Chemical Society Reviews Blog

The ins and outs of enzyme immobilisation: a Tutorial Review

14 May 2013

Great attention is focused on the burgeoning role of biocatalysis in industrial processes. Enzymes offer a mild, efficient and “green” process that can save money, conserve energy and cut down on waste compared to conventional chemistry. However, despite their advantages, the implementation of enzymatic processes in industry suffers from a number of limitations. Enzymes are often unstable to the industrial or storage conditions, and can be difficult to recover and re-use.

Enzyme immobilisation is one way to combat these drawbacks. In addition to facilitating the storage, recovery and re-use of an enzyme, immobilisation also affords the more convenient handling of the enzyme as well as reducing its toxicity in cases. As part of Chem Soc Rev‘s upcoming ‘Enzyme Immobilisation’ themed issue, Professor Roger A. Sheldon and Dr. Sander van Pelt of Delft University of Technology have produced a Tutorial Review shedding light on the role of this key application in biocatalysis.

Enzyme Immobilization: Why, What and How | Roger A. Sheldon

The Tutorial Review – which is accompanied by additional PDF slides in the electronic supplementary information (ESI) – highlights a number of key learning points, including the advantages and limitations of the various approaches to enzyme immobilisation. The types of immobilisation are discussed in detail, from binding to a carrier, to entrapment and cross-linking, including cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs). Helpfully, Sheldon and von Pelt also clarify immobilisation terminology, which is often confusing and inconsistent.

Given the potential of this technology, especially in the chemical industry, it is essential that we gain more insight into the performance and application of immobilised enzymes. This Tutorial Review is a step towards that objective and offers an enlightening overview of this fascinating subject.

For more, read this Chemical Society Reviews article today:

Enzyme immobilisation in biocatalysis: why, what and how
Roger A. Sheldon and Sander van Pelt
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI:10.1039/C3CS60075K

Ruth Gilligan is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. She has recently completed her PhD in the group of Prof. Matthew J. Gaunt at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the development and application of C–H functionalisation methodology.

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Carbohydrate chemistry themed issue

08 May 2013

By Jeanne Therese Andres.

We are delighted to present Chem Soc Rev‘s themed issue on Carbohydrate chemistry – now available online.

Guest editors Injae Shin and Kwan Soo Kim, both from Yonsei University in Seoul, introduce the issue in their Editorial.

This issue contains an excellent collection of Review Articles and Tutorial Reviews which highlights recent advances in glycochemistry and chemical glycobiology, including:

Review Articles

Chemical approaches to study O-GlcNAcylation
Partha S. Banerjee, Gerald W. Hart and Jin Won Cho
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 4345-4357
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35412H

Glyconanotechnology
Niels C. Reichardt, Manuel Martín-Lomas and Soledad Penadés
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 4358-4376
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35427F

The development of synthetic antitumour vaccines from mucin glycopeptide antigens
Nikola Gaidzik, Ulrika Westerlind and Horst Kunz
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 4421-4442
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS35470A

Glycopolymer probes of signal transduction
Laura L. Kiessling and Joseph C. Grim
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 4476-4491
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60097A

Tutorial Reviews

Chemical probing of glycans in cells and organisms
Sara H. Rouhanifard, Lars Ulrik Nordstrøm, Tianqing Zheng and Peng Wu
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 4284-4296
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35416K

Fluoro-C-glycosides and fluoro-carbasugars, hydrolytically stable and synthetically challenging glycomimetics
Eric Leclerc, Xavier Pannecoucke, Mélanie Ethève-Quelquejeu and Matthieu Sollogoub
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 4270-4283
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35403A

Browse all the reviews from this themed issue online – Carbohydrate chemistry

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Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board: Exciting Changes

22 Apr 2013

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

We are pleased to announce some exciting new appointments to the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board

Phil Gale

After 3 years, Professor Dirk Guldi has retired from his position as Chair of the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board. We would like to sincerely thank Dirk for his dedication and hard work, and we wish him the very best for his new role as Associate Editor for Nanoscale – we are pleased he will be staying within the ‘RSC family’!

