Showing papers on "Substrate (chemistry) published in 2019"

Covalent organic framework-modulated interfacial polymerization for ultrathin desalination membranes

Abstract: The demand for thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes bearing unprecedented water permeance and desirable salt rejection is ever increasing in desalination. Conventional interfacial polymerization usually generates a thick (∼100 nm) skin layer on hydrophobic substrate having low-porosity, leading to limited water permeance. Herein, we engineered a highly porous and superhydrophilic composite substrate to modulate the interfacial polymerization and generate an ultrathin polyamide skin layer, even below 10 nm. The composite substrate was constructed by depositing covalent organic framework nanosheets (CONs) on a microfiltration membrane via vacuum-assistant assembly. Owing to the highly porous structure and superhydrophilic nature of CONs, the composite substrate favored a high storage capacity and uniform distribution of the amine monomers. We manipulated the monomer storage capacity of the substrate by varying the loading content of CONs and demonstrated that higher amino monomer concentration could accelerate the self-sealing and self-termination of the interfacial polymerization, thus generating a thinner skin layer from ∼70 nm to sub-10 nm. Moreover, the highly porous structure of CONs imparted little additional water transport resistance. The sub-10 nm film composite membrane exhibited a superior water permeance of 535.5 L m−2 h−1 MPa−1 with a high rejection of 94.3% for Na2SO4, which was about 2–8 times higher than that of state-of-the-art nanofiltration membranes with comparable rejection.

A natural in situ fabrication method of functional bacterial cellulose using a microorganism.

Abstract: The functionalization methods of materials based on bacterial cellulose (BC) mainly focus on the chemical modification or physical coating of fermentation products, which may cause several problems, such as environment pollution, low reaction efficiency and easy loss of functional moieties during application. Here, we develop a modification method utilizing the in situ microbial fermentation method combined with 6-carboxyfluorescein-modified glucose (6CF-Glc) as a substrate using Komagataeibacter sucrofermentans to produce functional BC with a nonnatural characteristic fluorescence. Our results indicate that the microbial synthesis method is more efficient, controllable and environmentally friendly than traditional modification methods. Therefore, this work confirms that BC can be functionalized by using a microbial synthesis system with functionalized glucose, which provides insights not only for the functionalization of BC but also for the in situ synthesis of other functional materials through microbial synthetic systems.

Deoxygenative Borylation of Secondary and Tertiary Alcohols

Abstract: Two different approaches for the deoxygenative radical borylation of secondary and tertiary alcohols are presented. These transformations either proceed through a metal-free silyl-radical-mediated pathway or utilize visible-light photoredox catalysis. Readily available xanthates or methyl oxalates are used as radical precursors. The reactions show broad substrate scope and high functional-group tolerance, and are conducted under mild and practical conditions.

Probing Size and Substrate Effects on the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction by Single Isolated Pt Atoms, Atomic Clusters, and Nanoparticles.

Abstract: We report the catalytic activity of a single, isolated Pt deposit on Bi and Pb supports to probe the size and substrate effects on the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Deposits were made electrolytically by an atom-by-atom method in a controlled plating; we prepared an individual Pt deposit on Bi and Pb ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) such as a single isolated atom, clusters containing one to five Pt atoms, and nanoparticles to about 10 nm radius. A steady-state voltammogram on the single Pt deposits is observed by electrocatalytic amplification of the HER, with a negligible contribution by the HER at the substrate UME. A single Pt atom can act as an electrode for the HER, showing a diffusion-limiting current plateau in the voltammogram that can be used to estimate the radius of a single deposit. We simulated the voltammograms of the individual deposits, assuming the Volmer step of the HER is appropriate for a Pt cluster deposit, to obtain kinetic parameters for each deposit. The HER kinetics increases as the particle radius increases from ∼0.2 to ∼4 nm for Bi and Pb substrates and then reaches a limiting plateau. The limiting kinetics on the Bi substrate approaches that of bulk Pt while that on the Pb substrate is much smaller.

