<p>Multifunctional enzymes have alternative functions or activities, known as “moonlighting” or “promiscuous”, which are often hidden behind a native enzyme activity and therefore only visible under special environmental conditions. In this thesis, the active-site of Pseudozyma (formerly Candida) antarctica lipase B was explored for a promiscuous conjugate addition activity. Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B is a lipase industrially used for hydrolysis or transacylation reactions. This enzyme contains a catalytic triad, Ser105-His224-Asp187, where a nucleophilic attack from Ser105 on carboxylic acid/ester substrates cause the formation of an acyl enzyme. For conjugate addition activity in Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B, replacement of Ser105 was assumed necessary to prevent competing hemiacetal formation. However, experiments revealed conjugate addition activity in both wild-type enzyme and the Ser105Ala variant. Enzyme-catalyzed conjugate additions were performed by adding sec-amine, thiols or 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to various α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in both water or organic solvent. The reactions followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and the native ping pong bi bi reaction mechanism of Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B for hydrolysis/transacylation was rerouted to a novel ordered bi uni reaction mechanism for conjugate addition (Paper I, II, III). The lipase hydrolysis activity was suppressed more than 1000 times by the replacement of the nucleophilic Ser105 to Ala (Paper III).</p>

A spark ignition engine was retrofitted to operate on biogas fuel. Biogas was synthetically generated through the mixing of various pure gases. The air-fuel ratio was accurately controlled using a closed feedback system consisting of flow controllers and a wide range oxygen sensor. A natural gas catalytic converter was implemented with the use of biogas fuel. To achieve full NOx and CO reduction the engine was required to run at a slightly rich equivalence ratio. Methane emissions posed to be the hardest to reduce across the catalyst. The biogas fuel composition had no effect on the catalyst performance. The catalyst performance was only affected by exhaust temperature and equivalence ratio. The catalyst requires tight A/F ratio control for optimal performance. A Catalytic converter can be used to reach low emissions but requires the knowledge of the biogas fuel composition.

A spark ignition engine was retrofitted to operate on biogas fuel. Biogas was synthetically generated through the mixing of various pure gases. The air-fuel ratio was accurately controlled using a closed feedback system consisting of flow controllers and a wide range oxygen sensor. A natural gas catalytic converter was implemented with the use of biogas fuel. To achieve full NOx and CO reduction the engine was required to run at a slightly rich equivalence ratio. Methane emissions posed to be the hardest to reduce across the catalyst. The biogas fuel composition had no effect on the catalyst performance. The catalyst performance was only affected by exhaust temperature and equivalence ratio. The catalyst requires tight A/F ratio control for optimal performance. A Catalytic converter can be used to reach low emissions but requires the knowledge of the biogas fuel composition.

Lime is one of the largest manufactured chemicals in the United States. The conversion of calcium carbonate into calcium oxide is an endothermic reaction and requires approximately two to four times the theoretical quantity of energy predicted from thermodynamic analysis. With the skyrocketing costs of fossil fuels, how to decrease the energy consumption in the calcination process has become a very important problem in the lime industry. In the present study, many chemicals including lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, lithium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride have been proved to be the catalysts to enhance the calcination rate of calcium carbonate. By mixing these chemicals with pure calcium carbonate, these additives can increase the calcination rate of calcium carbonate at constant temperatures; also, they can complete the calcination of calcium carbonate at relatively low temperatures. As a result, the energy required for the calcination of calcium carbonate can be decreased. The present study has aimed at developing a physical model, which is called the extended shell model, to explain the results of the catalytic calcination. In this model, heat transfer and mass transfer are two main factors used to predict the calcination rate of calcium carbonate. By using the extended shell model, not only the catalytic calcination but also the inhibitive calcination of calcium carbonate have been explained.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemical Engineering / Keith L. Hohn / Extensive research has gone into developing and modeling the three-way catalyst (TWC) to reduce the emissions of hydrocarbons, NOx and CO from gasoline-fueled engines level. However, much less has been done to model the use of the three-way catalyst to treat exhaust from natural gas-fueled engines. Our research address this gap in the literature by developing a detailed surface reaction mechanism for platinum based on elementary-step reactions. A reaction mechanism consisting of 24 species and 115 elementary reactions was constructed from literature values. All reaction parameters were used as found in the literature sources except for steps modified to improve the model fit to the experimental data. The TWC was simulated as a one-dimension, isothermal plug flow reactor (PFR) for the steady state condition and a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) for the dithering condition. This work describes a method to quantitatively simulate the natural gas engine TWC converter performance, providing a deep understanding of the surface chemistry in the converter. Due to the depletion of petroleum oil and recent volatility in price, synthesizing value-added chemicals from biomass-derived materials has attracted extensive attention. 1, 3-butadiene (BD), an important intermediate to produce rubber, is conventionally produced from petroleum. Recently, one potential route is to produce BD by dehydration of 2, 3-butanediol (BDO), which is produced at high yield from biomass. This reaction was studied over two commercial forms of alumina. Our results indicate acid/base properties greatly impact the BD selectivity. Trimethylamine can also modify the acid/base properties on alumina surface and affect the BD selectivity. Scandium oxide, acidic oxide or zirconia dual bed systems are also studied and our results show that acidic oxide used as the second bed catalyst can promote the formation of BD, while 2,5-dimethylphenol is found when the zirconia is used as the second bed catalyst which is due to the strong basic sites.

