Hydroxylamine-Mediated C(sp2)-H Trifluoromethylation of Terminal Alkenes

Introduction of the trifluoromethyl (CF3) group into organic compounds has garnered substantial interest because of its significant role in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Here, we report a hydroxylamine-mediated radical process for C(sp2)-H trifluoromethylation of terminal alkenes. The reaction shows good reactivity, impressive E/Z selectivity (up to >20 : 1), and broad functional group compatibility. Expansion of this approach to perfluoroalkylation and late-stage trifluoromethylation of bioactive molecules demonstrates its promising application potential. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction follows a radical addition and subsequent elimination pathway.

Chemical structure of hydrocarbons significantly affects removal performance and microbial responses in gas biotrickling filters

The control of emissions of short-chain hydrocarbons with different structures is critical for the petrochemical industry. Herein, three two-carbon-containing (C2) hydrocarbons, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene, were chosen as pollutants to study the effects of chemical structure of hydrocarbons on removal performance and microbial responses in biotrickling filters. Results showed that the removal efficiency (RE) of C2 hydrocarbons followed the sequence of acetylene > ethane > ethylene. When the inlet loading rate was 30 g/(m3·h) and the empty bed residence time was 60 s, the RE of ethane, ethylene, and acetylene was 57 ± 4.0 %, 49 ± 1.0 %, and 84 ± 2.7 %, respectively. The high water solubility resulted in the high removal of C2 hydrocarbons, while a low surface tension enhanced the removal of C2 hydrocarbons. Additionally, the microbial community, enzyme activity, and extracellular properties of microorganisms also contributed to the difference in C2 hydrocarbon removal. These results could be referred for the effective control of light hydrocarbon emissions.

Electrochemical Azidocyanation of Alkenes

The difunctionalization of alkenes-a process that installs two functional groups in a single operation and transforms chemical feedstocks into value-added products-is one of the most appealing synthetic methods in contemporary chemistry. However, the introduction of two distinct functional groups via two readily accessible nucleophiles remains a formidable challenge. Existing intermolecular alkene azidocyanation methods, which primarily focus on aryl alkenes and rely on stoichiometric chemical oxidants. We report herein an unprecedented electrochemical strategy for alkene azidocyanation that is compatible with both alkyl and aryl alkenes. This is achieved by harnessing the finely-tuned anodic electron transfer and the strategic selection of copper/ligand complexes. The reactions of aryl alkenes were rendered enantioselective by employing a chiral ligand. Crucially, the mild conditions and well-regulated electrochemical process assure exceptional tolerance for various functional groups and substrate compatibility with both terminal and internal alkyl alkenes.

Direct C-C Double Bond Cleavage of Alkenes Enabled by Highly Dispersed Cobalt Catalyst and Hydroxylamine

The utilization of a single-atom catalyst to break C-C bonds merges the merits of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and presents an intriguing pathway for obtaining high-value-added products. Herein, a mild, selective, and sustainable oxidative cleavage of alkene to form oxime ether or nitrile was achieved by using atomically dispersed cobalt catalyst and hydroxylamine. Diversified substrate patterns, including symmetrical and unsymmetrical alkenes, di- and tri-substituted alkenes, and late-stage functionalization of complex alkenes were demonstrated. The reaction was successfully scaled up and demonstrated good performance in recycling experiments. The hot filtration test, catalyst poisoning and radical scavenger experiment, time kinetics, and studies on the reaction intermediate collectively pointed to a radical mechanism with cobalt/acid/O2 promoted C-C bond cleavage as the key step.

