Diacylphloroglucinol derivatives as antioxidant agents: green synthesis, optimisation, in vitro, and in silico evaluation.

Several derivatives of diacylphloroglucinol (3a-3c and 5a-5b) as an analogue of natural product compound 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol 3a, were successfully synthesised in an excellent yield via a greener Friedel-Craft acylation using methanesulfonic acid (MSA) as a catalyst under an ultrasound-assisted condition. Operational simplicity, excellent yield, expedient metal-free synthesis, energy-efficient and mild reaction conditions are the outstanding advantages in this procedure. A scaled-up reaction also revealed the practical suitability of this newly developed procedure. The effects of several process variables on 3a were carefully accomplished using response surface methodology (RSM). Moreover, the green credentials of the present protocol have been assessed using several established green metrics and compared to relevant procedures. Along with the monomers, dimeric diacylphloroglucinols (6a-6e) were also synthesised and their in vitro antioxidant activity of these species were carried out. Furthermore, drug-likeness, density functional theory (DFT), and molecular docking studies were also established.

Improvement of Fire Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) Composite Prepared from Combination of Active Nano Filler of Modified Pumice and Commercial Active Fillers.

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites have great potential to replace metal components in vehicles by maintaining their mechanical properties and improving fire resistance. Ease of form, anti-corrosion, lightweight, fast production cycle, durability and high strength-to-weight ratio are the advantages of GFRP compared to conventional materials. The transition to the use of plastic materials can be performed by increasing their mechanical, thermal and fire resistance properties. This research aims to improve the fire resistance of GFRP composite and maintain its strength by a combination of pumice-based active nano filler and commercial active filler. The nano active filler of pumice particle (nAFPP) was obtained by the sol-gel method. Aluminum trihydroxide (ATH), sodium silicate (SS) and boric acid (BA) were commercial active fillers that were used in this study. The GFRP composite was prepared by a combination of woven roving (WR) and chopped strand mat (CSM) glass fibers with an unsaturated polyester matrix. The composite specimens were produced using a press mold method for controlling the thickness of specimens. Composites were tested with a burning test apparatus, flexural bending machine and Izod impact tester. Composites were also analyzed by SEM, TGA, DSC, FT-IR spectroscopy and macro photographs. The addition of nAFPP and reducing the amount of ATH increased ignition time significantly and decreased the burning rate of specimens. The higher content of nAFPP significantly increased the flexural and impact strength. TGA analysis shows that higher ATH content had a good contribution to reducing specimen weight loss. It is also strengthened by the lower exothermic of the specimen with higher ATH content. The use of SS and BA inhibited combustion by forming charcoal or protective film; however, excessive use of them produced porosity and lowered mechanical properties.

Synthesis of Bis-Glyoxylamide Peptidomimetics Derived from Bis-N-acetylisatins Linked at C5 by a Methylene or Oxygen Bridge.

The bis-glyoxylamide peptidomimetics have been synthesized from bis-N-acetylisatins linked at C5 by ring-opening with alcohols, amines, and amino acid methyl ester hydrochlorides. X-ray images of single crystals of bis-glyoxylamide peptidomimetics have been obtained.

Novel colorimetric anion sensors based on N-acetylglyoxylic amides containing nitrophenyl signalling units.

N-acetylglyoxylic amides 4 and 5 bearing pendant 4-nitrophenyl and 2,4-dinitrophenyl groups respectively were synthesized and evaluated as anion sensors. A crystal structure of 4 was obtained by X-ray crystallography. Compounds 4 and 5 behaved as colorimetric sensors for CN(-) and F(-), and exhibited naked eye-detectable color changes upon the addition of these anions. The chromogenic properties of 4 and 5 were assessed by UV-Vis and (1)H NMR spectroscopy.

Cloning, over-expression, purification, and characterisation of N-acetylneuraminate synthase from Streptococcus agalactiae.

N-acetylneuraminate synthase (NeuAc-synthase; E.C. 4.1.3.19) is one of the two enzymes responsible for sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) synthesis in bacteria. Potential genes encoding NeuAc synthase in Streptococcus agalactiae and Bacillus subtilis were identified from a BLAST search of the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ database using the E. coli neuB gene sequence as a probe and the genes cloned and expressed at high level in Escherichia coli. The neuB gene of S. agalactiae was shown to encode an active NeuAc synthase, whereas the spsE gene product from B. subtilis did not have this activity. Expression of the native S. agalactiae neuB gene product enzyme in E. coli resulted in a product that was prone to proteolysis during purification so the protein was tagged with a hexa-histidine tag at its N-terminus and the enzyme was rapidly purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulphate fractionation and Ni-chelating affinity chromatography in two steps. Measurement of the subunit molecular mass by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (M(r) = 38, 987 +/- 3) and of the native molecular mass by gel filtration chromatography (M(r) = 78,000) clearly demonstrated that the enzyme is dimeric. The effects of EDTA, temperature, and pH on the activity of the S. agalactiae NeuAc synthase were examined. Enzyme activity was maximal at pH 7 and was dependent on the presence of metal ions such as Mg(2+), Mn(2+) or Co(2+). The purified enzyme was inhibited by the reagent phenylglyoxal and the substrates N-acetyl mannosamine or phosphoenol pyruvate afforded protection against this inhibition, suggesting that one or more arginine residues are involved in substrate recognition and binding. The ease of expression and the properties of the enzyme should now permit a thorough study of the specificity of the enzyme and provide the prerequisites for attempts to alter this specificity by directed evolution for the production of novel sialic acid analogues.