Facile fabrication of Ag/graphene oxide/TiO2 nanorod array as a powerful substrate for photocatalytic degradation and surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection

Abstract: A novel graphene oxide/TiO2 nanorod array (GO/TNR) decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) is successfully prepared as a photocatalyst and a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate for organic molecule detection. The as-obtained Ag/GO/TNR sample exhibited a large specific surface area and high adsorption capacity toward Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules. Moreover, the GO interlayer with suitable content had a significant effect on the absorption intensity of light and Raman signals for the Ag/GO/TNR substrate. For R6G as probe molecules, the Ag/GO/TNR substrate with 5 min of GO-deposition achieved a lower detection limit of 1.0 × 10−12 M and an improved enhancement factor (EF) of 5.86 × 105 as compared to other films. Furthermore, the relative standard deviation (RSD) value of the Raman vibration at 1650 cm−1 cm was approximately 8.71%, and the good uniformity remained. Using Xenon lamp irradiation, the outstanding photocatalytic ability endowed the substrate with good self-cleaning and reusable properties. Based on the above results, a synergistic effect of three components (Ag NPs, GO interlayer, and TNR) is proposed to produce an excellent SERS performance, namely, a large adhesion area, the interaction of excited photons, and high-density hotspots in the active substrate.

Protein Flexibility and Stiffness Enable Efficient Enzymatic Catalysis

Abstract: The enormous rate accelerations observed for many enzyme catalysts are due to strong stabilizing interactions between the protein and reaction transition state. The defining property of these catalysts is their specificity for binding the transition state with a much higher affinity than substrate. Experimental results are presented which show that the phosphodianion-binding energy of phosphate monoester substrates is used to drive conversion of their protein catalysts from flexible and entropically rich ground states to stiff and catalytically active Michaelis complexes. These results are generalized to other enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The existence of many enzymes in flexible, entropically rich, and inactive ground states provides a mechanism for utilization of ligand-binding energy to mold these catalysts into stiff and active forms. This reduces the substrate-binding energy expressed at the Michaelis complex, while enabling the full and specific expression of large transition-state binding energies. Evidence is presented that the complexity of enzyme conformational changes increases with increases in the enzymatic rate acceleration. The requirement that a large fraction of the total substrate-binding energy be utilized to drive conformational changes of floppy enzymes is proposed to favor the selection and evolution of protein folds with multiple flexible unstructured loops, such as the TIM-barrel fold. The effect of protein motions on the kinetic parameters for enzymes that undergo ligand-driven conformational changes is considered. The results of computational studies to model the complex ligand-driven conformational change in catalysis by triosephosphate isomerase are presented.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Single Molecule Protein Detection.

Abstract: A two-step process of protein detection at a single molecule level using SERS was developed as a proof-of-concept platform for medical diagnostics. First, a protein molecule was bound to a linker in the bulk solution and then this adduct was chemically reacted with the SERS substrate. Traut's Reagent (TR) was used to thiolate Bovine serum albumin (BSA) in solution followed by chemical cross linking to a gold surface through a sulfhydryl group. A Glycine-TR adduct was used as a control sample to identify the protein contribution to the SER spectra. Gold SERS substrates were manufactured by electrochemical deposition. Solutions at an ultralow concentration were used for attaching the TR adducts to the SERS substrate. Samples showed the typical behavior of a single molecule SERS including spectral fluctuations, blinking and Raman signal being generated from only selected points on the substrate. The fluctuating SER spectra were examined using Principle Component Analysis. This unsupervised statistics allowed for the selecting of spectral contribution from protein moiety indicating that the method was capable of detecting a single protein molecule. Thus we have demonstrated, that the developed two-step methodology has the potential as a new platform for medical diagnostics.

Paired Electrochemical Reactions and the On-Site Generation of a Chemical Reagent.

Abstract: While the majority of reported paired electrochemical reactions involve carefully matched cathodic and anodic reactions, the precise matching of half reactions in an electrolysis cell is not generally necessary. During a constant current electrolysis almost any oxidation and reduction reaction can be paired, and in the presented work we capitalize on this observation by examining the coupling of anodic oxidation reactions with the production of hydrogen gas for use as a reagent in remote, Pd-catalyzed hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis reactions. To this end, an alcohol oxidation, an oxidative condensation, intramolecular anodic olefin coupling reactions, an amide oxidation, and a mediated oxidation were all shown to be compatible with the generation and use of hydrogen gas at the cathode. This pairing of an electrolysis reaction with the production of a chemical reagent or substrate has the potential to greatly expand the use of more energy efficient paired electrochemical reactions.

