scholarly journals Tuning supramolecular aurophilic structures: the effect of counterion, positive charge and solvent

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (17) ◽  
pp. 7328-7339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet Aguiló ◽  
Raquel Gavara ◽  
Clara Baucells ◽  
Marta Guitart ◽  
João Carlos Lima ◽  
...  

The synthesis of different cationic gold(i) complexes gave rise to the formation of unexpected supramolecular assemblies in water going from rod-like structures to vesicles and square-like structures.

2020 ◽  
pp. 124-135
Author(s):  
I. N. G. Wardana ◽  
N. Willy Satrio

Tofu is main food in Indonesia and its waste generally pollutes the waters. This study aims to change the waste into energy by utilizing the electric charge in the pores of tofu waste to produce hydrogen in water. The tofu pore is negatively charged and the surface surrounding the pore has a positive charge. The positive and negative electric charges stretch water molecules that have a partial charge. With the addition of a 12V electrical energy during electrolysis, water breaks down into hydrogen. The test was conducted on pre-treated tofu waste suspension using oxalic acid. The hydrogen concentration was measured by a MQ-8 hydrogen sensor. The result shows that the addition of turmeric together with sodium bicarbonate to tofu waste in water, hydrogen production increased more than four times. This is due to the fact that magnetic field generated by delocalized electron in aromatic ring in turmeric energizes all electrons in the pores of tofu waste, in the sodium bicarbonate, and in water that boosts hydrogen production. At the same time the stronger partial charge in natrium bicarbonate shields the hydrogen proton from strong attraction of tofu pores. These two combined effect are very powerful for larger hydrogen production in water by tofu waste.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egle Maximowitsch ◽  
Tatiana Domratcheva

Photoswitching of phytochrome photoreceptors between red-absorbing (Pr) and far-red absorbing (Pfr) states triggers light adaptation of plants, bacteria and other organisms. Using quantum chemistry, we elucidate the color-tuning mechanism of phytochromes and identify the origin of the Pfr-state red-shifted spectrum. Spectral variations are explained by resonance interactions of the protonated linear tetrapyrrole chromophore. In particular, hydrogen bonding of pyrrole ring D with the strictly conserved aspartate shifts the positive charge towards ring D thereby inducing the red spectral shift. Our MD simulations demonstrate that formation of the ring D–aspartate hydrogen bond depends on interactions between the chromophore binding domain (CBD) and phytochrome specific domain (PHY). Our study guides rational engineering of fluorescent phytochromes with a far-red shifted spectrum.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D. Brauer ◽  
Emily C. Hartman ◽  
Daniel L.V. Bader ◽  
Zoe N. Merz ◽  
Danielle Tullman-Ercek ◽  
...  

<div> <p>Site-specific protein modification is a widely-used strategy to attach drugs, imaging agents, or other useful small molecules to protein carriers. N-terminal modification is particularly useful as a high-yielding, site-selective modification strategy that can be compatible with a wide array of proteins. However, this modification strategy is incompatible with proteins with buried or sterically-hindered N termini, such as virus-like particles like the well-studied MS2 bacteriophage coat protein. To assess VLPs with improved compatibility with these techniques, we generated a targeted library based on the MS2-derived protein cage with N-terminal proline residues followed by three variable positions. We subjected the library to assembly, heat, and chemical selections, and we identified variants that were modified in high yield with no reduction in thermostability. Positive charge adjacent to the native N terminus is surprisingly beneficial for successful extension, and over 50% of the highest performing variants contained positive charge at this position. Taken together, these studies described nonintuitive design rules governing N-terminal extensions and identified successful extensions with high modification potential.</p> </div>


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (19) ◽  
pp. 2272-2290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aafrin M. Pettiwala ◽  
Prabhat K. Singh

Background: Amino acids are crucially involved in a myriad of biological processes. Any aberrant changes in physiological level of amino acids often manifest in common metabolic disorders, serious neurological conditions and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, devising methods for detection of trace amounts of amino acids becomes highly elemental to their efficient clinical diagnosis. Recently, the domain of developing optical sensors for detection of amino acids has witnessed significant activity which is the focus of the current review article. Methods: We undertook a detailed search of the peer-reviewed literature that primarily deals with optical sensors for amino acids and focuses on the use of different type of materials as a sensing platform. Results: Ninety-five papers have been included in the review, majority of which deal with optical sensors. We attempt to systematically classify these contributions based on the applications of various chemical and biological scaffolds such as polymers, supramolecular assemblies, nanoparticles, DNA, heparin etc for the sensing of amino acids. This review identifies that supramolecular assemblies and nanomaterial continue to be commonly used platforms to devise sensors for amino acids followed by surfactant assemblies. Conclusion: The broad implications of amino acids in human health and diagnosis have stirred a lot of interest to develop optimized optical detection systems for amino acids in recent years, using different materials based on chemical and biological scaffolds. We have also attempted to highlight the merits and demerits of some of the noteworthy sensor systems to instigate further efforts for constructing amino acids sensor based on unconventional concepts.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoping Chen ◽  
Michiaki Takezawa ◽  
Naoki Kawazoe ◽  
Tetsuya Tateishi

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