Institut Michel-Eugène Chevreul

Are the liquid crystalline properties of the materials of living systems important in biological structures, functions, diseases and treatments? There is a growing consciousness that the observed lyotropic, and often thermotropic liquid crystallinity, of many biological materials that possess key biological functionality might be more than curious coincidence. Rather, as the survival of living systems depends on the flexibility and reformability of structures, it seems more likely that it is the combination of softness and structure of the liquid-crystalline state that determines the functionality of biological materials. The richest sources of liquid crystals derived from living systems are found in cell membranes, of these glycolipids are a particularly important class of components. In this critical review, we will examine the relationship between chemical structure and the self-assembling and self-organising properties of glycolipids that ultimately lead to mesophase formation.

The cleavage of C-O linkages in aryl ethers in biomass-derived lignin compounds without hydrogenation of the aromatic rings is a major challenge for the production of sustainable mono-aromatics. Conventional strategies over the heterogeneous metal catalysts require the addition of homogeneous base additives causing environmental problems. Herein, we propose a heterogeneous Ru/C catalyst modified by Br atoms for the selective direct cleavage of C-O bonds in diphenyl ether without hydrogenation of aromatic rings reaching the yield of benzene and phenol as high as 90.3 % and increased selectivity to mono-aromatics (97.3 vs. 46.2 % for initial Ru) during depolymerization of lignin. Characterization of the catalyst indicates selective poisoning by Br of terrace sites over Ru nanoparticles, which are active in the hydrogenation of aromatic rings, while the defect sites on the edges and corners remain available and provide higher intrinsic activity in the C-O bond cleavage.

Supported metal catalysts have found broad applications in heterogeneous catalysis. In the conventional bifunctional catalyst, the active metal sites are associated with the metal nanoparticles, while the acid sites are usually localized over the oxide support. Herein, we report a novel type of supported metal bifunctional catalyst, which combined the advantages of the promotion and bifunctionality. The catalyst was designed by the pretreatment of supported palladium catalysts with bromobenzene. The promotion with bromine creates Brønsted acid sites, which are localized directly on the surface of metal nanoparticles. An intimacy between metal and acid functions in this bifunctional catalyst generates unique catalytic properties in hydrodeoxygenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to dimethylfuran, occurring with the yield up to 96% at ambient temperature under 5 bar of H 2 . The catalyst exhibits stable catalytic performance.

Direct functionalization of methane selectively to value-added chemicals is still one of the main challenges in modern science. Acetic acid is an important industrial chemical produced nowadays by expensive and environmentally unfriendly carbonylation of methanol using homogeneous catalysts. Here, we report a new photocatalytic reaction route to synthesize acetic acid from CH 4 and CO at room temperature using water as the sole external oxygen source. The optimized photocatalyst consists of a TiO 2 support and ammonium phosphotungstic polyoxometalate (NPW) clusters anchored with isolated Pt single atoms (Pt 1 ). It enables a stable synthesis of 5.7 mmol·L –1 acetic acid solution in 60 h with the selectivity over 90% and 66% to acetic acid on liquid-phase and carbon basis, respectively, with the production of 99 mol of acetic acid per mol of Pt. Combined isotopic and in situ spectroscopy investigation suggests that synthesis of acetic acid proceeds via a photocatalytic oxidative carbonylation of methane over the Pt 1 sites, with the methane activation facilitated by water-derived hydroxyl radicals.

Abstract Without a protective atmosphere, space-exposed surfaces of airless Solar System bodies gradually experience an alteration in composition, structure and optical properties through a collective process called space weathering. The return of samples from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu by Hayabusa2 provides the first opportunity for laboratory study of space-weathering signatures on the most abundant type of inner solar system body: a C-type asteroid, composed of materials largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System. Weathered Ryugu grains show areas of surface amorphization and partial melting of phyllosilicates, in which reduction from Fe3+ to Fe2+ and dehydration developed. Space weathering probably contributed to dehydration by dehydroxylation of Ryugu surface phyllosilicates that had already lost interlayer water molecules and to weakening of the 2.7 µm hydroxyl (–OH) band in reflectance spectra. For C-type asteroids in general, this indicates that a weak 2.7 µm band can signify space-weathering-induced surface dehydration, rather than bulk volatile loss.

