New Method to Produce Plastics from Artificial Photosynthesis

 In recent years, environmental problems caused by global warming have become more apparent due to greenhouse gases such as CO2. In natural photosynthesis, CO2 is not reduced directly, but is bound to organic compounds which are converted to glucose or starch.

Mimicking this, artificial photosynthesis could reduce CO2 by combining it into organic compounds to be used as raw materials, which can be converted into durable forms such as plastic.

Fumaric Acid from CO2

A research team led by Professor Yutaka Amao from the Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and graduate student Mika Takeuchi, from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Science, have succeeded in synthesizing fumaric acid from CO2, a raw material for plastics, powered—for the first time—by sunlight. Their findings were published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels.

Fumaric acid is typically synthesized from petroleum, to be used as a raw material for making biodegradable plastics such as polybutylene succinate, but this discovery shows that fumaric acid can be synthesized from CO2 and biomass-derived compounds using renewable solar energy.

“Toward the practical application of artificial photosynthesis, this research has succeeded in using visible light—renewable energy—as the power source,” explained Professor Amao. “In the future, we aim to collect gaseous CO2 and use it to synthesize fumaric acid directly through artificial photosynthesis.”

Source: Osaka Metropolitan University/omnexusspecialchem

Healing Halogens-Today's Knowledge Share

 Today's Knowledge Share:

Healing Halogens 

A significant number of drugs are halogenated.

Typically, insertion of halogen atoms on hit or lead compounds is performed to occupy the binding site of molecular targets in order to improve the drug−target binding affinity and/or reduce metabolism. 14 out of the 50 molecules approved by the FDA in 2021 contain halogens.

The introduction of F onto a chemical scaffold is able to infer changes that affect the physicochemical properties and the conformation of a molecule. Being the most electronegative element in the periodic table, F plays an important role in the modulation of pKa of neighboring functionalities. Substituting F for H on aromatic groups is also well known to improve metabolic stability.

Lipophilicity is also affected by the addition of F onto aliphatic and aromatic scaffolds. The monofluorination or trifluoromethylation of saturated alkyl groups usually decreases the lipophilicity due to the strong electron-withdrawing capabilities of fluorine. F-arenes are more lipophilic than des-F ones due to the low polarizability of the C-F bond. The installation of a fluorine atom in the ortho-position to an NH function on the aromatic ring is often used to enhance membrane permeability.

From a conformational perspective, the addition of one single F has a reduced steric effect, leaving mostly unchanged the interaction with the receptor site if compared to the same interaction with a molecule bearing an H atom in the same position. This can be explained by the similar van der Waals radii of F and H: 1.47 Å and 1.20 Å, respectively.

The commonly used trifluoromethyl group is sterically more demanding and almost equivalent to an ethyl group. The highly electronegative nature of fluorine makes it a hydrogen bond acceptor from HBD but does not establish as good of halogen bonds as Cl and Br, because it does not typically feature a σ-hole. Another important use is that fluorinated functionality can be incorporated into endogenous substrates or ligands through 19F-markers to investigate protein functions.

Cl is greater in size than F, and the C–Cl bond is stable enough that it allows its insertion in diverse heterocyclics. Cl is a better halogen bond acceptor compared to F. The most important impact of a nonreactive Cl atom on the biological activity of many compounds comes when it is a substituent on an aromatic, heteroaromatic or olefinic moiety. In these cases, the steric and/or electronic effects of the chlorine substituents lead to local electronic attraction or repulsion and/or to steric interference with any surrounding amino acids of target proteins. The Cl atom is often viewed as isosteric and has similar physicochemical properties to the methyl grou.

>250 FDA-approved chlorine-containing drugs are available on the market (as of 2019). 

Geological Survey of India Finds Lithium and Gold Deposits

Geological Survey of India has for the first time established Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu & Kashmir (UT). This report along with 15 other resource bearing geological reports (G2 & G3 stage) and 35 Geological memorandums were handed over to respective state governments during the 62nd Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting held on 09th February 2023. Out of these 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks pertains to gold and other blocks pertains to commodities lke potash, molybdenum, base metals etc. spread across 11 states of Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.. The blocks were prepared based on the work carried out by GSI from field seasons 2018-19 to till date.

Source:https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1897799

Cannabis Trichomes and Resin Glands

 Today's Knowledge Share:

Do you know about Cannabis Trichomes and Resin Glands?

Cannabis trichomes appear as sticky translucent whitish to amber resin on ripening cannabis flowers, leaves, and branches.

Trichomes may be made of hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. They grow on the appendages of plants, such as cannabis, as well as algae and lichens.

The production of trichomes can be observed in many species of plants throughout nature, taking on various physical forms as well as serving many different purposes. For example, trichomes found on some carnivorous plants aid in helping to catch prey.

In cannabis, trichomes function as a defense mechanism. When female cannabis plants begin to produce flowers in the wild, they often become vulnerable to various insects and animals as well as non-living environmental variables such as potentially harmful UV rays. Trichomes serve as a deterrent for animals because their bitter taste and strong aromas render cannabis flowers unpalatable. At the same time, they also serve a dual function in protecting their plants from damaging winds and even some varieties of fungal growth.

The majority of cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, are found in the resin glands with a spherical head on top of a short post or column.

Trichomes exist in many shapes and sizes, but there are three that appear most often on cannabis plants.

1)Bulbous trichomes ( 10-15 micrometers)

2)Capitate sessile trichomes (slightly larger and contain both a head and a stalk)

3)Capitate-stalked trichomes ( between 50-100 micrometers wide)

All three types of trichomes produce cannabinoids, though it is the capitate-stalked trichomes that will appear in abundance in and around the calyxes of budding flowers, producing the highest concentration of essential oils due to their size.

Typically, the more intense the density of capitate-stalked resin glands will yield more THC and CBD. The cannabinoid-rich resin can be consumed as dried and cured flowers, or separated from the plant and made into concentrates, including rosin, dry-sieve hash, BHO, shatter, etc.

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