Article
Chemistry, Physical
Grazia Rovelli, Kevin R. Wilson
Summary: The use of o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) in combination with a thiol reagent has been widely used to detect primary amines in amino acids, peptides, and proteins. This study provides new measurements and kinetic models that support the proposed mechanism, in which the primary amine first reacts with OPA and then with the thiol to form a fluorescent product.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohammad Rafiee, Dylan J. Abrams, Luana Cardinale, Zachary Goss, Antonio Romero-Arenas, Shannon S. Stahl
Summary: Electrochemical methods provide control over chemical synthesis by tuning the potential or current, and measuring the current or potential can offer mechanistic insights. This tutorial review explains the use of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry to study reaction mechanisms, optimize electrochemical reactions, or design new reactions. These techniques allow analysis of concentrations of redox active species in solution and offer a versatile strategy for kinetic analysis.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nadia Turton, Neve Cufflin, Mollie Dewsbury, Olivia Fitzpatrick, Rahida Islam, Lowidka Linares Watler, Cara McPartland, Sophie Whitelaw, Caitlin Connor, Charlotte Morris, Jason Fang, Ollie Gartland, Liv Holt, Iain P. Hargreaves
Summary: Mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) disorders are complex diseases that require a multidisciplinary approach in diagnosis. Biochemical investigations, such as metabolite analysis, measurement of lactate, pyruvate, and amino acid levels, as well as assessment of hormone-like cytokines and evidence of oxidative stress, play important roles in diagnosing MRC dysfunction. However, at present, there is a lack of reliable biomarkers for evaluating evidence of MRC dysfunction.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Mohammad Z. Abidin, Thangavelu Saravanan, Laura Bothof, Pieter G. Tepper, Andy-Mark W. H. Thunnissen, Gerrit J. Poelarends
Summary: The study presents the asymmetric synthesis of N-arylalkyl-substituted l-aspartic acids using EDDS lyase as a biocatalyst, resulting in products with good enantioselectivity and high yields. This demonstrates that C-N lyases can serve as a powerful synthetic tool for preparing difficult noncanonical amino acids.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Katerina Kroupina, Chantal Bemeur, Christopher F. Rose
Summary: Hepatic encephalopathy is a decline in brain function caused by liver insufficiency. The liver's reduced ability to clear ammonia plays a crucial role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Cirrhotic patients require high protein intake, but this can increase the accumulation of ammonia, worsening hepatic encephalopathy. Finding a nutritional solution that provides sufficient protein doses without increasing the risk of hepatic encephalopathy is necessary.
ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Janine Kowalke, Erica Brendler, Jorg Wagler
Summary: The reaction of dichlorodimethylsilane and L-valin in specific molar ratio generated a complex mixture of products, from which two pentacoordinate silicon complexes were isolated and identified. The compounds were characterized through various analytical techniques, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Si-29 CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy.
JOURNAL OF ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Robert J. Mayer, Joseph Moran
Summary: Only one alpha-keto acid is synthesized into an amino acid via reductive amination, while others are converted by transamination. The reactivity differences of keto acids in nonenzymatic reduction and reductive amination were quantified using BH3CN- as a model nucleophile, revealing pronounced differences among biological alpha-keto acids in the formation of amino acids.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mahdi Abbasian, Hesam Najibi
Summary: This study investigates the use of aqueous solutions of amino acids for CO2 absorption. The kinetics of CO2 absorption in sodium serinate solutions and their blend with piperazine were studied. The results show that sodium serinate solution can be used as a CO2 absorbent, and adding piperazine to the solution can improve the CO2 absorption efficiency.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kaikai Zheng, Huaibo Li, Shuo Wang, Yan Wang, Aimin Li, Xuan Feng, Ji Li
Summary: The study successfully established a combined system in wastewater treatment plants, achieving efficient treatment of low-strength wastewater and improvement of excess sludge quality. Experimental results demonstrated significant improvement in removal rates of pollutants and higher levels of intracellular proteins and amino acids compared to traditional processes, indicating a promising future for resource recovery-based wastewater treatment processes.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Thao Tran, Anh Nguyen, Danielle Torres, My Tien Pham, Andrew S. Petit
Summary: The study investigates the photo-oxidative intramolecular cyclization of 2'-alkynylacetophenone oximes, revealing the formation of isoindole N-oxides for the first time. Substituents on the alkynyl group and benzene ring are found to modulate the thermodynamic driving force for oxime radical cation generation, while having a small impact on the chemical reactivity of the radical cation intermediates. The study provides mechanistic insights into the diversity of isoindole N-oxides that can be produced through this reaction.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Peng Wang, Cheng Shen, Baoyi Wang, Peng Xu, Laihong Shen
Summary: Ammonia is being explored as a sustainable energy carrier, and ammonia production from nitrogen-rich biomass gasification provides a sustainable and flexible process. Different amino acids with distinct structures exhibit different properties in nitrogen conversion, and the introduction of steam enhances the production of ammonia.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nicholas J. Green, David A. Russell, Sasha H. Tanner, John D. Sutherland
Summary: Amino acids and their derivatives play a crucial role in the transition from prebiotic chemistry to early biology. This study focuses on the formation and reactions of aminonitriles and their formylated derivatives in formamide. The findings suggest that N-formylaminonitriles can be formed from aldehydes and cyanide in formamide, even without added ammonia, providing a potential prebiotic source of amino acid derivatives. The alkaline processing of N-formylaminonitriles results in a selective hydration at the nitrile group, protecting the aminonitrile derivatives and yielding mixtures of N-formylated and unformylated amino acid derivatives. Additionally, the synthesis of N-formyldehydroalanine nitrile from glycolaldehyde and cyanide in formamide is observed, highlighting its potential role as a precursor for prebiotic peptide synthesis.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Fuad J. Naser, Madelyn M. Jackstadt, Ronald Fowle-Grider, Jonathan L. Spalding, Kevin Cho, Ethan Stancliffe, Steven R. Doonan, Eva T. Kramer, Lijun Yao, Bradley Krasnick, Li Ding, Ryan C. Fields, Charles K. Kaufman, Leah P. Shriver, Stephen L. Johnson, Gary J. Patti
Summary: The study revealed that melanoma consumes significantly more glucose than other tissues and the tumor liver alanine cycle plays a crucial role in maintaining circulating glucose levels in diseased animals. Inhibition of this cycle reduced tumor burden, highlighting the importance of metabolic crosstalk between tumors and distant tissues.
Review
Engineering, Marine
Bo Li, You-Yun Lu, Yuan-Le Li
Summary: Natural gas is a low-carbon energy source that is abundant and has high calorific value. Solidified natural gas technology efficiently stores and transports natural gas in an environmentally-friendly way. Amino acids, as additives, have the potential to promote the growth speed of gas hydrates and are more friendly to the environment.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Andrea Varga, Pal Csuka, Orlavanah Sonesouphap, Gergely Banoczi, Monica Ioana Tosa, Gabriel Katona, Zsofia Molnar, Laszlo Csaba Bencze, Laszlo Poppe, Csaba Paizs
Summary: A novel phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PzaPAL) was identified from the psychrophilic yeast Pseudozyma antarctica, showing significantly different substrate binding pocket compared to known PALs. Recombinant PzaPAL exhibited higher turnover numbers than PcPAL and demonstrated enhanced enantiotope selectivity in both kinetic resolutions and ammonia addition reactions.