Synthesis of α-Branched Enones via Chloroacylation of Terminal Alkenes

Here, we show the conversion of unactivated alkenes into α-branched enones via regioselective chloroacylation with acyl chlorides. The method relies upon the initial in situ generation of chlorine radicals directly from the acyl chloride precursor under cooperative nickel/photoredox catalysis. Subsequent HCl elimination provides enones and α,β-unsaturated esters that are not accessible via the conventional acylation approaches that provide the other, linear constitutional isomer.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Cyclopropanes from Carbon Pronucleophiles and Alkenes

Cyclopropanes are desirable structural motifs with valuable applications in drug discovery and beyond. Established alkene cyclopropanation methods give rise to cyclopropanes with a limited array of substituents, are difficult to scale, or both. Herein, we disclose a new cyclopropane synthesis through the formal coupling of abundant carbon pronucleophiles and unactivated alkenes. This strategy exploits dicationic adducts derived from electrolysis of thianthrene in the presence of alkene substrates. We find that these dielectrophiles undergo cyclopropanation with methylene pronucleophiles via alkenyl thianthrenium intermediates. This protocol is scalable, proceeds with high diastereoselectivity, and tolerates diverse functional groups on both the alkene and pronucleophile coupling partners. To validate the utility of this new procedure, we prepared an array of substituted analogs of an established cyclopropane that is en route to multiple pharmaceuticals.

Copper-Catalyzed Chemo- and Enantioselective Radical 1,2-Carbophosphonylation of Styrenes

The copper-catalyzed enantioselective radical difunctionalization of alkenes from readily available alkyl halides and organophosphorus reagents possessing a P-H bond provides an appealing approach for the synthesis of α-chiral alkyl phosphorus compounds. The major challenge arises from the easy generation of a P-centered radical from the P-H-type reagent and its facile addition to the terminal side of alkenes, leading to reverse chemoselectivity. We herein disclose a radical 1,2-carbophosphonylation of styrenes in a highly chemo- and enantioselective manner. The key to the success lies in not only the implementation of dialkyl phosphites with a strong bond dissociation energy to promote the desired chemoselectivity but also the utilization of an anionic chiral N,N,N-ligand to forge the chiral C(sp³ )-P bond. The developed Cu/N,N,N-ligand catalyst has enriched our library of single-electron transfer catalysts in the enantioselective radical transformations.

Synthesis of Unprotected β-Arylethylamines by Iron(II)-Catalyzed 1,2-Aminoarylation of Alkenes in Hexafluoroisopropanol

β-Arylethylamines are prevalent structural motifs in molecules exhibiting biological activity. Here we report a sequential one-pot protocol for the 1,2-aminoarylation of alkenes with hydroxylammonium triflate salts and (hetero)arenes. Unlike existing methods, this reaction provides a direct entry to unprotected β-arylethylamines with remarkable functional group tolerance, allowing key drug-oriented functional groups to be installed in a two-step process. The use of hexafluoroisopropanol as a solvent in combination with an iron(II) catalyst proved essential to reaching high-value nitrogen-containing molecules.

Palladium-Catalyzed Branch- and Z-Selective Allylic C-H Amination with Aromatic Amines

Allylamines are important building blocks in the synthesis of bioactive compounds. The direct coupling of allylic C-H bonds and commonly available amines is a major synthetic challenge. An allylic C-H amination of 1,4-dienes has been accomplished by palladium catalysis. With aromatic amines, branch-selective allylic aminations are favored to generate thermodynamically unstable Z-allylamines. In addition, more basic aliphatic cyclic amines can also engage in the reaction, but linear dienyl allylic amines are the major products.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Cyclization for the Synthesis of Fused Benzo-Aza-Oxa-[5-6-5] Tetracycles

A novel and expedient cascade strategy has been demonstrated for the synthesis of fused benzo-aza-oxa-[5-6-5] tetracycles in high yields and diastereoselectivities (up to 20 : 1 dr). The strategy was fulfilled through palladium-catalyzed oxidative convergent assembly of functionally divergent anilines and 3-butenoic acid with five chemical bonds constructed. Coupled with control experiments and deuterium labelled studies, DFT calculations were performed for the proposed mechanism. The utility of the illustrated strategy is emphasized by gram-scale syntheses, late-stage functionalization, and the transformation to a key core of natural products such as martinellic acid and seneciobipyrrolidine.