Orientador: Devaney Ribeiro do Carmo / Resumo: Neste trabalho, novos nanocompósitos híbridos a base de silsesquioxano e nitroprussiato de cobalto e zinco foram preparados, seguindo dois métodos de síntese. Os materiais preparados foram caracterizados empregando diferentes técnicas: Espectroscopia na Região do Infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), Espectroscopia Raman, Espectroscopia de Reflectância Difusa UV/Vis, Ressonância Magnética Nuclear (RMN), Difração de Raios-X (DRX), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV), Espectroscopia de Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X (EDX), Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (MET) e Análise Termogravimétrica (TGA). Após a obtenção dos nanocompósitos com complexos metálicos de nitroprussiato (ACCoN e ACZnN), realizou-se um estudo sistemático sobre o comportamento voltamétrico desses materiais, empregando técnicas eletroquímicas, tais como: Voltametria Cíclica (VC) e Voltametria de Pulso Diferencial (VPD), utilizando eletrodos de pasta de grafite. O eletrodo de pasta de grafite contendo ACCoN mostrou-se sensível a concentrações de hidrazina e isoniazida. Já o eletrodo de pasta de grafite contendo ACZnN foi aplicado na detecção de N-acetilcisteína e isoniazida com sucesso. Após os testes de eletro-oxidação catalítica dessas substâncias, realizou-se uma investigação da influência dos principais interferentes, de forma que a interferência observada não se mostrou significativa. Avaliou-se também a recuperação destas substâncias a partir de amostras de água da torneira e urina sint... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In this work, new nanocomposites based on silsesquioxane and cobalt and zinc nitroprusside were prepared, following two synthetic methods. The prepared materials were characterized by different techniques: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). After obtaining the nanocomposites with metallic nitroprusside complexes, it was carried out a systematic study on the voltammetric behavior of these materials, using electrochemical techniques, such as: Cyclic Voltametry (CV) and Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV), using graphite paste electrodes. The graphite paste electrode containing ACCoN was sensitive to concentrations of hydrazine and isoniazid. The graphite paste electrode containing ACZnN was applied to the detection of N-acetylcysteine and isoniazid, with success. After catalytic electrooxidation tests of these substances, it was investigated the influence of the main interferents, so that the noticed interferences were not significant. Also, it was evaluated the recovery of these substances from samples of tap water and synthetic urine. By this way, the binuclear hybrid nanocomposites formed (ACCoN and ACZnN) are potential candidates for the construction of electrochemical sensors in the hydrazi... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

This Ph.D. thesis is dealing with catalytic polymerization of aniline (ANI) and partially also of substituted anilines with FeCl3/H2O2 catalyst system, in which according to obtained results both active species, Fe3+ and HO , participate in the overall polymerization mechanism, creating a synergic system. The Fe3+ /H2O2 catalyst system, also called Fenton's system can considerably lower contamination of forming neat polyanilines (PANIs) by side-products characteristic of stoichiometric polymerization. However, catalytically prepared PANIs exhibit reduced conductivity related most probably to side reactions involving radicals generated as integral components of the FeCl3/H2O2 system. Catalytic polymerization of ANI with FeCl3/H2O2 system was found to be the reaction of approx. 2nd order with respect to ANI and gives PANIs of a good quality only when [H2O2] in the reaction mixture was kept low, i.e., at under- stoichiometric ratios [H2O2]/[ANI]. At over-stoichiometric ratio [H2O2]/[ANI], PANIs of lowered conductivity, worse spectroscopic characteristics and increased size of PANI nanostructures were obtained; nevertheless, these PANIs were not over-oxidized to pernigraniline state. The reaction-time profiles of the open-circuit potential of reaction mixtures exhibited an inflection related to the...