We are delighted to announce that Professor Philip A. Gale has been appointed as the new Editorial Board Chair. Phil has been on the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board since 2005, acting as both a Commissioning Editor and most recently as Associate Editor for supramolecular chemistry.

Phil is the Head of Chemistry at the University of Southampton, UK and his research interests focus on the supramolecular chemistry of anionic species and in particular the molecular recognition, sensing and lipid bilayer transport of anionic species.

David Amabilino

We are also pleased to appoint Professor David Amabilino as a new Associate Editor. David has been on the Editorial Board for over 3 years and will now be handling submissions in the areas of supramolecular chemistry, macrocyclic chemistry, self-assembly, chirality and stereochemistry.

David is Research Professor and Vice-Director at the Materials Science Institute of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Spain. He directs a dedicated group of young researchers from different cultural and scientific backgrounds working on key problems in stereochemistry, self-assembly on and off surfaces, and molecular (nano)materials.

Chem Soc Rev now has three Associate Editors handling submissions to the journal:

David Amabilino (ICMAB) – supramolecular chemistry, macrocycles, self-assembly, chirality and stereochemistry
Douglas Stephan (University of Toronto) – Inorganic chemistry
Zhong-Qun Tian (Xiamen University) – Physical chemistry

You can read more about Phil and David’s research in their recent articles:

Anion receptor chemistry
Marco Wenzel, Jennifer R. Hiscock and Philip A. Gale
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2012,41, 480-520
DOI: 10.1039/C1CS15257B, Critical Review

Small neutral molecular carriers for selective carboxylate transport
Cally J. E. Haynes, Stuart N. Berry, Joachim Garric, Julie Herniman, Jennifer R. Hiscock, Isabelle L. Kirby, Mark E. Light, Gregory Perkes and Philip A. Gale
Chem. Commun., 2013,49, 246-248
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC37468D, Communication

Chloride, carboxylate and carbonate transport by ortho-phenylenediamine-based bisureas
Philip A. Gale et. al.
Chem. Sci., 2013,4, 103-117
DOI: 10.1039/C2SC21112B, Edge Article

Twists and turns in the hierarchical self-assembly pathways of a non-amphiphilic chiral supramolecular material
Ion Danila, Flavia Pop, Carlos Escudero, Lise N. Feldborg, Josep Puigmartí-Luis, François Riobé, Narcis Avarvari and David B. Amabilino
Chem. Commun., 2012,48, 4552-4554
DOI: 10.1039/C2CC30789H, Communication

Self-assembly of supramolecular wires and cross-junctions and efficient electron tunnelling across them
Josep Puigmartí-Luis, Andrea Minoia, Shengbin Lei, Victor Geskin, Bing Li, Roberto Lazzaroni, Steven De Feyter and David B. Amabilino
Chem. Sci., 2011,2, 1945-1951
DOI: 10.1039/C1SC00330E, Edge Article

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Smart wormlike micelles react to their environment

22 Apr 2013

By Cally Haynes.

An exciting challenge for soft matter chemists is the development of smart materials that can respond to “triggers” from their environment. By using materials which form by supramolecular self assembly, researchers can use very simple building blocks to create sophisticated materials, which can be applied in key areas such as diagnostics, biosensors, drug delivery, tissue engineering and smart optical systems.

This Chem Soc Rev review by Zonglin Chu, Cécile Dreiss and Yujun Feng describes the potential and application of stimuli-responsive “wormlike micelles” (WLMs). These are long, flexible structures assembled from molecules that contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas, and so assemble into a wide range of micellar structures in an aqueous environment. Under certain conditions, these structures are constantly breaking and reforming, and are referred to as “living.” Small changes in the environment can offset this balance and cause large changes to the properties of the material.

One fascinating example reviewed by Chu, et al. is the thermo-responsive gel system reported by Huang and co-workers in 2009 (see figure below). At 21 °C, this system is a transparent fluid, but cooling it to 20 °C results in the formation of a gel. This is a drastic, reversible change in response to a small modification of the environment.

Figure taken from Y. Lin et al., Soft Matter, 2009, 5, 3047-3053.