Arylboration of Enecarbamates for the Synthesis of Borylated Saturated N-Heterocycles

Two catalytic systems have been developed for the arylboration of endocyclic enecarbamates to deliver synthetically versatile borylated saturated N-heterocycles in good regio- and diastereoselectivities. A Cu/Pd dual catalytic reaction enables the synthesis of borylated, α-arylated azetidines, while a Ni-catalysed arylboration reaction efficiently functionalizes 5-, 6-, and 7-membered enecarbamates. In the case of the Cu/Pd-system, a remarkable additive effect was identified that allowed for broader scope. The products are synthetically useful, as demonstrated by manipulations of the boronic ester to access biologically active compounds.

Regio- and Stereoselective 1,2-Oxyhalogenation of Non-Conjugated Alkynes via Directed Nucleopalladation: Catalytic Access to Tetrasubstituted Alkenes

A catalytic 1,2-oxyhalogenation method that converts non-conjugated internal alkynes into tetrasubstituted alkenes with high regio- and stereoselectivity is described. Mechanistically, the reaction involves a Pd^II /Pd^IV catalytic cycle that begins with a directed oxypalladation step. The origin of regioselectivity is the preference for formation of a six-membered palladacycle intermediate, which is facilitated by an N,N-bidentate 2-(pyridin-2-yl)isopropyl (PIP) amide directing group. Selectivity for C(alkenyl)-X versus -N (X=halide) reductive elimination from the Pd^IV center depends on the identity of the halide anion; bromide and iodide engage in C(alkenyl)-X formation, while intramolecular C(alkenyl)-N reductive elimination occurs with chloride to furnish a lactam product. DFT calculations shed light on the origins of this phenomenon.

Photocatalytic Addition Reactions of Ketene Silyl Acetals with Alkenes through Formation of α-Carbonyl Radicals

Addition reactions of ketene silyl acetals with alkenes that do not have an electron-withdrawing group are generally difficult because the nucleophilicity of ketene silyl acetals and the electrophilicity of alkenes are not sufficient. Herein, we report photocatalytic addition reactions of ketene silyl acetals with alkenes that proceed through formation of α-carbonyl radicals. In the presence of an appropriate protic additive, the reactions proceeded smoothly under blue-light irradiation to afford the desired products in moderate to high yields.

Regio- and stereoselectivity of the [3+2] cycloaddition of nitrones with methyl-acetophenone: A DFT investigation

A theoretical study of the regio- and stereoselectivities of the [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of nitrones with substituted alkene (methyl acetophenone) is investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and carried out at B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. The reactivity of these cycloadditions is rationalized by FMO model, activation energy calculations, and philicity indexes. The electronic populations have been calculated from natural orbital, which based on charges by using NBO analysis, MK and CHelpG electrostatic population. The four possible pathways, fused and bridged regioisomeric modes, and the two stereoisomeric approaches endo and exo for the cycloaddition reactions are analyzed and discussed. Analysis of TS geometries and bond lengths demonstrate that these reactions follow a one-step mechanism with asynchronous transition states. The activation energy indicated a favored endo approach along the four reaction pathways.

Cobalt-catalyzed alkene hydrogenation by reductive turnover

Earth abundant metal catalysts hold advantages in cost, environmental burden and chemoselectivity over precious metal catalysts. Differences in reactivity for a given metal center result from ligand field strength, which can promote reaction through either open- or closed-shell carbon intermediates. Herein we report a simple protocol for cobalt-catalyzed alkene reduction. Instead of using an oxidative turnover mechanism that requires stoichiometric hydride, we find a reductive turnover mechanism that requires stoichiometric proton. The reaction mechanism appears to involve coordination and hydrocobaltation of terminal alkenes.