One of the main problems of the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis is the overly broad distribution of the produced hydrocarbons due to the Anderson–Schulz–Flory law. This work is directed toward the solution of this problem by the application of nanoreactors with incorporated metal nanoparticles. Our results show that encapsulation of Co nanoparticles in nanosized porous silica spheres results in higher activity per catalyst weight and stability with a shift of the chain length distribution of hydrocarbons to lower values in comparison with Fischer–Tropsch synthesis over impregnated catalysts. These effects are due to the presence of well-dispersed isolated and stable Co nanoparticles inside of nanoreactors and shape selectivity effects which restrict the chain growth by the walls of nanoreactors. The proposed new strategy can be further extended to synthesis of olefins and alcohols with desired chain-length distribution from syngas by encapsulation of other metals (Fe, Cu, Rh, etc.).

Amorphous silica-aluminas (ASAs) are widely used in acid-catalyzed C-H activation reactions and biomass conversions in large scale, which can be promoted by increasing the strength of surface Brønsted acid sites (BAS). Here, we demonstrate the first observation on a synergistic effect caused by two neighboring Al centers interacting with the same silanol group in flame-made ASAs with high Al content. The two close Al centers decrease the electron density on the silanol oxygen and thereby enhance its acidity, which is comparable to that of dealuminated zeolites, while ASAs with small or moderate Al contents provide mainly moderate acidity, much lower than that of zeolites. The ASAs with enhanced acidity exhibit outstanding performances in C-H bond activation of benzene and glucose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, simultaneously with an excellent calcination stability and resistance to leaching, and they offer an interesting potential for a wide range of acid and multifunctional catalysis.

In this report, indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-layer extraction from end-of-life (EOL) Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) was discussed by sulfuric acid leaching with simultaneous application of ultrasonication on the ITO-side of glass/ITO panels, exhibiting various dimensions. Applying this technique presents several advantages compared to the traditional leaching process such as fast and controllable kinetics, high extraction yield of indium and tin, selective recovery of these two metals possible, and the opportunity to recycle the neat glass separately avoiding additional separation processes. ITO-dissolution kinetics from EOL LCD panels were investigated as function of leaching time and acidity of sulfuric acid. At a temperature of 60°C, a nearly quantitative indium yield was obtained using an acid concentration of 18mol/L by simultaneous application of ultrasonication, whereas only 70% were recovered in the absence of ultrasound. Results from ICP-AES agreed well with SEM/BSE observations demonstrating the high efficiency of the ultrasound assisted process since only 3-4min were required to obtain maximum ITO recovery.

Wheat straw lignin was extracted using the novel CIMV procedure which selectively separates the cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Solid-state (13)C NMR experiments using cross polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) were carried out on the extracted wheat straw lignin and some structural indices were revealed. Atmospheric pressure photoionization mass spectrometry (APPI-MS) has proven to be a powerful analytical tool capable of ionizing small to large lignin oligomers, which cannot be ionized efficiently by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI). The APPI mass spectra of the extracted wheat straw lignin were recorded in the positive and negative ion modes. Positive ion mode APPI-MS indicated the exact presence of 39 specific oligomeric ions. Negative ion APPI-MS indicated the additional presence of at least 18 specific oligomeric ions. The structural characterization of this novel and complete series of 57 specific related oligomers was achieved by calculating the exact molecular masses measured by high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QqToF-MS). Some oligomeric species photoionized in both the positive and negative ion modes to form the respective protonated and deprotonated molecules. Low-energy collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometric analyses performed with a QqToF-MS/MS hybrid instrument provided unique dissociation patterns of the complete series of novel precursor ions. These MS/MS analyses provided diagnostic product ions, which enabled us to determine the exact molecular structures and arrangement of the selected 57 different related ionic species.

The catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid is one of the most promising pathways towards a renewable hydrogen-storage system. The reaction is usually performed in aqueous phase in the presence of basic molecules over homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts, generating relatively dilute formate solutions (<1 M). The newly designed solid micellar Ru single-atom catalyst enables efficient and stable water-free CO2 hydrogenation to formate under mild reaction conditions. Concentrated formate solutions (up to 4 M) are produced directly from the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide in water-free tertiary amine. In the catalyst, Ru(III) single sites are incorporated into the walls of MCM-41 during hydrolysis creating a solid micelle structure. The presence of the CTA+ surfactant in the pores of MCM-41 stabilizes the Ru sites and prevents catalyst deactivation. DFT modelling suggests that the reaction proceeds via heterolytic hydrogen splitting, forming a Ru-H species and subsequent hydride transfer to CO2.

Phosphorylation of the neuronal microtubule-associated Tau protein plays a critical role in the aggregation process leading to the formation of insoluble intraneuronal fibrils within Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains. In recent years, other posttranslational modifications (PTMs) have been highlighted in the regulation of Tau (dys)functions. Among these PTMs, the O-β-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) modulates Tau phosphorylation and aggregation. We here focus on the role of the PHF-1 phospho-epitope of Tau C-terminal domain that is hyperphosphorylated in AD (at pS396/pS404) and encompasses S400 as the major O-GlcNAc site of Tau while two additional O-GlcNAc sites were found in the extreme C-terminus at S412 and S413. Using high resolution NMR spectroscopy, we showed that the O-GlcNAc glycosylation reduces phosphorylation of PHF-1 epitope by GSK3β alone or after priming by CDK2/cyclin A. Furthermore, investigations of the impact of PTMs on local conformation performed in small peptides highlight the role of S404 phosphorylation in inducing helical propensity in the region downstream pS404 that is exacerbated by other phosphorylations of PHF-1 epitope at S396 and S400, or O-GlcNAcylation of S400. Finally, the role of phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation of PHF-1 epitope was probed in in-vitro fibrillization assays in which O-GlcNAcylation slows down the rate of fibrillar assembly while GSK3β phosphorylation stimulates aggregation counteracting the effect of glycosylation.

[reaction: see text] Native and modified cyclodextrins (CDs) have shown polyvalent properties in a biphasic Pd/C-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. In addition to their mass transfer ability, the CDs favored the dispersion of the catalyst in water. With the randomly methylated CDs (RaMe-beta-CD), the gains of initial activities were multiplied by factors between 3.8 and 343 depending on the nature of the substrates. The reusability of the system was also demonstrated.

Abstract Vanadium nitride film made using a thin film deposition technique is a promising electrode material for micro‐supercapacitor applications owing to its high electrical conductivity and high volumetric and surface capacitance values in aqueous electrolyte. Nevertheless, the cycling stability has to be improved to deliver good capacitance during a large number of cycles. Here, it is shown that vanadium nitride films made by a magnetron sputtering deposition method exhibit remarkable cycling stability (high capacitance retention value after 150 000 cycles), ultra‐high rate capability (75% of the initial capacitance at 1.6 V s −1 ), while providing high surface capacitance values (≈1.4 F cm −2 ) and very low ageing of the VN electrodes (no loss of performance after 13 months). Additionally, new findings regarding the location of vanadium oxides species responsible for the charge storage mechanism in pseudocapacitive VN films are revealed by transmission electron microscopy electron energy‐loss spectroscopy analyses at the nanoscale.

Homodispersed 1.8 nm gold nanoparticles were obtained reproducibly in high yields using the classical Turkevich protocol at a high concentration in a continuous flow capillary reactor. The microfluidic reactor made from commercially available items permitted short mixing, heating and quenching times which are the key parameters of this synthesis.

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The role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the formation of nascent soot particles in flames is well established and yet the detailed mechanisms are still not fully understood. Here we provide experimental evidence of the occurrence of dimerization of PAHs in the gas phase before soot formation in a laminar diffusion methane flame, supporting the hypothesis of stabilization of dimers through the formation of covalent bonds. The main findings of this work derive from the comparative chemical analysis of samples extracted from the gas to soot transition region of a laminar diffusion methane flame, and highlight two different groups of hydrocarbons that coexist in the same mass range, but show distinctly different behavior when processed with statistical analysis. In particular, the identified hydrocarbons are small-to-moderate size PAHs (first group) and their homo- and heterodimers stabilized by the formation of covalent bonds (second group).

