Effects of Metal Ions and Organic Solvents on Alkaline Phosphatase from Rice-field Eel

[Objective]The mechanism of alkaline phosphatase（ALP） was studied to promote rice-field eel aquaculture industry. [ Method] The effects of effectors such as multiple metal ions and organic solvents on ALP in viscera of rice-field eel. [ Result] Na^＋ and K ^＋ didn＇t generate big influences on enzyme activity;Mg^2＋ and Ca^2＋ could promote ALP while Li^＋,Cu^2＋ and Zn^2＋ could restrain ALP enzyme activity. Both HPO4^2- and WO4^2- generated by en- zyme catalyzing disodium phenyl phosphate possessed strong inhibitory effects on emzymc, and 9.5 mmol/L HPO4^2 - would make enzyme activity decline by 13% while 9.5 mmol/L WO4^3- would make enzyme decline by 34%. The inhibition types of them were both competitive inhibition on enzyme activity. The organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol,ethylene glycol,isopropannl all generated influences on ALP and the order according to their inhibitory effects was isopropanol 〉 ethanol 〉 methanol 〉 ethylene glycol. [ Conclusion] The inflncnces of various effeetors on ALP aetivity of rice-field eel were studied from dynamics perspective to provide theoretical basis for further clarifying ALP mechanism.

Determination of physical properties for the mixtures of [BMIM]Cl with different organic solvents

Physical properties including refractive index, density, viscosity and conductivity for binary mixtures of l-butyl- 3-methyl imidazolium chloride （[BMIM]CI） and different organic solvents at 298.15 K have been investigated. Ex- cess molar volumes have been calculated and obtained data has been fitted by the Redlich-Kister equation. The density and refractive index were found to increase with increasing concentration of [BMIM]CI, however, excep- tions do exist as in the case of dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO）/[BMIM]CI. For DMSO/[BMIM]CI, the density decreases with increasing concentration. The addition of different organic solvents was able to disrupt the interactions within mixtures, leading to free mobility of ions. The free mobility of ions has been found to enhance conductivity and decrease viscosity to varying extents in all mixtures studied. It has been observed that solubility parameters, dielectric constants and composition of the solvents used play a vital role in determining the resultant properties. The data obtained will play an important role in understanding the effect of the addition of organic solvents in ILs to enhance their applicability.

GROWTH OF o-DICYANOVINYL ANISOLE(DIVA) CRYSTAL IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS

Crystal growth habits of O-Dicyanovinyl anisole (DIVA) in organic solvents are described

Organic Solvents Enhanced Spectrofluorimetric Method for Determination of Laccase Activity

A novel fluorimetric method for determination of laccase activity in organic solvents is proposed, based on the oxidation ofo-phenylenediamine (1,2-diaminobenzene, OPDA) catalyzed by laccase yielding 2,3-diaminophenazine. The optimal conditions for laccase in organic media areT=55°C, pH=6.5, 1.0×10?2mol/L OPDA, 1.25 mL ethanol, 1.25 mL 1,4-dioxane and 1.25 mL acetone. The linear range of the method proposed in ethanol, 1,4-dioxane and acetone media were 0.44–19.33, 0.11–20.85, 0.38–21.05 U with the detection limit of 0.088, 0.022, 0.076 U, respectively. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of laccase activity of real samples with more accurate and sensitive than that of the previous method reported.

Improved Production of Paclitaxel from Suspension Culture of Taxus chinensis var. mairei by in situ Extraction with Organic Solvents

The production of paclitaxel from suspension culture of Taxus chinensis var,mairei was improved by in situ extraction with organic solvents to avoid feedback repression and product degradation.Oleic acid and dibutyl phthalate were proved to be suitable solvents .The optimal volumetric percentage of organic solvents in the culture medium was found to be around 8%,and the favorable time for their introduction was at the exponential phase of cell growth,Paclitaxel production with the in situ extraction was ca 3-fold of that without extraction.