Unraveling the Complex Olefin Isomer Mixture Using Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Photoionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

Commercial dodecenes are a complex chemical mixture with a majority of C₁₂ olefins and minority of C_8-18 olefins. Structurally, dodecene products may consist of straight-chain alkenes, branched alkenes, as well as cyclic hydrocarbons. Due to the difference of feeds and catalysts used in the oligomerization reaction, the composition of the dodecenes is complex and their properties are very different. Knowing the complex composition of dodecenes can help tune the production process and select the appropriate products according to their end use. To reveal the complex profile of dodecenes, an analytical method using two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) coupled photoionization (PI) - time of flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) was developed in this study. A conventional (nonpolar × polar) column combination (non-polar column as 1^st dimension and mid-polar column as 2^nd dimension) was selected. The analytical condition of GC was optimized using fractional factorial experimental design (DoE). Olefin congener grouping by carbon chain length and double bond equivalent (DBE) was achieved based on the detection of molecular ions by PI-TOFMS. Grouping of dodecenes by linear, mono-branched, di- and tri-branched subgroups was achieved based on branching index (BI) under the assumption of no retention time (RT) overlap among subgroups. Certain dodecene isomers were identified by retention index (RI) and further confirmed by PI mass spectra. The information altogether provided a multimodal characterization possibility to be used with statistical tools. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) of seventeen dodecene samples explained the composition variance between catalysts solid phosphoric acid and zeolite, as well as between feeds with C₄ and without C₄.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed 1,2-Carboboration of Alkenes: Strategies, Mechanisms, and Stereocontrol

During the past decade, many research groups have described catalytic methods for 1,2-carboboration, allowing access to structurally complex organoboronates from alkenes. Various transition metals, especially copper, palladium, and nickel, have been widely used in these reactions. This review summarizes advances in this field, with a special focus on the catalytic cycles involved in different metal-catalyzed carboboration reactions, as well as the regio- and stereochemical consequences of the underlying mechanisms. 1,2-Carboboration of other unsaturated systems, such as alkynes and allenes, are outside of the scope of this review.

Cultivable fungi from deep-sea oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico: Genetic signatures in response to hydrocarbons

The estimation of oil spill effects on marine ecosystems is limited to the extent of our knowledge on the autochthonous biota. Fungi are involved in key ecological marine processes, representing a major component of post-spill communities. However, information on their functional capacities remains lacking. Herein we analyzed cultivable fungi from sediments in two oil-drilling regions of the Gulf of Mexico for their ability to tolerate and use hexadecane and 1-hexadecene as the sole carbon sources; and to evaluate gene expression profiles of key hydrocarbonoclastic taxa during utilization of these hydrocarbons. The isolated fungi showed differential sensitivity patterns towards the tested hydrocarbons under three different concentrations. Remarkably, six OTUs (Aureobasidium sp., Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium sp., Phialocephala sp., Cladosporium sp. 1 and 2) metabolized the tested alkane and alkene as the sole carbon sources, confirming that deep-sea fungal taxa are valuable genetic resources with potential use in bioremediation. RNA-seq results revealed distinctive gene expression profiles in the hydrocarbonoclastic fungus Penicillium sp. when using hexadecane and 1-hexadecene as the sole carbon sources, with up-regulation of genes involved in transmembrane transport, metabolism of six-carbons carbohydrates, and nitric oxide pathways.

Drop-in biofuel production using fatty acid photodecarboxylase from Chlorella variabilis in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

BACKGROUND

Oleaginous yeasts are potent hosts for the renewable production of lipids and harbor great potential for derived products, such as biofuels. Several promising processes have been described that produce hydrocarbon drop-in biofuels based on fatty acid decarboxylation and fatty aldehyde decarbonylation. Unfortunately, besides fatty aldehyde toxicity and high reactivity, the most investigated enzyme, aldehyde-deformylating oxygenase, shows unfavorable catalytic properties which hindered high yields in previous metabolic engineering approaches.