Neste trabalho foram estudadas a atividade catalítica de metaloporfirinas e complexos salen (catalisador de Jacobsen), em solução e imobilizados em diferentes suportes, na oxidação de hidrocarbonetos e fármacos anticonvulsivantes (carbamazepina e primidona) e antidepressivo (fluoxetina), utilizando os seguintes doadores de oxigênio: peróxido de hidrogênio, terc-butil hidroperóxido (t-BOOH), ácido m-cloroperbenzóico (m-CPBA) e iodosilbenzeno (PhIO). Os catalisadores contendo o complexo salen imobilizado em alumina, membranas de quitosana e membranas polidimetilssiloxano/acetato de polivinila (PDMS/PVA), foram preparados e caracterizados por espectroscopia UV-Vis, análise termogravimétrica, calorimetria exploratória diferencial, análise térmica diferencial, infravermelho, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, raios-X e área superficial. Foi investigada a atividade destes materiais inicialmente na catálise oxidativa de hidrocarbonetos (cicloocteno, estireno e cicloexano). Estes sistemas heterogêneos se mostraram bastante eficientes para oxidação destes substratos, com rendimentos de até 79 % de ciclooctenóxido e elevada seletividade para formação de epóxido ou cetona, quando se utilizam os substratos alcenos ou cicloexano, respectivamente. As membranas de quitosana e membranas híbridas PDMS/PVA foram avaliadas em sistema trifásico, nos quais a membrana se localiza na interface entre a fase apolar (substrato orgânico) e a fase aquosa (contendo o oxidante). Os resultados catalíticos foram excelentes, obtendo-se freqüências de turnovers da ordem de 138 h-1. As reações de oxidação dos fármacos (carbamazepina, primidona e fluoxetina) foram analisadas por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE-UV) em fase reversa, por cromatografia líquida acoplada a espectrometria de massas (LC-ESI) e cromatografia gasosa acoplada à espectrometria de massas (CG-MS), para identificação dos produtos. Na oxidação da carbamazepina (CBZ) foi produzido apenas o 10,11-epóxido-carbamazepina (CBZ-EP), que corresponde ao principal metabólito obtido no metabolismo in vivo catalisado pelo P450, indicando que os sistemas catalíticos utilizados são excelentes modelos biomiméticos desta enzima. Observou-se que a formação de CBZ-EP é dependente do oxidante e do pH do meio, principalmente nas reações com peróxido de hidrogênio, resultando em mecanismos de clivagem homolítica ou heterolítica conforme o pH da reação. Os oxidantes m-CPBA e t-BOOH mostraram que a natureza dos substituintes ligados ao grupo OOH do peróxido exerce grande efeito na oxidação da CBZ. Na oxidação da primidona foram obtidos dois metabólitos encontrados no sistema in vivo: feniletilmalonamida e fenobarbital, além de três outros produtos (2-fenilbutiramida, -fenil--butirolactona e um produto em nível de traços, não identificado). A formação destes compostos foi altamente dependente do oxidante, co-catalisador, pH e oxigênio, o que possibilitou a proposta de um esquema de oxidação com os possíveis intermediários envolvidos. Todos os sistemas catalíticos utilizados na oxidação da fluoxetina estudados geraram o produto de N-desalquilação, o p-trifluorometilfenol (TFMF). A norfluoxetina principal metabólito deste fármaco in vivo, resultante de N-desmetilação, não foi produzida, indicando que a reação de O-desalquilação prevalece e, portanto, os catalisadores não seguem a rota biomimética para este fármaco. Este trabalho demonstrou a habilidade do complexo salen e das metaloporfirinas para mimetizar a ação do citocromo P450 na oxidação de fármacos. Os resultados mostram também o grande potencial de aplicação de modelos biomiméticos para sintetizar metabólitos e fornecer amostras para testes farmacológicos e toxicológicos, visando elucidação do metabolismo do fármacos, e como uma alternativa aos estudos enzimáticos. / In this work, the catalytic activities of metalloporphyrins and the salen complex (Jacobsen catalyst) in solution and immobilized on different supports were studied in the oxidation of hydrocarbons, anticonvulsivant drugs (carbamazepine and primidone) and antidepressives (fluoxetine) by the following oxygen donors: hydrogen peroxide, terc-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH), 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA), and iodosylbenzene (PhIO). The catalysts containing the salen complex immobilized on alumina, chitosan membranes