Target Enzyme-Activated Two-Photon Fluorescent Probes: A Case Study of CYP3A4 Using a Two-Dimensional Design Strategy

Abstract: The rapid development of fluorescent probes for monitoring target enzymes is still a great challenge owing to the lack of efficient ways to optimize a specific fluorophore. Herein, a practical two-dimensional strategy was designed for the development of an isoform-specific probe for CYP3A4, a key cytochrome P450 isoform responsible for the oxidation of most clinical drugs. In first dimension of the design strategy, a potential two-photon fluorescent substrate (NN) for CYP3A4 was effectively selected using ensemble-based virtual screening. In the second dimension, various substituent groups were introduced into NN to optimize the isoform-selectivity and reactivity. Finally, with ideal selectivity and sensitivity, NEN was successfully applied to the real-time detection of CYP3A4 in living cells and zebrafish. These findings suggested that our strategy is practical for developing an isoform-specific probe for a target enzyme.

Mechanistic Studies of Fatty Acid Activation by CYP152 Peroxygenases Reveal Unexpected Desaturase Activity

Abstract: The majority of cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) predominantly operate as monooxygenases, but recently a class of P450 enzymes was discovered, that can act as peroxygenases (CYP152). These enzymes convert fatty acids through oxidative decarboxylation, yielding terminal alkenes, and through α- and β-hydroxylation to yield hydroxy-fatty acids. Bioderived olefins may serve as biofuels, and hence understanding the mechanism and substrate scope of this class of enzymes is important. In this work, we report on the substrate scope and catalytic promiscuity of CYP OleTJE and two of its orthologues from the CYP152 family, utilizing α-monosubstituted branched carboxylic acids. We identify α,β-desaturation as an unexpected dominant pathway for CYP OleTJE with 2-methylbutyric acid. To rationalize product distributions arising from α/β-hydroxylation, oxidative decarboxylation, and desaturation depending on the substrate's structure and binding pattern, a computational study was performed based on an active site complex of CYP OleTJE containing the heme cofactor in the substrate binding pocket and 2-methylbutyric acid as substrate. It is shown that substrate positioning determines the accessibility of the oxidizing species (Compound I) to the substrate and hence the regio- and chemoselectivity of the reaction. Furthermore, the results show that, for 2-methylbutyric acid, α,β-desaturation is favorable because of a rate-determining α-hydrogen atom abstraction, which cannot proceed to decarboxylation. Moreover, substrate hydroxylation is energetically impeded due to the tight shape and size of the substrate binding pocket.

An Organic Afterglow Protheranostic Nanoassembly

Abstract: Cancer theranostics holds potential promise for precision medicine; however, most existing theranostic nanoagents are simply developed by doping both therapeutic agents and imaging agent into one particle entity, and thus have an "always-on" pharmaceutical effect and imaging signals regardless of their in vivo location. Herein, the development of an organic afterglow protheranostic nanoassembly (APtN) that specifically activates both the pharmaceutical effect and diagnostic signals in response to a tumor-associated chemical mediator (hydrogen peroxide, H2 O2 ) is reported. APtN comprises an amphiphilic macromolecule and a near-infrared (NIR) dye acting as the H2 O2 -responsive afterglow prodrug and the afterglow initiator, respectively. Such a molecular architecture allows APtN to passively target tumors in living mice, specifically release the anticancer drug in the tumor, and spontaneously generate the uncaged afterglow substrate. Upon NIR light preirradiation, the afterglow initiator generates singlet oxygen to react and subsequently transform the uncaged afterglow substrate into an active self-luminescent form. Thus, the intensity of generated afterglow luminescence is correlated with the drug release status, permitting real-time in vivo monitoring of prodrug activation. This study proposes a background-free design strategy toward activatable cancer theranostics.

The Elusive 5′-Deoxyadenosyl Radical: Captured and Characterized by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Electron Nuclear Double Resonance Spectroscopies

Abstract: The 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical (5′-dAdo·) abstracts a substrate H atom as the first step in radical-based transformations catalyzed by adenosylcobalamin-dependent and radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine ...

Enzyme annotation for orphan and novel reactions using knowledge of substrate reactive sites.