RESULTS

To demonstrate an alternative alkane production pathway for oleaginous yeasts, we describe the production of diesel-like, odd-chain alkanes and alkenes, by heterologously expressing a recently discovered light-driven oxidase from Chlorella variabilis (CvFAP) in Yarrowia lipolytica. Initial experiments showed that only strains engineered to have an increased pool of free fatty acids were susceptible to sufficient decarboxylation. Providing these strains with glucose and light in a synthetic medium resulted in titers of 10.9 mg/L of hydrocarbons. Using custom 3D printed labware for lighting bioreactors, and an automated pulsed glycerol fed-batch strategy, intracellular titers of 58.7 mg/L were achieved. The production of odd-numbered alkanes and alkenes with a length of 17 and 15 carbons shown in previous studies could be confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

Oleaginous yeasts such as Yarrowia lipolytica can transform renewable resources such as glycerol into fatty acids and lipids. By heterologously expressing a fatty acid photodecarboxylase from the algae Chlorella variabilis hydrocarbons were produced in several scales from microwell plate to 400 mL bioreactors. The lighting turned out to be a crucial factor in terms of growth and hydrocarbon production, therefore, the evaluation of different conditions was an important step towards a tailor-made process. In general, the developed bioprocess shows a route to the renewable production of hydrocarbons for a variety of applications ranging from being substrates for further enzymatic or chemical modification or as a drop-in biofuel blend.

Revisiting the mechanism for the polar hydrochlorination of alkenes

Various kinetic studies of the addition of hydrogen halides to alkenes were carried out in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1970s. Since then, there have been theoretical analyses of several aspects of alkene reactivity and regioselectivity during hydrohalogenation. A few works have studied the influence of the hydrogen halide when it is acting as a catalyst (as well as a reactant) under third-order kinetics. However, there has not been any theoretical investigation of the possibility that there is a carbocation intermediate in the contact ion pair. Therefore, we revisited the mechanistic aspects of this reaction at different levels of theory and using IRC (in a gaseous medium) and ONIOM (with an explicit solvent model). We found that (i) there is only one transition state (one energy barrier) for all possible reaction mechanisms in an apolar medium, (ii) there is no carbocation intermediate when a hydrohalogenation reaction is performed in apolar and polar protic media, (iii) hydrochlorination in apolar and polar protic media occurs through an asynchronous concerted mechanism (not through the stepwise mechanism described in undergraduate/graduate literature), and (iv) there are three possible competing mechanisms (with second-, third-, and fourth-order kinetics) in an apolar medium; the mechanism with fourth-order kinetics has the smallest energy barrier, while that with second-order kinetics (a mechanism in which the hydrogen halide does not also act as a catalyst) has the highest energy barrier. Graphical abstract Hydrochlorination of 2,3-dimethylbutene through an asynchronous concerted mechanism.

A genetically-encoded synthetic self-assembled multienzyme complex of lipase and P450 fatty acid decarboxylase for efficient bioproduction of fatty alkenes

We develop an efficient and economic cascade multienzymes for fatty alkene bioproduction based on the lipase hydrolysis coupled to the P450 decarboxylation in the form of multiple enzyme complex. One step preparation of a multienzyme complex was based on a mixture of cell extracts including dockerin-enzyme fusions and one cohesin-cellulose binding module (CBM) fusion through high specific interaction of dockerin and cohesin. Simultaneously, the CBM was bound to cellulose carrier to form co-immobilized multienzyme. The key factors affecting overall efficiency of alkene bioproduction including substrate channeling of hydrolysis and decarboxylation, the ratio and position of two enzymes, stability were all addressed by genetically engineering of the synthetic CBM-cohesin fusions. The multienzymes exhibited more than 9.2 fold enhancement in initial reaction rate and much higher conversion yields (69%-72%) compared to mixture of free enzyme counterpart. The enzymatic cascade based multienzymes could efficiently convert renewable triglycerides to alkenes.