and poly(dimethylsiloxane)/polyvinyl acetate membranes (PDMS/PVA) were prepared and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and surface area analysis. The activity of these materials was initially investigated in the oxidative catalysis of hydrocarbons (cyclooctene, styrene and cyclohexane). These heterogeneous systems were efficient for the oxidation of these substrates, with yields as high as 79 % for cyclooctene oxide. The selectivity for epoxide or ketone formation was high when the substrate alkenes or cyclohexane were used, respectively. The chitosan membranes and hybrid membranes PDMS/PVA were available in a triphasic system, where the membrane was located in the interface between the apolar phase (organic substrate) and the aqueous phase (containing the oxidant). The catalytic results were excellent, with turnover frequencies of 138 h-1. Drug oxidation (carbamazepine, primidone and fluoxetine) products were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-UV) in reverse phase, liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-ESI), and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), for products identification. In the case of carbamazepine (CBZ) oxidation only carbamazepine 10,11- epoxide (CBZ-EP) was produced. This is to the main metabolite obtained in carbamazepine metabolism by P450 in vivo, indicating that the catalytic systems employed here are excellent biomimetic models of this enzyme. Formation of CBZEP is highly dependent on the oxidant and pH, especially in the reaction with hydrogen peroxide, resulting in homolytic and/or heterolytic cleavage, according to the pH of the reaction medium. The oxidants m-CPBA and t-BOOH showed that the presence of substituents linked to the -OOH group of the peroxide affects the catalytic activity of the studied system significantly. As for primidone oxidation, two metabolites found in the in vivo system were obtained: phenylethylmalondiamide and phenobarbital, besides three other products (2-phenylbutyramide, g-phenyl-g-butyrolactone and, a product in trace amounts, not identified). The formation of these compounds was highly dependent on the oxidant, co-catalyst, pH and presence of oxygen. These results enabled the proposition of a scheme for Mn(salen)-catalyzed primidone oxidation and the possible intermediate involved. All the studied catalytic systems used in fluoxetine oxidation generated the product obtained via the O-dealkylation mechanism, p-trifluoromethylphenol (TFMF). Norfluoxetine, the main metabolite in vivo and formed via the N-demethylation mechanism, was not obtained. This indicates that the O-dealkylation mechanism prevails and, therefore, the catalysts do not follow the biomimetical route in the case of this drug. This work demonstrated the ability of the salen complex and metalloporphyrins to mimic the action of cytochrome P450 in drug oxidation. These results showed the potential application of these biomimetic models in the synthesis of drug metabolites, which should provide samples for pharmacological and toxicological tests, as well as aid studies that pursue the elucidation of in vivo drug metabolism, being an alternative to enzymatic studies.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de materiais catalíticos à base de óxidos mistos, de baixo custo, para serem empregados como catalisadores mássicos, na decomposição do peróxido de hidrogênio 90%, em massa, possibilitando múltiplas partidas a frio em um micropropulsor de satélites a monopropelente. Foram utilizados diferentes métodos de síntese de óxidos mistos com altos teores de manganês e cobalto. Os materiais foram avaliados, preliminarmente, na decomposição espontânea do peróxido de hidrogênio em bancada (teste da gota). Em seguida, os catalisadores com melhores desempenhos foram selecionados e testados em um micropropulsor de 2N, onde foram monitorados o empuxo, a pressão e a temperatura da câmara do propulsor. Todos os catalisadores foram caracterizados por Adsorção de Nitrogênio, Termogravimetria, Espectroscopia Fotoeletrônica de Raios-X, Difratometria de Raios-X e Resistência Mecânica à Compressão Radial, visando correlacionar suas propriedades físico-químicas com suas atividades na decomposição catalítica do peróxido de hidrogênio concentrado. Os catalisadores denominados MnAl2 e Co4MnAl, sintetizados pelo método da co-precipitação em solução aquosa, foram