In the early 15th century, beeswax coating was applied to some of the cellulosic documents in a futile attempt to better conserve the paper. However, this treatment caused much more severe degradation compared to untreated Hanji. In the current study, the degradation pathway of this beeswax-treated Hanji has been clarified for the first time. The degradation of cellulose was investigated by labeling of oxidized groups combined with gel permeation chromatography, providing profiles of carbonyl and carboxyl groups relative to the molar mass distribution. The beeswax caused purely hydrolytic damage, leading to a decrease in molar mass to about one fifth of the original value. Oxidative degradation, by contrast, did not occur to any significant extent. Hydrolysis was not caused by acids but by microorganism feeding on the beeswax and excreting cellulolytic enzymes, which cause similar cellulose damage patterns. The hydrolytic enzymes were identified by typical metabolites present in the Hanji.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.10.033 | DOI Listing |
Chembiochem
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada.
This study describes an enzymatic pathway to produce high purity 4-O-methylglucaric acid from xylan, an underutilized fraction of lignocellulosic biomass. Beechwood xylan was enzymatically hydrolysed using a commercial xylanase and an α-glucuronidase from Amphibacillus xylanus to form 4-O-methylglucuronic acid, which was then purified by anion exchange chromatography and subsequently oxidized to 4-O-methylglucaric acid using a recombinantly produced uronic acid oxidase from Citrus sinensis. Enzymatic oxidation with uronic acid oxidase afforded 95 % yield in 72 hours which is considerably higher than yields previously achieved using a glucooligosaccharide oxidase from Sarocladium strictum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biochem Mol Toxicol
February 2025
Department of Chemistry, Science Faculty, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey.
In this study, four novels 2,5,6-trisubstituted imidazothiadiazole derivative ligands and their Ag(I) complexes were synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic analysis techniques. First, imidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole derivative (3) was obtained from the reaction of 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol with benzyl bromide in the presence of KOH in an ethanolic medium. In the next step, the resultant compound reacted sequentially with four substituted phenacyl bromide derivatives (4a-4d) under refluxed ethanol for 24 h to obtain substituted 2-(benzylthio)-6-phenylimidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole derivatives (5-8).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
Nanomaterials that engage in well-defined and tunable interactions with proteins are pivotal for the development of advanced applications. Achieving a precise molecular-level understanding of nano-bio interactions is essential for establishing these interactions. However, such an understanding remains challenging and elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScience
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Commercial adhesives are petroleum-based thermoset networks or nonbiodegradable thermoplastic hot melts, making them ideal targets for replacement by biodegradable alternatives. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) is a biorenewable and biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics, but microbial P3HB, which has a stereoperfect stereomicrostructure, exhibits no adhesion. In this study, by elucidating the fundamental relationship between chemocatalytically engineered P3HB stereomicrostructures and adhesion properties, we found that biodegradable syndio-rich P3HB exhibits high adhesion strength and outperforms common commercial adhesives, whereas syndiotactic, isotactic, or iso-rich P3HB shows no measurable adhesion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, PR China; College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, PR China. Electronic address:
Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. is considered a precious edible and medicinal fungus due to its strict growth environment requirements, difficult to cultivate, resulted in expensive in the market.
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