored.

  10. A systematic computational study of electronic effects on hydrogen sensitivity of olefin polymerization catalysts (abstract only).

    PubMed

    Coussens, Betty B; Budzelaar, Peter H M; Friederichs, Nic

    2008-02-13

    One of the important product parameters of polyolefins is their molecular weight (distribution). A common way to control this parameter is to add molecular hydrogen during the polymerization, which then acts as a chain transfer agent. The factors governing the hydrogen sensitivity of olefin polymerization catalysts are poorly understood and have attracted little attention from computational chemists. To explore the electronic factors determining hydrogen sensitivity we performed density functional calculations on a wide range of simple model systems including some metallocenes and a few basic models of heterogeneous catalysts. As a quantitative measure for hydrogen sensitivity we used the ratio of (i) the rate constant for chain transfer to hydrogen to (ii) the rate constant for ethene insertion, k(h)/k(p) (see the scheme below), and as a measure of electrophilicity we used the energy of complexation to the probe molecule ammonia. [Formula: see text] For isolated species in the gas phase, complexation energies appear to dominate the chemistry. Ethene complexes more strongly than hydrogen and with increasing electrophilicity of the metal centre this difference grows; the hydrogen sensitivity decreases accordingly. Although many factors (like catalyst dormancy and deactivation issues) complicate the comparison with experiment, this result seems to agree both in broad terms with the experimental lower hydrogen sensitivity of heterogeneous catalysts, and more specifically with the increased hydrogen sensitivity of highly alkylated or fused metallocenes. The opposite conclusion reached by Blom (see Blom et al 2002 Macromol. Chem. Phys. 203 381-7) is due to the use of a very different measure of electrophilicity, rather than to different experimental data.

  11. Development of a thermal-hydraulics experimental system for high Tc superconductors cooled by liquid hydrogen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tatsumoto, H.; Shirai, Y.; Shiotsu, M.; Hata, K.; Kobayashi, H.; Naruo, Y.; Inatani, Y.; Kato, T.; Futakawa, M.; Kinoshita, K.

    2010-06-01

    A thermal-hydraulics experimental system of liquid hydrogen was developed in order to investigate the forced flow heat transfer characteristics in the various cooling channels for wide ranges of subcoolings, flow velocities, and pressures up to supercritical. A main tank is connected to a sub tank through a hydrogen transfer line with a control valve. A channel heater is located at one end of the transfer line in the main tank. Forced flow through the channel is produced by adjusting the pressure difference between the tanks and the valve opening. The mass flow rate is measured from the weight change of the main tank. For the explosion protection, electrical equipments are covered with a nitrogen gas blanket layer and a remote control system was established. The first cryogenic performance tests confirmed that the experimental system had satisfied with the required performances. The forced convection heat transfer characteristics was successfully measured at the pressure of 0.7 MPa for various flow velocities.

  12. Bioluminescence methods for enzymatic determinations

    DOEpatents

    Bostick, William D.; Denton, Mark S.; Dinsmore, Stanley R.

    1982-01-01

    An enzymatic method for continuous, on-line and rapid detection of diagnostically useful biomarkers, which are symptomatic of disease or trauma-related tissue damage, is disclosed. The method is characterized by operability on authentic samples of complex biological fluids which contain the biomarkers.

  13. Non-enzymatic interactions of glyoxylate with lysine, arginine, and glucosamine: a study of advanced non-enzymatic glycation like compounds.

    PubMed

    Dutta, Udayan; Cohenford, Menashi A; Guha, Madhumita; Dain, Joel A

    2007-02-01

    Glyoxylate is a 2 carbon aldo acid that is formed in hepatic tissue from glycolate. Once formed, the molecule can be converted to glycine by alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGAT). In defects of AGAT, glyoxylate is transformed to oxalate, resulting in high levels of oxalate in the body. The objective of this study was 2-fold. First, it was to determine, if akin to D-glucose, D-fructose or DL-glyceraldehyde, glyoxylate was susceptible to non-enzymatic attack by amino containing molecules such as lysine, arginine or glucosamine. Second, if by virtue of its molecular structure and size, glyoxylate was as reactive a reagent in non-enzymatic reactions as DL-glyceraldehyde; i.e., a glycose that we previously demonstrated to be a more effective glycating agent than D-glucose or D-fructose. Using capillary electrophoresis (CE), high performance liquid chromatography and UV and fluorescence spectroscopy, glyoxylate was found to be a highly reactive precursor of advanced glycation like end products (AGLEs) and a more effective promoter of non-enzymatic end products than D-glucose, D-fructose or DL-glyceraldehyde.

