A comparative study on the TiO2 mediated photo-oxidation of uracil, thymine and 6-methyluracil

A magnetically separable and recyclable Ag-supported magnetic TiO2 composite catalyst: Fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic activity

In this study, a magnetically separable, highly active, and recyclable photocatalyst was synthesized by physico-chemical incorporation of Ag, TiO₂, and Fe₃O₄ into one structure. The physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, field emission transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The Ag-supported magnetic TiO₂ composite demonstrated desirable properties and features such as a narrow band gap of 1.163 eV, modifiable structure, and high degradation efficiency. The activity and durability of the synthesized photocatalyst in the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation and different experimental conditions were evaluated and compared to those of commercial TiO₂ and Ag/TiO₂ composites. It was found that the synthesized composite showed a much higher MO photodegradation efficiency than the other composites under visible light irradiation. Moreover, it exhibited a high photocatalytic activity and was recoverable and durable; its photocatalytic efficiency in MO removal was consistently higher than 93.1% after five reuses without any evident signs of deactivation. Thus, the developed photocatalyst is a very promising material for practical applications in environmental pollution remediation.

Photocatalytical removal of fluorouracil using TiO2-P25 and N/S doped TiO2 catalysts: A kinetic and mechanistic study

In the present study, the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂-based photocatalysts toward degradation and mineralization of the anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in aqueous phase was investigated under simulated solar and visible irradiation. Commercial TiO₂ (P25) and N/S-doped TiO₂ catalysts synthesized by a simple sol-gel method were used as photocatalysts. TiO₂ P-25 was found to be the most photoactive catalyst for the removal of 5-FU, under simulated solar irradiation. Among N/S-doped TiO₂ catalysts, the one with molar Ti:N/S ratio equal to 0.5 was the most efficient under simulated solar irradiation. In contrast, under visible irradiation the catalyst with equimolar Ti:N/S ratio showed the highest performance for the removal of 5-FU. Scavenging experiments revealed that HO radicals and h⁺ were the major reactive species mediating photocatalytic degradation of 5-FU using TiO₂ P-25 and N/S-doped TiO₂ catalysts, under simulated solar irradiation. On the other hand, the essential contribution of ¹O₂ and O₂^- in the degradation of 5-FU under visible light was proved. The transformation products (TPs) of 5-FU, were identified by LC-MS-TOF suggesting that defluorination followed by hydroxylation and oxidation are the main transformation pathways, under all the studied photocatalytic systems.

Photocatalytic activity of an electrophoretically deposited composite titanium dioxide membrane using carbon cloth as a conducting substrate

This is the first report where a polymer, namely poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF–HFP), has been used as a binder together with the electrophoretic deposition process.

Ultrafast real-time visualization of active site flexibility of flavoenzyme thymidylate synthase ThyX

In many bacteria the flavoenzyme thymidylate synthase ThyX produces the DNA nucleotide deoxythymidine monophosphate from dUMP, using methylenetetrahydrofolate as carbon donor and NADPH as hydride donor. Because all three substrates bind in close proximity to the catalytic flavin adenine dinucleotide group, substantial flexibility of the ThyX active site has been hypothesized. Using femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, we have studied the conformational heterogeneity and the conformational interconversion dynamics in real time in ThyX from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima. The dynamics of electron transfer to excited flavin adenine dinucleotide from a neighboring tyrosine residue are used as a sensitive probe of the functional dynamics of the active site. The fluorescence decay spanned a full three orders of magnitude, demonstrating a very wide range of conformations. In particular, at physiological temperatures, multiple angstrom cofactor-residue displacements occur on the picoseconds timescale. These experimental findings are supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Binding of the dUMP substrate abolishes this flexibility and stabilizes the active site in a configuration where dUMP closely interacts with the flavin cofactor and very efficiently quenches fluorescence itself. Our results indicate a dynamic selected-fit mechanism where binding of the first substrate dUMP at high temperature stabilizes the enzyme in a configuration favorable for interaction with the second substrate NADPH, and more generally have important implications for the role of active site flexibility in enzymes interacting with multiple poly-atom substrates and products. Moreover, our data provide the basis for exploring the effect of inhibitor molecules on the active site dynamics of ThyX and other multisubstrate flavoenzymes.