Stability of M13 Phage in Organic Solvents

The effect of different types of organic solvents on the structural integrity of M13 phages has been directly visualized by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The exposure of M13 phages to apolar hexane had no effect on the structure of the phages for up to 8 h. In contrast, phages showed ~10-fold contraction into rod-like I-forms and to flattened spheroids with ~12 nm diameter upon exposure to polar organic solvents. We show that this finding can be beneficial for the macromolecular self-assembly and in broader aspects, to enhance the spatial arrangement of desired inorganic nanoparticles in the rapidly developing field of virotronics.

Subacute Chorea Induced by Organic Solvents

Introduction: Chronic exposure to organic solvents may result in a variety of neurologic complications like dementia, cerebellar dysfunction, pyramidal syndrome, cranial nerve abnormalities, and neuropathy. Clinical Presentation: We report an unusual case of subacute chorea induced by occupational exposure. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed diffuse white matter T2 hyperintensity. The screening of basic blood tests, and CSF studies to eliminate alternate diagnoses, were normal. The patient received 1000 mg/day of intravenous methylprednisolone for 3 days, with cessation of professional activity. We observed a regression of neurological symptoms after 3 months of follow-up. Conclusion: This case highlights the diversity of acute or chronic neurological complications of solvents.

Amino acids modified nanoscale zero-valent iron:Density functional theory calculations,experimental synthesis and application in the Fenton-like degradation of organic solvents

To improve the adsorption and catalytic performance of heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for oil wastes,amino acids were used to modify nanoscale zero-valent iron(AA@Fe^(0)),which were applied in the Fenton-like degradation of organic solvents(tributyl phosphate and n-dodecane,named TBP and DD).Twelve amino acids,i.e.,glycine(Gly),alanine(Ala),leucine(Leu),proline(Pro),phenylalanine(Phe),methionine(Met),cysteine(Cys),asparagine(Asn),serine(Ser),glutamic acid(Glu),lysine(Lys)and arginine(Arg),were selected and calculated by density functional theory(DFT).The optimized structure,charge distribution,the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO),the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO),interaction region indicator(IRI)isosurface map and adsorption energy of AA@Fe^(0),AA@Fe^(0)-TBP and AA@Fe^(0)-DD were studied,which indicated that Fe is more likely to approach and charge transfer with-COO and-NH_(3) on theα-carbon of amino acids.There is strong attraction between Fe and–COO,and Van der Waals force between Fe and-NH_(3),respectively.In the interaction of AA@Fe^(0)with TBP and DD,Van der Waal force plays an important role.AA@Fe^(0)was synthesized in laboratory and characterized to investigate physicochemical properties.In Fenton-like degradation of organic solvents,the change of COD in water phase during the degradation process as well as the volume of the organic phase after the reaction were investigated.The results of calculations combined with experiments showed that Ser-modified Fe^(0)performed the best in these amino acids,with 98%removal of organic solvents.A possible catalytic mechanism was proposed in which amino acids acted a linking role between Fe and organic solvents,activating H_(2)O_(2)to generate hydroxyl radicals for the degradation of organic solvents.

Rational surface charge engineering of haloalkane dehalogenase for boosting the enzymatic performance in organic solvent solutions

Biocatalysis in organic solvents(OSs)has numerous important applications,but native enzymes in OSs often exhibit limited catalytic performance.Herein,we proposed a computation-aided surface charge engineering strategy to improve the catalytic performance of haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA in OSs based on the energetic analysis of substrate binding to the DhaA surface.Several variants with enhanced OS resistance were obtained by replacing negative charged residues on the surface with positive charged residue(Arg).Particularly,a four-substitution variant E16R/E93R/E121R/E257R exhibited the best catalytic performance(five-fold improvement in OS resistance and seven-fold half-life increase in 40%(vol)dimethylsulfoxide).As a result,the overall catalytic performance of the variant could be at least 26 times higher than the wild-type DhaA.Fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed that the residue substitution mainly enhanced OS resistance from four aspects:(a)improved the overall structural stability,(b)increased the hydrophobicity of the local microenvironment around the catalytic triad,(c)enriched the hydrophobic substrate around the enzyme molecule,and(d)lowered the contact frequency between OS molecules and the catalytic triad.Our findings validate that computationaided surface charge engineering is an effective and ingenious rational strategy for tailoring enzyme performance in OSs.