Biochemical characterization of three new α-olefin-producing P450 fatty acid decarboxylases with a halophilic property

BACKGROUND

The CYP152 family member OleT_JE from Jeotgalicoccus sp. ATCC 8456 has been well-known to catalyze the unusual one-step decarboxylation of free fatty acids towards the formation of terminal alkenes. Efforts to tune up its decarboxylation activity for better production of biological alkenes have been extensively explored via approaches such as site-directed mutagenesis and electron source engineering, but with limited success. To gain more insights into the decarboxylation mechanism and reaction bifurcation (decarboxylation versus hydroxylation), we turned to an alternative approach to explore the natural CYP152 resources for a better variety of enzyme candidates.

RESULTS

We biochemically characterized three new P450 fatty acid decarboxylases including OleT_JH, OleT_SQ and OleT_SA, with respect to their substrate specificity, steady-state kinetics, and salt effects. These enzymes all act as an OleT_JE-like fatty acid decarboxylase being able to decarboxylate a range of straight-chain saturated fatty acids (C₈-C₂₀) to various degrees. Site-directed mutagenesis analysis to the lower activity P450 enzyme OleT_SA revealed a number of key amino acid residues within the substrate-binding pocket (T47F, I177L, V319A and L405I) that are important for delicate substrate positioning of different chain-length fatty acids and thus the decarboxylation versus hydroxylation chemoselectivity, in particular for the mid-chain fatty acids (C₈-C₁₂). In addition, the three new decarboxylases exhibited optimal catalytic activity and stability at a salt concentration of 0.5 M, and were thus classified as moderate halophilic enzymes.

CONCLUSION

The P450 fatty acid decarboxylases OleT_JE, OleT_JH, OleT_SQ and OleT_SA belong to a novel group of moderate halophilic P450 enzymes. OleT_JH from Jeotgalicoccus halophilus shows the decarboxylation activity, kinetic parameters, as well as salt tolerance and stability that are comparable to OleT_JE. Site-directed mutagenesis of several key amino acid residues near substrate-binding pocket provides important guidance for further engineering of these P450 fatty acid decarboxylases that hold promising application potential for production of α-olefin biohydrocarbons.

Ligand-accelerated, branch-selective oxidative cyanation of alkenes

A ligand-accelerated, branch-selective oxidative cyanation of alkenes has been developed in the presence of catalytic Cu₂O. Both styrenes and aliphatic alkenes with directing groups are well tolerated in this inexpensive protocol. The mild condition allows for a good tolerance of functional groups, enabling facile access to a diverse array of simple and complex branched vinyl nitriles. The wide synthetic utility of this methodology has been further demonstrated via the efficient scaleup in both batch and continuous flow processes.

Metal-free Chlorothiolation of Alkenes using HCl and Sulfoxides

We report a novel method for the chlorothiolation of alkenes using HCl and sulfoxides to achieve the 1,2-difunctionalization of unactivated alkenes. The combination of our new HCl reagent (HCl/DMPU) with sulfoxides forms a unique chlorothiolation system. Both terminal and internal alkenes are suitable substrates. This method works at gram scale and is applicable in further synthetic elaborations.

Mechanisms for nickel(0)/N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydroacylation: insights from a DFT study

Density functional calculations have been applied to study and elucidate nickel(0)/N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydroacylation. The calculations showed that nickel(0)-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydroacylation involved four potential reaction channels (I, II, III, and IV), and pathway IV was predicted to be more favorable than the other three. Two pathways, I and II, had three steps (oxidative addition, hydrogen migration, reductive elimination), and the rate-determining step was hydrogen migration. Pathway III proceeded through oxidative cyclization, β-hydride elimination, and hydrogen migration, and the rate-determining step was β-hydride elimination. Pathway IV included four steps (oxidative cyclization, dimerization, β-hydride elimination, hydrogen migration), and the rate-determining step was again β-hydride elimination. Oxidative cyclization was easy and led to rapid dimerization, greatly reducing the free energy of β-hydride elimination. The binuclear nickelacycle intermediate was observed in Ogoshi's experiments, and it was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The dominant product was the five-membered benzocyclic ketone p1. All results agreed with Ogoshi's experiments. Graphical Abstract Nickel(0)-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydroacylation involved four potential reaction channels. The binuclear nickelacycle intermediate was important, and the dimerization greatly reduced the free energy of the β-hydride elimination.

