Comparisons of pulsed ultrasound-assisted and hot-acid extraction methods for pectin extraction under dual acid mixtures from onion (Allium cepa L.) waste.

The aim of this study is to compare the physicochemical properties and yields of pectins extracted from onion waste under hot acid (HAE) and pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction (PUAE) methods using different organic-inorganic acids, their mixtures, and pure water. The extraction temperature for experiments carried out under HAE was kept at 90°C for 90 min, whereas PUAE experiments were accomplished at RT in 15 min. In general, HAE gave better pectin yields compared with PUAE due to the significance of the increasing extraction temperature for the release of pectin from the plant matrix. While the maximum pectin yield from onion waste was 16.22% for HAE, the highest yield for PUAE was 9.83%. PUAE provides less time- and energy-consuming extraction of pectin within 15 min and thus seems to be more economic compared with the HAE. According to the physicochemical properties (equivalent weight (EW), degree of esterification (DE), methoxyl (MeO), and galacturonic acid (Gal-A) contents) of obtained pectins, extracted pectins were mostly high methoxy pectin. While the DE and MeO values of pectins extracted in organic acid conditions under HAE were higher, these values were found to be higher for pectins extracted in inorganic acids under PUAE. For acid mixtures, the DE and MeO values of pectins under HAE were mostly found to be lower than those under PUAE. Sequential PUAE and HAE methods for the extraction of pectin from onion waste were also found to be useful in terms of obtaining higher yields and better physicochemical properties. The highest pectin yield was 20.32% for the sequential PUAE and HAE methods. FT-IR analyses of the extracted pectins by both HAE and PUAE methods showed similar vibration bands compared with those of commercial citrus pectin.

Flowerlike hybrid horseradish peroxidase nanobiocatalyst for the polymerization of guaiacol.

In this study, the catalytic activity and stability of flowerlike hybrid horseradish peroxidase (HRP) nanobiocatalyst (HRP-Cu 2+ ) obtained from Cu 2+ ions and HRP enzyme in the polymerization reaction of guaiacol were analyzed. We demonstrated that HRP-Cu 2+ and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) initiator showed significantly increased catalytic activity and stability on the polymerization of guaiacol compared to that of free HRP enzyme. Poly(guaiacol) was observed with quite high yields (88%) and molecular weights (38,000 g/mol) under pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) conditions at 60 °C with 5 weight% of HRP-Cu 2+ loading. HRP-Cu 2+ also shows very high thermal stability and works even at 70 °C reaction temperature; free HRP enzyme denatures at that temperature. Furthermore, HRP-Cu 2+ provided considerable repeated use and showed some degree of catalytic activity, even after the fourth recycle, in the polymerization of guaiacol.

Synthesis of Long-Term Stable Gold Nanoparticles Benefiting from Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa), and Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) Extracts-Gold Ion Complexation and Investigation of Reaction Conditions.

We report synthesis of monodispersed, stable, and colloidal gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using anthocyanin-riched red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), strawberry (Fragaria ananassa), and blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) extracts as functions of concentration of HAuCl4·3H2O and berries extract, reaction time, and reaction pH values (pHs) and demonstrate their unique stability in highly concentrated salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) solutions. The catecholamine group of anthocyanin molecules give preferential coordination reaction with gold ions (Au3+) for creating anthocyanin-Au3+ complexes, which may lead to initiation of nucleation for seed formation, and then, oxidation of catecholamine results in a flow of electrons from anthocyanins to Au seeds for anisotropic growth. Finally, the surface of the Au NPs is saturated with anthocyanins, and formation of monodispersed and stable Au NPs with narrow size distribution is completed. We also report the effects of some experimental parameters including concentrations of Au3+ ions and barrier extracts, reaction time, and pHs on formation of the Au NPs with rational explanations. The long-term colloidal stability of the Au NPs in the 400 mM NaCl solution was comparatively studied with commercial Au NPs (citrate capped). As results show that anthocyanin-riched berry extracts directed Au NPs we proposed here can be considered as promising and safe tools for biomedical applications owing to their highly much colloidal dispersibility and salt tolerance properties.

Vibrational spectroscopy investigation using ab initio and density functional theory analysis on the structure of 5-chloro-10-oxa-3-thia-tricyclo[5.2.1.0(1,5)]dec-8-ene-3,3-dioxide.

The IR spectra of 5-chloro-10-oxa-3-thia-tricyclo[5.2.1.0(1,5)]dec-8-ene-3,3-dioxide (COTDO) has been recorded in the region 4000-525cm(-1). The optimized molecular geometry, frequency and intensity of the vibrational bands of COTDO in the ground state has been calculated using the Hartree-Fock and density functional using Becke's three-parameter hybrid method with the Lee, Yang, and Parr correlation functional methods with 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311G(d,p) basis sets. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated and the scaled values have been compared with experimental IR spectra. The calculated geometrical parameters and harmonic vibrations are predicted in a very good agreement with the experimental data. The theoretical vibrational spectra of the title compound were interpreted by means of potential energy distributions (PEDs) using VEDA 4 program. With the help of this modern technique we were able to complete the assignment of the vibrational spectra of the title compound.

Silicon Acetal Metathesis Polymerization.

A kinetic study revealed that the acid-catalyzed (p-TSA) equilibration of Me2Si(OMe)2 and Me2Si(OEt)2, forming Me2Si(OEt)OMe, is established in 300 min in benzene at room temperature. This silicon acetal metathesis reaction is exploited for the step-growth polymerization of bis-silicon acetals (MeOSiMe2OROSiMe2OMe) with metathetical loss of Me2Si(OMe)2. Thus, a convenient and generalized silicon acetal metathesis polymerization (SAMP) method is introduced as the acid-catalyzed copolymerization of a diol (HOROH) and Me2Si(OMe)2, driven by elimination of methanol and/or Me2Si(OMe)2. SAMP constitutes an effective and powerful strategy for manipulating the most common bond in the Earth's crust, the silicon-oxygen bond.