Effects of organic solvents on two retinal pigment epithelial lipofuscin fluorophores, A2E and all-trans-retinal dimer

Gene and drug therapies are being developed to al eviate vision loss in patients with Stargardt’s disease and age-related macular degeneration （AMD）. To evaluate the therapeutic effects of these treatments, organic sol-vents are routinely used to extract and quantify bisretinoid lipofuscin constituents, such as N-retinylidene-N-retinyl-ethanolamine （A2E） and all-trans-retinal dimer （ATR-dimer）. By high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）, we found that A2E and ATR-dimer were both altered by tetrahydrofuran （THF） and chloroform, but were stable in dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO） or methanol （MeOH）. In addition, cyclohexane and ethanol （EtOH） did not alter ATR-dimer, whereas an alteration of A2E occurred in EtOH. On the basis of these findings, we designed processes II-IV, generated by modifications of process I, a routine method to measure bisretinoid compounds in vivo. Extra amounts of either ATR-dimer or A2E in mouse eyecups were released by processes II-IV versus process I. Efforts to clarify the effects of organic solvents on lipofuscin pigments are important because such studies can guide the handling of these fluoro-phores in related experiments.

Physiological cellular responses and adaptations of Rhodococcus erythropolis IBB_(Po1) to toxic organic solvents

A new Gram-positive bacterium, Rhodococcus erythropolis IBBPo1（KF059972.1） was isolated from a crude oil-contaminated soil sample by enrichment culture method. R. erythropolis IBBPo1 was able to tolerate a wide range of toxic compounds, such as antibiotics（800–1000 μg/mL）,synthetic surfactants（50–200 μg/mL）, and organic solvents（40%–100%）. R. erythropolis IBBPo1 showed good tolerance to both alkanes（cyclohexane, n-hexane, n-decane） and aromatics（toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene） with logPOW（logarithm of the partition coefficient of the solvent in octanol–water mixture） values between 2.64 and 5.98. However, alkanes were less toxic for R. erythropolis IBBPo1 cells, compared with aromatics. The high organic solvent tolerance of R. erythropolis IBBPo1 could be due to the presence in their large genome of some catabolic（alkB, alkB1, todC1, todM, xylM）, transporter（HAE1） and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase（otsA1, KF059973.1） genes. Numerous and complex physiological cellular responses and adaptations involved in organic solvent tolerance were revealed in R. erythropolis IBBPo1 cells exposed 1 and 24 hr to 1% organic solvents. R. erythropolis IBBPo1 cells adapt to 1% organic solvents by changing surface hydrophobicity, morphology and their metabolic fingerprinting.Considerable modifications in otsA1 gene sequence were also observed in cells exposed to organic solvents（except ethylbenzene）.

π-Extension and chlorination of non-fullerene acceptors enable more readily processable and sustainable high-performance organic solar cells

Organic solar cells(OSCs)processed without halogenated solvents and complex treatments are essential for future commercialization.Herein,we report three novel small molecule acceptors(NFAs)consisting of a Y6-like core but withπ-extended naphthalene with progressively more chlorinated end-capping groups and a longer branched chain on the Nitrogen atom.These NFAs exhibit good solubilities in nonchlorinated organic solvents,broad optical absorptions,closeπ-πstacking distances(3.63–3.84A),and high electron mobilities(~10^(-3)cm^(2)V^(-1)s^(-1)).The o-xylene processed and as-cast binary devices using PM6 as the donor polymer exhibit a PCE increasing upon progressive chlorination of the naphthalene end-capping group from 8.93%for YN to 14.38%for YN-Cl to 15.00%for YN-2Cl.Furthermore similarly processed ternary OSCs were fabricated by employing YN-Cl and YN-2Cl as the third component of PM6:CH1007 blends(PCE=15.75%).Compared to all binary devices,the ternary PM6:CH1007:YN-Cl(1:1:0.2)and PM6:CH1007:YN-2Cl(1:1:0.2)cells exhibit significantly improved PCEs of 16.49%and15.88%,respectively,which are among the highest values reported to date for non-halogenated solvent processed OSCs without using any additives and blend post-deposition treatments.