This Review provides an in-depth coverage of recent advances in the development of interesting wormlike micelle systems, including systems which can be switched “on” and “off” by electrical, optical, thermal and pH triggers, and an excellent understanding of WLM behaviour and their practical applications.

Read this Chemical Society Reviews article today:

Smart wormlike micelles
Zonglin Chu, Cécile A. Dreiss and Yujun Feng
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3Cs35490C

Cally Haynes is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. She is currently a post doctoral researcher at the University of Southampton, and her research interests include the supramolecular chemistry of anions. When not in the laboratory, she likes travelling and watching football.

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20 Years of Mesoporous Materials

18 Apr 2013

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

We are delighted to present this themed issue of Chem Soc Rev which celebrates 20 years of mesoporous materials.

Guest editors Bénédicte Lebeau, Anne Galarneau and Mika Linden introduce the issue in their Editorial and Charles T. Kresge and Wieslaw J. Roth discuss their contribution to this exciting field in their Highlight article:

Highlight
The discovery of mesoporous molecular sieves from the twenty year perspective
Charles T. Kresge and Wieslaw J. Roth
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60016E

This bumper issue contains a great collection of Review Articles and Tutorial Reviews which give an excellent overview of the last 20 years since the discovery of mesoporous materials, here is just a selection:

Reviews

Hierarchical porous materials: catalytic applications
Christopher M. A. Parlett , Karen Wilson and Adam F. Lee
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35378D

Synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles
Si-Han Wu, Chung-Yuan Mou and Hong-Ping Lin
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS35405A

Tutorial Reviews

Mesoporosity – a new dimension for zeolites
Karin Möller and Thomas Bein
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS35488A

Anionic surfactant templated mesoporous silicas (AMSs)
Lu Han and Shunai Che
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35297D

Formation of mesostructured thin films at the air–liquid interface
Karen J. Edler and Bin Yang
DOI: 10.1039/C2CS35300H

You can browse all the reviews from this themed issue online – Mesoporous Materials

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Another europium crisis? Clarifying misconceptions on the spectra of lanthanides

17 Apr 2013

By Sarah Brown.

Thinking about electronic spectra, spins and orbitals takes me back to my good old undergraduate days, when denim jackets worn with jeans were cool and having predictive text meant you had a top-of-the-range phone, and I would sit with my brain burning with wonder and confusion (and probably a small hangover) as these concepts and theories would be explained to me by the lecturer, affectionately nicknamed Disco Dave; so-called for the the entanglements and angles that his fingers and arms would get into, trying to explain such things. And it worked.

Well, Disco Dave may be retired now but Peter Tanner, a well-known analytical chemistry expert from the Hong Kong Institute of Education, has published a Tutorial Review in Chem Soc Rev that looks to clarify misconceptions regarding the electronic spectra of tri-positive europium and cerium. Tri-positive europium has attracted attention due to its potential application in sensors and time-gated bioimaging agents based on its optical emission spectra. Tanner’s review gives the background to the electronic states, energy levels and transition intensities of lanthanide ions, and describes how to interpret the emission spectra of tri-positive europium in the solid state.

Professor Tanner has written this review to address, he says, the inaccurate descriptions of these spectra that are being amplified throughout the literature. One such inaccuracy is the misuse of the term ‘Stokes shift.’ (This must be the chemistry equivalent of doing ‘hip hop’ moves to the disco tune ‘Saturday Night Fever.’) The spectral properties 4f^N-4f^N lanthanide ions are often referred to, in the literature, to have large Stokes shifts; Professor Tanner explains that it is quite the contrary. The Stokes shifts involved in such transitions are negligible, he explains, as the vibrational progressions are very weak and the maximum intensity lies in the 0-0 band. In his Tutorial Review, we discover the alternative terms, Richardson shift and Denning shift, which are perhaps more appropriate– more consistently ‘disco.’

Read this HOT Chem Soc Rev Tutorial Review to find out more!