  14. A simple model for molecular hydrogen chemistry coupled to radiation hydrodynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nickerson, Sarah; Teyssier, Romain; Rosdahl, Joakim

    2018-06-01

    We introduce non-equilibrium molecular hydrogen chemistry into the radiation-hydrodynamics code RAMSES-RT. This is an adaptive mesh refinement grid code with radiation hydrodynamics that couples the thermal chemistry of hydrogen and helium to moment-based radiative transfer with the Eddington tensor closure model. The H2 physics that we include are formation on dust grains, gas phase formation, formation by three-body collisions, collisional destruction, photodissociation, photoionisation, cosmic ray ionisation and self-shielding. In particular, we implement the first model for H2 self-shielding that is tied locally to moment-based radiative transfer by enhancing photo-destruction. This self-shielding from Lyman-Werner line overlap is critical to H2 formation and gas cooling. We can now track the non-equilibrium evolution of molecular, atomic, and ionised hydrogen species with their corresponding dissociating and ionising photon groups. Over a series of tests we show that our model works well compared to specialised photodissociation region codes. We successfully reproduce the transition depth between molecular and atomic hydrogen, molecular cooling of the gas, and a realistic Strömgren sphere embedded in a molecular medium. In this paper we focus on test cases to demonstrate the validity of our model on small scales. Our ultimate goal is to implement this in large-scale galactic simulations.

  15. Liquid Hydrogen Recirculation System for Forced Flow Cooling Test of Superconducting Conductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shirai, Y.; Kainuma, T.; Shigeta, H.; Shiotsu, M.; Tatsumoto, H.; Naruo, Y.; Kobayashi, H.; Nonaka, S.; Inatani, Y.; Yoshinaga, S.

    2017-12-01

    The knowledge of forced flow heat transfer characteristics of liquid hydrogen (LH2) is important and necessary for design and cooling analysis of high critical temperature superconducting devices. However, there are few test facilities available for LH2 forced flow cooling for superconductors. A test system to provide a LH2 forced flow (∼10 m/s) of a short period (less than 100 s) has been developed. The test system was composed of two LH2 tanks connected by a transfer line with a controllable valve, in which the forced flow rate and its period were limited by the storage capacity of tanks. In this paper, a liquid hydrogen recirculation system, which was designed and fabricated in order to study characteristics of superconducting cables in a stable forced flow of liquid hydrogen for longer period, was described. This LH2 loop system consists of a centrifugal pump with dynamic gas bearings, a heat exchanger which is immersed in a liquid hydrogen tank, and a buffer tank where a test section (superconducting wires or cables) is set. The buffer tank has LHe cooled superconducting magnet which can produce an external magnetic field (up to 7T) at the test section. A performance test was conducted. The maximum flow rate was 43.7 g/s. The lowest temperature was 22.5 K. It was confirmed that the liquid hydrogen can stably circulate for 7 hours.

  16. Enzymatic desulfurization of coal: Third quarterly report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marquis, Judith K.; Kitchell, Judith P.

    Our current efforts to develop clean coal technology emphasize the advantages of enzymatic desulfurization techniques and have specifically addressed the potential of using partially-purified extracellular microbial enzymes or commercially available enzymes. Our work is focused on the treatment of ''model'' organic sulfur compounds such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) and ethylphenylsulfide (EPS). Furthermore, we are designing experiments to facilitate the enzymatic process by means of a hydrated organic solvent matrix. In this quarter we obtained important results both with the development of our understanding of the enzyme reaction systems and also with the microbial work at Woods Hole. 12 figs., 11 tabs.