Assessment of Nanoparticle-Enriched Solvents for Oil Recovery Enhancement

Solvents are generally used to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oil and ultimately enhance oil recovery.Recently,a new method has been introduced where nanoparticles(NPs)are exploited to induce enhanced oil recovery owing to their ability to improve the mobility ratio,dampen the interfacial tension,and alter rock wett-ability.This study investigated the integration of nano-alumina(Al_(2)O_(3))NPs with an n-hexane solvent.In parti-cular,a Brookfield viscometer has been used to measure the crude oil viscosity and it has been found that NPs can effectively lead to a significant decrease in the overall oil viscosity(70 cp using the solvent only,45 cp when NPs are added).

A simple method for determining water content in organic solvents based on cobalt(Ⅱ) complexes

A method to determine water content in organic solvents was developed based on the color change of cobalt（Ⅱ） nitrate in different solvents.The color-change mechanism and optimal conditions for determining the water content were investigated.The results showed that there was a good linear relationships between the absorbance of cobalt（Ⅱ） complexes in organic solvents and water contents withγin 0.9989～0.9994.This method has the advantages of low cost,good reproducibility,good sensitivity,simple in operation,fast in detection,friendly to the environment and no limitation on linear range for determining water content.It was used to determine water in samples with a satisfactory recovery in 97.81%～101.24%.

Photodegradation of new herbicide HW-02 in organic solvents

HW-02 is a new organophosphates herbicide which is discovered and developed in China. The kinetics and mechanism of HW-02 photodegradation in the organic solvents were studied at 25°C under the irradiation of ultraviolet light. The results showed that photochemical reaction of HW-02 in organic solvents such as n-hexane, methanol, dimethyl benzene and acetone under UV light could be well described by the first kinetic equation, and the photodegradation efficiency decreased with a order of n-hexane methanol xylene acetone. The photodegradation efficiency constant of HW-02 in n-hexane, methanol, xylene and acetone were 4.951 × 10^-2 , 3.253 × 10^-2 , 2.377 × 10^-2 and 1.628 × 10^-2 min 1 , and the corresponding half-lives were 13.99, 21.20, 29.15 and 42.56 min, respectively. By separation and identification of photoproducts using GC-MS, it could be concluded that HW-02 was photolyzed through ester cleavage, photo-dechlorination and photoisomerization of the molecule itself.

Theoretical investigations of transport properties of organic solvents in cation-functionalized graphene oxide membranes： Implications for drug delivery

We perform detailed quantum chemical calculations to elucidate the origin and mechanism of the selective permeability of alkali and alkaline earth cation- decorated graphene oxide （M-GO） membranes to organic solvents. The results show that the selectivity is associated mainly with the transport properties of solvents in the membranes, which depends on two regions of the flow path： the sp3 C-O matrix of the GO sheets and the cation at the center of the hexagon rather than the sp~ region. According to the delocalization of ~ states in sp2 regions, we propose a design guide for high-quality M-GO membranes. The solvent-cation interaction essentially causes directional transport of molecules in the M-GO membranes under the transmembrane pressure, indicating a site-to-site mech- anism. The solvent-sp3 C-O matrix interaction may inhibit molecular transport between two fixed cations by consuming energy. The competition between energy consumption by the solvent-cation interaction and energy expenditure by the solvent-sp3 C-O matrix interaction leads to various transport properties of solvents and thus allows for the selective permeability of the M-GO membranes. Findings from the study are helpful for the future design of multifunctional M-GO macro-membranes as cost-effective solution nanofilters in chemical, biological, and medical applications

Bamboo charcoal fused with polyurethane foam for efficiently removing organic solvents from wastewater:experimental and simulation