Some misconceptions concerning the electronic spectra of tri-positive europium and cerium
Peter A. Tanner
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60033E

Sarah Brown is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. Sarah hung up her lab coat after finishing her PhD and post-doctorate in nanotechnology for diagnostics and therapeutics, to become an assistant editor at the BMJ Publishing Group. When not trying to explain science through ridiculous analogies, you can often find her crocheting, baking or climbing, but not all at once.

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Biosensors – A personal overview by Anthony Turner

15 Apr 2013

By Iain Larmour, web science writer.

With tens of thousands of papers published in the area of biosensors, it can be a daunting task to try and get a foothold in the literature. There are many excellent review articles on the subject that can help, and Anthony Turner’s new Tutorial Review is a very fine place to start your exploration of the field. It is based on his Theophilus Redwood Medal and Award lectures and is open access– more reasons to have a look.

Anthony Turner was project director for MediSense’s in vitro diagnostics programme where he led the team that created the mediated amperometric enzyme electrode for glucose sensing, the world’s most successful biosensor. Glucose detection is a tale of how a dozen scientists working in small, lightly equipped labs sowed the seeds for a multi-billion dollar global industry. The review also casts a look towards future developments in the area, including the possibility of an all-printed biosensing system.

The future of biosensors: an all-printed system.

The market for glucose sensing accounts for the vast majority of the $13 billion biosensor market but, rather than viewing this as the only market for developments in biosensors, Turner suggests it should serve as a model to be copied for the hundreds– if not thousands– of alternative analytes to be detected. The need for robust inexpensive diagnostics in the developing world and the development of personal health accounts in the developed world will drive biosensor research towards alternative analytes and beyond glucose.

This review contains a history of the most commercially successful biosensor to date, the current state-of-the-art, and a look at future possibilities that is grounded in the lessons learnt from a lifetime working in the biosensor field. For these reasons, this is a review that you should read today.

For more, read this Open Access Chem Soc Rev Tutorial Review today!

Biosensors: sense and sensibility
Anthony P. F. Turner
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 3184-3196
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS35528D

Iain Larmour is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. He has researched a wide variety of topics during his years in the lab including nanostructured surfaces for water repellency and developing nanoparticle systems for bioanalysis by surface enhanced optical spectroscopies. He currently works in science management with a focus on responses to climate change. In his spare time he enjoys reading and photography.

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Power is nothing without control: Smart, polymeric, thermally-responsive nanoparticles

11 Apr 2013

By Kevin Murnaghan, web writer.

In this Review, which forms part of the upcoming Chem Soc Rev themed issue on Stimuli Responsive Materials, Rachel K. O’Reilly and Matthew I. Gibson, from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick, give an account of the factors involved in the design, characterisation and function of thermally responsive polymeric nanoparticles.

This review is concerned with a class of synthetic polymer, which have a lower critical solution temperature, the macroscopic result of which is a cloud point, accompanied by a structural change from coil to globule. A variety of LCST type thermoresponsive polymers are discussed in the review, including poly-N-vinylpiperidone, poly-oligoethyleneglycol-methacrylate, two substituted polyacrylamide polymers and also an elastin side chain polymer.

Phase transitions for polymers with lower and upper critical solution temperatures, common synthetic methodologies

Synthetic protocols described are self-assembly driven by hydrophobic or hydrophilic interactions and the grafting from or grafting to approaches, leading to a spherical, corona type assembly of thermally responsive polymer units, bound to a micelle, vesicle or inorganic nanoparticle such as silica, gold, iron oxide or polymeric colloid.

A large body of knowledge in the area of polymer brush functionalised flat surfaces is used as a comparison to the behaviour of the thermally responsive nanoparticles. Similar synthetic approaches are employed here too, which are well understood via complimentary analytical techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy, ellipsometry, and Quartz Crystal Microbalance analysis.

Emphasis is put on the importance of accurate determination of the cloud point. Examples are given of systems where significant differences in cloud point are observed, depending on whether the polymer is free in solution, or bound to a surface or nanoparticle. The use of Dynamic Light Scattering is shown to be a useful probe of aggregation or shrinkage properties, occurring upon heating. It is described how this adds to the understanding of the effect of various synthetic routes and polymerization methodologies on resultant properties.