Abstract: Thousands of biochemical reactions with characterized activities are "orphan," meaning they cannot be assigned to a specific enzyme, leaving gaps in metabolic pathways. Novel reactions predicted by pathway-generation tools also lack associated sequences, limiting protein engineering applications. Associating orphan and novel reactions with known biochemistry and suggesting enzymes to catalyze them is a daunting problem. We propose the method BridgIT to identify candidate genes and catalyzing proteins for these reactions. This method introduces information about the enzyme binding pocket into reaction-similarity comparisons. BridgIT assesses the similarity of two reactions, one orphan and one well-characterized nonorphan reaction, using their substrate reactive sites, their surrounding structures, and the structures of the generated products to suggest enzymes that catalyze the most-similar nonorphan reactions as candidates for also catalyzing the orphan ones. We performed two large-scale validation studies to test BridgIT predictions against experimental biochemical evidence. For the 234 orphan reactions from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) 2011 (a comprehensive enzymatic-reaction database) that became nonorphan in KEGG 2018, BridgIT predicted the exact or a highly related enzyme for 211 of them. Moreover, for 334 of 379 novel reactions in 2014 that were later cataloged in KEGG 2018, BridgIT predicted the exact or highly similar enzymes. BridgIT requires knowledge about only four connecting bonds around the atoms of the reactive sites to correctly annotate proteins for 93% of analyzed enzymatic reactions. Increasing to seven connecting bonds allowed for the accurate identification of a sequence for nearly all known enzymatic reactions.

Sequential Co-immobilization of Enzymes in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Biocatalytic Conversion of Adsorbed CO2 to Formate.

Abstract: The main challenges in multienzymatic cascade reactions for CO2 reduction are the low CO2 solubility in water, the adjustment of substrate channeling, and the regeneration of co-factor. In this study, metal-organic frameworks (MOF) were prepared as adsorbents for the storage of CO2 and at the same time as solid supports for the sequential co-immobilization of multienzymes via a layer-by-layer self-assembly approach. Amine-functionalized MIL-101(Cr) was synthesized for the adsorption of CO2. Using amine-MIL-101(Cr) as the core, two HKUST-1 layers were fabricated for the immobilization of three enzymes chosen for the reduction of CO2 to formate. Carbonic anhydrase was encapsulated in the inner HKUST-1 layer and hydrated the released CO2 to HCO3-. Bicarbonate ions then migrated directly to the outer HKUST-1 shell containing formate dehydrogenase and were converted to formate. Glutamate dehydrogenase on the outer MOF layer achieved the regeneration of co-factor. Compared with free enzymes in solution using the bubbled CO2 as substrate, the immobilized enzymes using stored CO2 as substrate exhibited 13.1-times higher of formate production due to the enhanced substrate concentration. The sequential immobilization of enzymes also facilitated the channeling of substrate and eventually enabled higher catalytic efficiency with a co-factor-based formate yield of 179.8%. The immobilized enzymes showed good operational stability and reusability with a cofactor cumulative formate yield of 1077.7% after 10 cycles of reusing.

Purification and characterization of a novel, highly potent fibrinolytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis DC27 screened from Douchi, a traditional Chinese fermented soybean food.

Abstract: The highly fibrinolytic enzyme-producing bacterium was identified as Bacillus subtilis DC27 and isolated from Douchi, a traditional fermented soybean food. The DFE27 enzyme was purified from the fermentation broth of B. subtilis DC27 by using UNOsphere Q column chromatography, Sephadex G-75 gel filtration, and high-performance liquid chromatography. It was 29 kDa in molecular mass and showed the optimal reaction temperature and pH value of 45 °C and 7.0, respectively, with a stable fibrinolytic activity below 50 °C and within the pH range of 6.0 to 10.0. DFE27 was identified as a serine protease due to its complete inhibition by phenylmethysulfony fluoride. The first 24 amino acid residues of the N-terminal sequence of the enzyme were AQSVPYGVSQIKAPALHSQGFTGS. The enzyme displayed the highest specificity toward the substrate D-Val-Leu-Lys-pNA for plasmin and it could not only directly degrade but also hydrolyze fibrin by activating plasminogen into plasmin. Overall, the DFE27 enzyme was obviously different from other known fibrinolytic enzymes in the optimum substrate specificity or fibrinolytic action mode, suggesting that it is a novel fibrinolytic enzyme and may have potential applications in the treatment and prevention of thrombosis.