The development of a multifunctional oil adsorbing material which could effectively and quickly separate oily wastewater is one of the focuses in water environment restoration.In this study,bamboo charcoal(BC)was used as an improver to modify polyurethane(PU)foam.The results of scanning electron microscope(SEM)and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)revealed that the addition of BC could effectively improve the mechanical properties of PU.The adsorption data exhibited that the BC-loaded PU(BC/PU)foam composites effectively removed seven organic solvents(OSs,including octane,petroleum ether,soybean oil,chlorobenzene,1,2-dichloroethane,n-hexane,cyclohexane),and the maximum adsorption capacity of BC/PU was 23.6 g g^(−1)when BC content was 5%.The order of pseudo-second-order kinetic constants and maximum adsorption capacity of seven OSs was octane<petroleum ether<soybean oil<chlorobenzene<1,2-dichloroethane<cyclohexane<n-hexane.Based on the experimental data and density functional theory(DFT)simulation,the adsorption mechanism of OSs on BC/PU-5 was discussed.The EHOMO andμof OSs calculated by DFT were highly correlated with absorption affinity(K_(2),Q_(e)and Q_(max)).Hence,the contribution of OSs to the adsorption efficiency of BC/PU-5 may be mainly due to electron donor-acceptor(EDA)interaction and non-hydrophobic interaction.In addition,the adsorption capacity did not change significantly after repeated recycling 5 times.Overall,the prepared BC/PU foam composites could be used as a potential candidate for separating OSs in engineering applications.

Rapid recovery of polycrystalline silicon from kerf loss slurry using double-layer organic solvent sedimentation method

The rapid development of photovoltaic （PV） industries has led to a shortage of silicon feedstock. However, more than 40% silicon goes into slurry wastes due to the kerf loss in the wafer slicing process. To effectively recycle polycrystalline silicon from the kerf loss slurry, an innovative double-layer organic solvent sedimentation process was presented in the paper. The sedimentation velocities of Si and SiC particles in some organic solvents were investigated. Considering the polarity, viscosity, and density of solvents, the chloroepoxy propane and carbon tetrachloride were selected to separate Si and SiC particles. It is found that Si and SiC particles in the slurry waste can be successfully separated by the double-layer organic solvent sedimentation method, which can greatly reduce the sedimentation time and improve the purity of obtained Si-rich and SiC-rich powders. The obtained Si-rich powders consist of 95.04% Si, and the cast Si ingot has 99.06% Si.

Rhus laccase catalysis and product characterization of 1,2-dimethoxyphenol in organic solutions

Dimethoxyphenol was a widely used substrate in determination of laccases activity. It was surprised, however, that the products of it had not been completely determined until now. Studies were thus conducted on Rhus laccase （RL） and immobilized Rhus laccase （IRL）-catalyzed oxidation of 2,6-dimethoxyphenol （DMP） in water-organic solvent systems. Only one product, 3,3′,5,5′- tetramethoxy-1 ,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diol （TMBP）, was produced by RL catalysis, and it was thoroughly characterized by FT-IR, NMR and GC-MS, etc.

Preparation of PLA and PLGA nanoparticles by binary organic solvent diffusion method

The nanoparticles of polylactide (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were prepared by the bi-nary organic solvent diffusion method. The yield, particle size and size distribution of these nanoparticles wereevaluated. The yield of nanoparticles prepared by this method is over 90%, and the average size of the nanoparticlesis between 130-180 nm. In order to clarify the effect of the organic solvent used in the system on nanoparticle yieldand size, the cloud points of PLA and PLGA were examined by cloud point titration. The results indicate that theyields of nanoparticles increase with the increase of ethanol in the acetone solution and attain the maximum at thecloud point of ethanol, while the size of nanoparticles decreases with the increase of ethanol in the acetone solutionand attains the minimum at the cloud point of ethanol. The optimal composition ratio of binary organic solvents coin-cides to that near the cloud point and the optimal condition of binary organic solvents can be predicted.