Photosensor of environmental persistence for chemical risk assessment

A photosensor array for chemical risk assessment is proposed. It is based on the evaluation of thermodynamic stability, kinetic inertness, of ecopermanence and of radical as species to maintain degradative conditions. It is applied to different classes of pollutants (drugs, dyes, pesticide, surfactants).

An investigation on electron transfer quenching of zinc(II) meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) by colloidal TiO(2)

The interaction of zinc(II) meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) with colloidal TiO(2) was studied by absorption, steady state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The quenching was found to obey the Stern-Volmer equation and the corresponding Stern-Volmer plots were linear in the range of quencher concentration used 0-5 x 10(-4)M. The bimolecular quenching rate constants (k(q)) were 20.5 x 10(10)M(-1)s(-1) (steady-state) and 2.85 x 10(10)M(-1)s(-1) (time resolved). The quenching process is suggested to involve electron transfer from the ZnTPP to TiO(2) considering the experimental evidences obtained.

Selective one-electron oxidation of duplex DNA oligomers: reaction at thymines

The one-electron oxidation of duplex DNA generates a nucleobase radical cation (electron "hole") that migrates long distances by a hopping mechanism. The radical cation reacts irreversibly with H2O or O2 to form oxidation products (damaged bases). In normal DNA (containing the four common DNA bases), reaction occurs most frequently at guanine. However, in DNA duplexes that do not contain guanine (i.e., those comprised exclusively of A/T base pairs), we discovered that reaction occurs primarily at thymine and gives products resulting from oxidation of the T-C5 methyl group and from addition to its C5-C6 double bond. This surprising result shows that it is the relative reactivity, not the stability, of a nucleobase radical cation that determines the nature of the products formed from oxidation of DNA. A mechanism for reaction is proposed whereby a thymine radical cation may either lose a proton from its methyl group or H2O/O2 may add across its double bond. In the latter case, addition may initiate a tandem reaction that converts both thymines of a TT step to oxidation products.

Studies on Simulated Ageing of Paper by Photochemical Degradation

The study of the ageing of two paper types was performed on monitoring it during a simulated process by means of the measure of the photocatalytic degradation of the paper cellulose. Such evaluation was possible due to the combined responses of a photosensor based on titanium dioxide in suspension, of an enzymatic biosensor based on superoxide dismutase (SOD), of a specific conductivity sensor and of an enzymatic biosensor based on glucose oxidase.

Photocatalytic degradation and adsorption of 2-naphthol on suspended TiO2 surface in a dynamic reactor

The photocatalytic oxidation of 2-naphthol has been investigated at room temperature in a dynamic photoreactor with system UV/O2 (air) and aqueous suspension of titanium dioxide TiO2 irradiated under a variety of conditions. The kinetics of disappearance of pollutant were affected by several operating parameters such as TiO2 mass, concentration of the substrate and reaction pH. The experiments were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood model was found to be accurate for photocatalytic degradation and indicates that adsorption of the solute on the surface of semiconductor particles plays a role in photocatalytic reaction.

TiO2-promoted mineralization of organic sunscreens in water suspension and sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles

The photostability of the widely used UVB sunscreen agents 2'-ethylhexyl-2-cyano-3-phenylcinnamate (1), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (2), octyl salicilate (3), and 2'-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (4) has been investigated under UVA irradiation in the absence and presence of TiO2, an inorganic filter commonly employed in combination with organic filters in sunscreen preparations. In the absence of TiO2, 1-3 are photostable and 4 undergoes the expected E-Z isomerization; the presence of TiO2 caused mineralization of the organic filters and, surprisingly, the process is noticeably faster in the presence of surfactant than in sunscreen and water suspensions. The results indicate that in water suspension, mineralization is likely to occur on or near the TiO2 particle surface; when the organic sunscreens are segregated in the micelle core, reactive radicals, produced during TiO2-promoted degradation of the micellar system, may participate in sunscreen degradation. In addition, a pre-fluorescent probe for carbon-centered radical detection, 4-(3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-quinolineoxy)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl free radical or QT (5), was employed to demonstrate that carbon-centered radicals are evolved during micelle degradation and may participate in the mineralization of sunscreens.

Enzyme inactivation by TiO2 photosensitization

The enzyme horseradish peroxidase is extensively inactivated by UVA exposure in the presence of TiO2, a common ingredient of sunscreens and cosmetics. The effect is attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species, as indicated by the inactivation enhancement observed in the presence of air.