aqueles que apresentaram os melhores resultados, sendo capazes de decompor espontaneamente o H2O2 sem sofrer desativação ou fragmentação após os testes. / This work aimed to develop mixed oxides, at low cost, to be used as catalysts in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, 90% by weight, allowing multiple starts in a microthruster of monopropellant satellites. Different synthesis methods of mixed oxides with high levels of manganese and cobalt oxides were employed. The materials were evaluated, preliminarily, in the spontaneous decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (drop test). Then, the best performing catalysts were selected and tested in a 2N microthruster, where the thrust, the pressure, and temperature in the chamber was monitored. All catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, thermogravimetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Mechanical Strength Radial Compression , aiming to correlate their physicochemical properties with their activity in the catalytic decomposition of concentrated hydrogen peroxide.The catalysts called MnAl2 and Co4MnAl, synthesized by co-precipitation in aqueous solution, were those that showed the best results, being able to spontaneously decompose H2O2 without undergoing deactivation or fragmentation after testing.

No presente trabalho, foi desenvolvido um modelo para o escoamento em reator de membrana do tipo contator ativo, através da abordagem de dinâmica dos fluidos computacional (CFD), utilizando o código comercial ANSYS FLUENT. O modelo incluiu todo o módulo de membrana constituído por uma membrana tubular e um casco metálico. A reação modelo estudada foi a hidrogenação parcial de 1,5-ciclooctadieno, realizada pelo bombeamento da mistura reacional, dissolvida em n-heptano, através da membrana, a partir das extremidades do tubo. Como catalisador, considerou-se a presença de nanopartículas de Pd impregnadas na membrana. O meio poroso foi aproximado por leito granular representado pela equação de Ergun, tendo como parâmetros a porosidade e o tamanho de grão da membrana de alfa-Al2O3 . O valor para o tamanho de grão foi adotado como equivalente ao diâmetro de partícula determinado com uso do código aberto de estereologia ImageJ, do instituto Nacional de Saúde dos Estados Unidos. O modelo de turbulência adotado foi o RNG k-epsilon. Um estudo de sensibilidade incluiu simulações comparando escoamento desprezando reações como escoamento reativo, variação da velocidade, alteração da saída do fluxo e ativação de modelo de turbulência no meio poroso. Foram realizadas simulações de defeitos estruturais na membrana, correspondendo a regiões de porosidade alterada, com e sem perda de sua uniformidade azimutal. Conclui-se que a presença de defeitos estruturais que afetem a uniformidade azimutal da membrana pode resultar em sensível alteração do escoamento em CMRs. / This study focused on the development of a model for the flow in a reactor membrane of the type active contactor, approached through computational fluid dynamics (CFD), using the commercial code ANSYS FLUENT. The model included the entire membrane module, consisted of a tubular membrane and a metal shell. The model reaction studied was the partial hydrogenation of 1,5-cyclooctadiene initiated by the pumping of the reaction mixture, dissolved in n-heptane, through the membrane, from the ends of the tube. As a catalyst, the study considered the presence of impregnated Pd nanoparticles in the membrane. The porous medium was approximated by a granular bed as represented by the Ergun equation, having as parameters the porosity and the grain size of the alfa-Al2O3 membrane. The value for the grain size was adopted as equivalent to particle diameter determined through the open source stereology software ImageJ, of the National Institute of Health USA. The turbulence model used was the RNG k-epsilon. A sensitivity study included simulations of flow neglecting and including reactions, speed variation, change the flow outlet and activation of turbulence model in the porous media. Simulations of structural defects in the membrane were performed, defining regions of porosity changes with and without loss of azimuthal uniformity. The conclusion was that the presence of structural defects that affect the azimuthal uniformity of the membrane can result in marked alteration of the flow regime in CMRs.