Immobilization of Co, Mn, Ni and Fe oxide co-catalysts on TiO2 for photocatalytic water splitting reactions

Abstract: Here we report a systematic study of a series of non-noble-metal co-catalysts based on Co, Mn, Ni and Fe oxides that were prepared by wet impregnation of the corresponding acetylacetonate precursors onto a model TiO2 substrate, followed by their oxidative decomposition. We analyze thermal evolution of the impregnated M(acac)x–TiO2 composites with a combination of analytical methods and reveal strong differences in the precursor decomposition onsets and the resulting product composition, compared to the case of pure M(acac)x precursors. Consequent electron microscopy analyses of the resulting MOx–TiO2 composites indicate the presence of small (1–5 nm) amorphous MOx nanoparticles that are homogeneously distributed on the surface of the substrate TiO2. Complementing Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectra confirm pronounced effects of MOx deposition on the state of TiO2 substrate and suggest strong electronic communication between the components. The composites obtained at 350 °C were further tested towards sacrificial hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) demonstrating the dynamic nature of the NiOx–TiO2 photocatalyst whose Ni0 active HER sites were generated in situ upon light exposure. In contrast, FeOx–TiO2, CoOx–TiO2, and NiOx–TiO2 were all active towards OER, featuring water oxidation ability in descending order, while XPS data of the samples after reaction indicate that partial oxidation of M species takes place during the course of the photocatalytic experiment. This work provides detailed insights on the wet chemistry-based preparation of MOx co-catalysts decorating oxide nanopowders including optimization of the thermal treatment, potential substrate effects and synergy as well as further prospects in photocatalysis.

Direct Single Molecule Imaging of Enhanced Enzyme Diffusion

Abstract: Recent experimental results have shown that enzymes can diffuse faster when they are in the presence of their reactants (substrate). This faster diffusion has been termed enhanced diffusion. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), which has been employed as the only method to make these measurements, relies on analyzing the fluctuations in fluorescence intensity to measure the diffusion coefficient of particles. Recently, artifacts in FCS measurements due to its sensitivity to environmental conditions have been evaluated, calling prior enhanced diffusion results into question. It behooves us to adopt complementary and direct methods to measure the mobility of enzymes. Herein, we use a technique of direct single molecule imaging to observe the diffusion of individual enzymes in solution. This technique is less sensitive to intensity fluctuations and deduces the diffusion coefficient directly based on the trajectory of the enzyme. Our measurements recapitulate that enzyme diffusion is enhanced in the presence of its substrate and find that the relative increase in diffusion of a single enzyme is even higher than those previously reported using FCS. We also use this complementary method to test if the total enzyme concentration affects the relative increase in diffusion and if the enzyme oligomerization state changes during its catalytic turnover. We find that the diffusion increase is independent of the total concentration of enzymes and the presence of substrate does not change the oligomerization state of enzymes.

Efficient and practical synthesis of unsymmetrical disulfides via base-catalyzed aerobic oxidative dehydrogenative coupling of thiols

Abstract: An efficient M2CO3-catalyzed (M = K or Cs) aerobic cross dehydrogenative coupling reaction of thiols was described. This reaction provided an efficient approach to unsymmetrical disulfides which are ubiquitous structures of pharmaceuticals and pesticides. This is the first aerobic oxidative CDC of thiols to unsymmetrical disulfides. The high atom-economy, easy accessibility of catalyst, O2 as the ideal green oxidant, mild reaction conditions, and broad substrate scope demonstrate that the present methodology provides a green, attractive, and practical approach to disulfides.

Continuous UiO-66-Type Metal-Organic Framework Thin Film on Polymeric Support for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration

Abstract: For the first time, continuous polycrystalline UiO-66-NH2 thin film supported by a cross-linked Matrimid substrate was successfully fabricated via in situ solvothermal synthesis at room temperature for organic solvent nanofiltration. The integrated structure of the formed UiO-66-NH2 selective layer was inferred by various characterizations including X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We have demonstrated that pretreatment of the substrate by an organic ligand, the number of solvothermal synthesis cycles, and the reaction time play important roles in MOF film formation. The newly developed UiO-66-NH2 membrane possesses high surface hydrophobicity and mean pore size of 0.89 nm in diameter. It shows an exceptional rejection of 96.33% to Rose Bengal with moderate ethanol permeance of 0.88 L m-2 h-1 bar-1. Benefiting from the extraordinary chemical stability of Zr-MOF crystals, the UiO-66-NH2 membrane shows excellent stability in different solvents, implying their great potential for real applications. This work provides useful insights into the fabrication of continuous UiO-66-type MOF membranes on polymeric substrates, which are very promising in practical separations involving organic solvents.

Heterolayered Ni-Fe Hydroxide/Oxide Nanostructures Generated on a Stainless-Steel Substrate for Efficient Alkaline Water Splitting.

Abstract: Highly active and inexpensive anode materials are required for large-scale hydrogen production using alkaline water electrolysis (AWE). Here, heterolayered nanostructures of Ni–Fe hydroxides/oxides...