Significance Using an interactomic approach, we have identified the nuclear receptor REV-ERBα as a O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) protein partner. REV-ERBα protects cytoplasmic OGT from proteasomal degradation and facilitates cytosolic and nuclear protein O-GlcNAcylation while REV-ERα ligands decreased cytoplasmic OGT activity. REV-ERBα thus exerts pleiotropic activities through OGT, coordinating signal transduction, epigenomic programming, and transcriptional response in the liver.

Ammonia, which is one of the most important chemicals for the synthesis of dyes, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizers, is produced by the reaction of molecular hydrogen with nitrogen, over an iron-based catalyst at 400–500 °C under pressure of over 100 bar. Decreasing the operating temperature and pressure of this highly energy-intensive process, developed by Haber and Bosch over 100 years ago, would decrease energy consumption in the world. In this work, we used two-dimensional Mo 2 CT x MXene as a support for a cobalt-based catalyst. The MXene functionalized by Co showed catalytic activity for ammonia synthesis from H 2 and N 2 at temperatures as low as 250 °C, without any pretreatment. The developed catalyst was highly active for ammonia synthesis, demonstrating a high rate of up to 9500 μmol g –1 active phase h –1 at 400 °C under ambient pressure in steady-state conditions, and did not suffer from any deactivation after 15 days of reaction. The apparent activation energy ( E a ) was found to be in the range of 68–74 kJ mol –1, which is in line with values reported for highly active catalysts. This improved catalyst may decrease the energy consumption in the synthesis of ammonia and its derivatives, as well as facilitate the use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier for renewable energy storage.

Methanol-mediated CO 2 selective hydrogenation to light olefins (LO) over bifunctional catalysts containing metal oxide and zeolite components is an attractive sustainable chemical process. The main challenges of this process include achieving high LO selectivity and low selectivity to light paraffins and CO. Herein, we analyze the selectivity–conversion correlations over metal oxide-zeolite bifunctional catalysts and elucidate the functions of each catalyst component. A series of catalytic systems based on oxides of Zn, In, Mn, Cr, or Ga and different SAPO-34 zeolites were synthesized and evaluated at different CO 2 conversion levels. It was uncovered that the selectivity to LO within hydrocarbon fractions ultimately depended on the zeolite component and decreased as a function of the hydrocarbon yield. The metal oxide catalyst component was responsible for the CO 2 conversion, overall hydrocarbon, and CO selectivities. The SAPO-34 morphology and acidity were identified as major descriptors of the CO-free LO selectivity in the CO 2 hydrogenation over bifunctional metal oxide-zeolite catalysts.

Abstract The development of cost‐effective, noble metal‐free catalytic systems for the hydrogenation of unsaturated aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic compounds is fundamental for future valorization of general feedstock. With this aim, we report here the preparation of highly dispersed bimetallic Ni/Co nanoparticles (NPs), by a one‐pot deposition‐precipitation of Ni and Co phases onto mesoporous SBA‐15 silica. By adjusting the chemical composition in the starting mixture, three supported catalysts with different Ni to Co weight ratios were obtained, which were further subjected to treatments under reducing conditions at high temperatures. Characterization of the resulting solids evidenced a homogenous distribution of Ni and Co elements forming the NPs, the best results being obtained for Ni/Co‐2 : 2 samples, for which 50 wt.% Ni–50 wt.% Co NPs are found located on the surface of the residual phyllosilicate. Ni/Co‐2 : 2, presenting the best performances for the hydrogenation of 2‐methyl‐quinoline, was further evaluated in the catalytic hydrogenation of selected imines, oximes and N‐heteroarenes. Due to the high dispersion of bimetallic Ni−Co NPs, excellent properties (activity and selectivity) in the conversion of the selected substrates are reported.