  17. Proceedings of the Joint Seminar; Hydrogen Management in Steel Weldments, Melbourne, Australia, 23rd October 1996.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-01-01

    Cr-Mo quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel . Both A723 Grade 1 and Grade 2 compositions were evaluated to determine the effects of strength, composition ...15] Craig, B., "Limitations of Alloying to Improve the Threshold for Hydrogen Stress Cracking of Steels ", Hydrogen Effects on Material Behavior ...considered are as follows: 1. Hydrogen mass transfer in steels and welded joints: analytical equipment; effect of element composition of weld metal and

  18. Investigating pyridazine and phthalazine exchange in a series of iridium complexes in order to define their role in the catalytic transfer of magnetisation from para-hydrogen.

    PubMed

    Appleby, Kate M; Mewis, Ryan E; Olaru, Alexandra M; Green, Gary G R; Fairlamb, Ian J S; Duckett, Simon B

    2015-07-01

    The reaction of [Ir(IMes)(COD)Cl], [IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene] with pyridazine (pdz) and phthalazine (phth) results in the formation of [Ir(COD)(IMes)(pdz)]Cl and [Ir(COD)(IMes)(phth)]Cl. These two complexes are shown by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies to undergo a haptotropic shift which interchanges pairs of protons within the bound ligands. When these complexes are exposed to hydrogen, they react to form [Ir(H) 2 (COD)(IMes)(pdz)]Cl and [Ir(H) 2 (COD)(IMes)(phth)]Cl, respectively, which ultimately convert to [Ir(H) 2 (IMes)(pdz) 3 ]Cl and [Ir(H) 2 (IMes)(phth) 3 ]Cl, as the COD is hydrogenated to form cyclooctane. These two dihydride complexes are shown, by NMR, to undergo both full N-heterocycle dissociation and a haptotropic shift, the rates of which are affected by both steric interactions and free ligand p K a values. The use of these complexes as catalysts in the transfer of polarisation from para -hydrogen to pyridazine and phthalazine via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is explored. The possible future use of drugs which contain pyridazine and phthalazine motifs as in vivo or clinical magnetic resonance imaging probes is demonstrated; a range of NMR and phantom-based MRI measurements are reported.

  19. A Critical Test of the “Tunneling and Coupled Motion” Concept in Enzymatic Alcohol Oxidation

    PubMed Central

    Roston, Daniel; Kohen, Amnon

    2013-01-01

    The physical mechanism of C-H bond activation by enzymes is the subject of intense study and we have tested the predictions of two competing models for C-H activation in the context of alcohol dehydrogenase. The kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) in this enzyme have previously suggested a model of quantum mechanical tunneling and coupled motion of primary (1°) and secondary (2°) hydrogens. Here we measure the 2° H/T KIEs with both and H and D at the 1° position and find that the 2° KIE is significantly deflated with D-transfer, consistent with the predictions of recent Marcus-like models of H-transfer. The results suggest that the fast dynamics of H-tunneling result in a 1° isotope effect on the structure of the tunneling ready state: the trajectory of D-transfer goes through a shorter donor-acceptor distance than that of H-transfer. PMID:24020836

  20. Analysis and design of an ultrahigh temperature hydrogen-fueled MHD generator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moder, Jeffrey P.; Myrabo, Leik N.; Kaminski, Deborah A.

    1993-01-01

    A coupled gas dynamics/radiative heat transfer analysis of partially ionized hydrogen, in local thermodynamic equilibrium, flowing through an ultrahigh temperature (10,000-20,000 K) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator is performed. Gas dynamics are modeled by a set of quasi-one-dimensional, nonlinear differential equations which account for friction, convective and radiative heat transfer, and the interaction between the ionized gas and applied magnetic field. Radiative heat transfer is modeled using nongray, absorbing-emitting 2D and 3D P-1 approximations which permit an arbitrary variation of the spectral absorption coefficient with frequency. Gas dynamics and radiative heat transfer are coupled through the energy equation and through the temperature- and density-dependent absorption coefficient. The resulting nonlinear elliptic problem is solved by iterative methods. Design of such MHD generators as onboard, open-cycle, electric power supplies for a particular advanced airbreathing propulsion concept produced an efficient and compact 128-MWe generator characterized by an extraction ratio of 35.5 percent, a power density of 10,500 MWe/cu m, and a specific (extracted) energy of 324 MJe/kg of hydrogen. The maximum wall heat flux and total wall heat load were 453 MW/sq m and 62 MW, respectively.