Metabolic engineering of Cupriavidus necator for heterotrophic and autotrophic alka(e)ne production

Alkanes of defined carbon chain lengths can serve as alternatives to petroleum-based fuels. Recently, microbial pathways of alkane biosynthesis have been identified and enabled the production of alkanes in non-native producing microorganisms using metabolic engineering strategies. The chemoautotrophic bacterium Cupriavidus necator has great potential for producing chemicals from CO2: it is known to have one of the highest growth rate among natural autotrophic bacteria and under nutrient imbalance it directs most of its carbon flux to the synthesis of the acetyl-CoA derived polymer, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), (up to 80% of intracellular content). Alkane synthesis pathway from Synechococcus elongatus (2 genes coding an acyl-ACP reductase and an aldehyde deformylating oxygenase) was heterologously expressed in a C. necator mutant strain deficient in the PHB synthesis pathway. Under heterotrophic condition on fructose we showed that under nitrogen limitation, in presence of an organic phase (decane), the strain produced up to 670mg/L total hydrocarbons containing 435mg/l of alkanes consisting of 286mg/l of pentadecane, 131mg/l of heptadecene, 18mg/l of heptadecane, and 236mg/l of hexadecanal. We report here the highest level of alka(e)nes production by an engineered C. necator to date. We also demonstrated the first reported alka(e)nes production by a non-native alkane producer from CO2 as the sole carbon source.

Alkenes with antioxidative activities from Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng

Four new alkenes (1-4), and six known alkenes (5-12) were isolated from Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and references. Compounds (1-12) were evaluated for antioxidative activities. Among them, compounds 1, 2, 4, and 7 exhibited significant antioxidative activities using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay with IC50=21.4-49.5 μM. The known compounds (5-12) were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Applications of protein engineering to members of the old yellow enzyme family

In the 20 years since Massey's initial report in 1995, interest in using alkene reductases to prepare chiral intermediates for synthesis has grown rapidly. While native alkene reductases often show very high stereoselectivities toward favorable substrates, these enzymes have somewhat size-restricted active sites that limit their substrate ranges to small alkenes. In addition, most alkene reductases have the same stereoselectivities, which makes it difficult to access the "other" product enantiomers. Protein engineering strategies have been used to address both of these issues and good progress has been made in several cases. This review summarizes published examples through late 2014 and focuses on studies of six enzymes: Saccharomyces pastorianus OYE 1, tomato OPR1, Zymomonas mobilis NCR, Enterobacter cloacae PB2 PETN reductase, Bacillus subtilis YqjM and Pichia stipitis OYE 2.6.

Engineering an iterative polyketide pathway in Escherichia coli results in single-form alkene and alkane overproduction

Alkanes and alkenes are ideal biofuels, due to their high energy content and ability to be safely transported. To date, fatty acid-derived pathways for alkane and alkene bioproduction have been thoroughly explored. In this study, we engineered the pathway of the iterative Type I polyketide synthase (PKS) SgcE with the cognate thioesterase (TE) SgcE10 in Escherichia coli, with the goal of overproducing pentadecaheptaene (PDH) followed by its hydrogenation to pentadecane (PD). Based on initial in vitro titration assays, we learned that PDH production is strongly dependent on the SgcE10:SgcE ratio. Thus, we engineered a high-yield E. coli strain by fine-tuning SgcE10 expression via synthetic promoters. We analyzed engineered E. coli strains using a modified multiple reactions monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS)-based targeted proteomic approach, using a chimeric SgcE10 and SgcE fusion construct to gain insight into expression levels of the two proteins. Lastly, through fed-batch fermentation followed by flow chemical hydrogenation, we obtained a PD yield of nearly 140mg/L in single-alkane form. Thus, we not only employed a metabolic engineering approach to the iterative polyketide pathway, we highlighted the potential of PKS shunt products to play a role in the production of single-form and high-value chemicals.