Influence of impurities of the transitional metals Fe, Ni, and Co on the hydrolysis kinetics of BH− 4 ions in alkaline solutions

The influence of small amounts of the Fe, Co, and Ni impurities on the spontaneous hydrolytic process of borohydride was studied within a temperature range of 60–100°C. The object under study was a simulated solution containing 9.53 M of OH− ions and 0.14 M of BH− 4 ions, used as a fuel for borohydride fuel cells. The rate constant k of borohydride hydrolysis for a small amount of impurities at different temperature was estimated. The lowest non-accelerating concentrations of the impurities were established (∼10 ppm for iron; ∼1 ppm for cobalt). The strongest accelerating effect on the hydrolysis of BH− 4 ions was rendered by nickel impurities: self-hydrolysis was accelerated by 1.2 times for 1 ppm Ni. The ambiguous trend of the kinetic curves does not allow to accurately estimate the activation energy; however, the increased temperature enhances the catalytic effect of hydrolysis acceleration according to Arrhenius’ equation.

Physical constraints and functional plasticity of cellulases

Enzyme reactions, both in Nature and technical applications, commonly occur at the interface of immiscible phases. Nevertheless, stringent descriptions of interfacial enzyme catalysis remain sparse, and this is partly due to a shortage of coherent experimental data to guide and assess such work. In this work, we produced and kinetically characterized 83 cellulases, which revealed a conspicuous linear free energy relationship (LFER) between the substrate binding strength and the activation barrier. The scaling occurred despite the investigated enzymes being structurally and mechanistically diverse. We suggest that the scaling reflects basic physical restrictions of the hydrolytic process and that evolutionary selection has condensed cellulase phenotypes near the line. One consequence of the LFER is that the activity of a cellulase can be estimated from its substrate binding strength, irrespectively of structural and mechanistic details, and this appears promising for in silico selection and design within this industrially important group of enzymes.

Characterization of Commercial PLGAs by NMR Spectroscopy

Poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) is among the most common of biodegradable polymers studied in various biomedical applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering. To facilitate the understanding of the often overlooked PLGA microstructure on important factors affecting PLGA performance, we measured four key parameters of 17 commonly used commercial PLGA polymers (Resomer ®, Expansorb ®, Purasorb ®, Lactel ®, and Wako ® ) by NMR spectroscopy. 1 HNMR and 13 CNMR spectra were used to determine lactic to glycolic ratio (L/G ratio), polymer end-capping, glycolic blockiness ( Rc ), and average glycolic and lactic block lengths ( L G and L L ). In PLGAs with a labeled L/G ratio of 50/50 and acid end capping, the actual lactic content slightly decreased as molecular weight increased in both Resomer ® and Expansorb ®. Whether or not acid- or ester-, termination of these PLGAs was confirmed to be consistent with their brand labels. Moreover, in the ester end-capped 75/25 L/G ratio group, the blockiness value ( Rc ) of Resomer ® RG 756S ( Rc : 1.7) was highest in its group; whereas for the 50/50 acid end-capped group, Expansorb ® DLG 50-2A ( Rc : 1.9) displayed notably higher values than their counterparts. Resomer ® RG 502 ( L L : 2.6, L G : 2.5) and Expansorb ® DLG 50-2E ( L L : 2.5, L G : 2.6) showed the lowest block lengths, suggesting they may undergo a steadier hydrolytic process compared to random, heterogeneously distributed PLGA.

Hydrolytic Process of Proteins in Moringa oleifera Seeds in Varied Concentrations of Sodium Hydroxide and Hydrochloric Acid

Indonesia is endowed with an immense biodiversity that can be used as protein sources. One of these is Moringa oleifera tree that is locally known as Kelor. The seeds of this plant can be used as a protein source, an effective coagulant for water purification, a natural absorbent, and an antimicrobial treatment. Kelor seeds are known to contain fibers, proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins. The objectives of this study were to identify the optimal solution concentration, determine the yield percentage, and determine the optimal protein content from hydrolytic processes of Moringa seed extraction using Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Hydrochloric Acid (HCl). The hydrolysis took place for 30 minutes at 60oC. The proteins extracted from Moringa seeds were identified with biuret and Braford tests. The NaOH extractions resulted in the highest yield of 12.1% and protein content of 0.43% with 2% NaOH. Whereas those of HCl produced the highest yield of 11.1% and protein content of 9.63% with 1% HCl.

Hybrid approach to obtain high-quality BaMO3 perovskite nanocrystals

A novel hybrid solvothermal approach for perovskite nanocrystal formation via accurate control of the hydrolytic process is reported.

Correction: Low temperature, rapid and controllable growth of highly crystalline ZnO nanostructures via a diluent hydrolytic process and its application to transparent super-wetting films

Correction for ‘Low temperature, rapid and controllable growth of highly crystalline ZnO nanostructures via a diluent hydrolytic process and its application to transparent super-wetting films’ by Huijie Wang et al., CrystEngComm, 2018, 20, 7602–7609.

Low temperature, rapid and controllable growth of highly crystalline ZnO nanostructures via a diluent hydrolytic process and its application to transparent super-wetting films

The low temperature rapid hydrolytic growth of highly crystalline ZnO nanostructures and their application in transparent superwetting films.

Kinetic exploration supplemented by spectroscopic and molecular docking analysis in search of the optimal conditions for effective degradation of malachite green

The degradation of malachite green (MG) by an alkaline hydrolytic process has been explored spectrophotometrically.