Applications of such responsive materials are highlighted in the areas of enzyme function and solubility switching, and also in drug encapsulation and delivery. The nanoparticle response may also be achieved by a secondary stimulus, such as a pH change, or salt environment, when temperature remains constant.

Overall, this is a highly interesting insight into a complex area with huge potential, which will prove to be an important reference point for researchers in this field.

Read this HOT Chem Soc Rev article today!

To aggregate, or not to aggregate? considerations in the design and application of polymeric thermally-responsive nanoparticles
Matthew I. Gibson and Rachel K. O’Reilly
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60035A

Kevin Murnaghan is a guest web-writer for Chem Soc Rev. He is currently a Research Chemist in the Adhesive Technologies Business Sector of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, based in Düsseldorf, Germany. His research interests focus primarily on enabling chemistries and technologies for next generation adhesives and surface treatments. Any views expressed here are his personal ones and not those of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA.

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Chemistry of functional nanomaterials themed issue

22 Mar 2013

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

Chem Soc Rev is pleased to present an exciting themed issue on the Chemistry of functional nanomaterials.

This issue was Guest Edited by Yadong Yin (University of California, Riverside) and Dmitri Talapin (University of Chicago). Take a look at their editorial which introduces the issue:

The chemistry of functional nanomaterials
Yadong Yin and Dmitri Talapin
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2484-2487

The issues contains a collection of 21 Review Articles and Tutorials which showcase some of the prominent research into functional nanomaterials in recent years, here are just a few of those featured:

Tutorials
DNA nanostructure meets nanofabrication
Guomei Zhang, Sumedh P. Surwade, Feng Zhou and Haitao Liu
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2488-2496

Biomolecular specificity controlled nanomaterial synthesis
Chin-Yi Chiu, Lingyan Ruan and Yu Huang
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2512-2527

Bottom-up assembly of photonic crystals
Georg von Freymann, Vladimir Kitaev, Bettina V. Lotsch and Geoffrey A. Ozin
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2528-2554

Review Articles
Gold nanorods and their plasmonic properties
Huanjun Chen, Lei Shao, Qian Li and Jianfang Wang
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2679-2724

From the bottom up: dimensional control and characterization in molecular monolayers
Shelley A. Claridge, Wei-Ssu Liao, John C. Thomas, Yuxi Zhao, Huan H. Cao, Sarawut Cheunkar, Andrew C. Serino, Anne M. Andrews and Paul S. Weiss
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2725-2745

You can browse all the reviews from this themed issue online – Chemistry of functional nanomaterials

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Xile Hu wins Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2013

21 Mar 2013

By Jeanne Therese Andres.

On behalf of the Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board, I am delighted to announce that Professor Xile Hu from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, has been chosen as the winner of the 2013 Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship.

This annual award recognises an emerging scientist who has made a significant contribution to their research field. The Editorial Board commended Professor Hu’s research in the field of catalysis, particularly his development of catalysts, composed of earth-abundant elements, which are used in sustainable chemical synthesis and for efficient chemical energy storage. With his research group, he has developed base metal catalysts for organic synthesis, bio-mimetic synthetic compounds for [Fe]-hydrogenase, and non-precious and scalable electrocatalysts for H₂ production from water.

On winning the Lectureship, Professor Hu says, “It was a nice surprise for me to learn that I was selected for this award, because I know there are many other equally deserving candidates. I want to thank the Editorial Board members and the staff of Chem Soc Rev for their interest in my group’s research and their support for my career. The credit is really due to my co-workers who have exercised tremendous creativity, persistence, and work ethic to push our research endeavors forward. On their behalf, I am thrilled and honoured to accept this award.”

Professor Hu will present his award lecture at an international conference later in the year– keep an eye on this blog for more details.

You can find out more about Professor Hu’s exciting research by reading his recent articles on Chem Soc Rev, Chemical Science and ChemComm:

Organic molecules as mediators and catalysts for photocatalytic and electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction
Yeonji Oh and Xile Hu
Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 2253-2261
From themed issue on Solar fuels

Fe, Co, and Ni ions promote the catalytic activity of amorphous molybdenum sulfide films for hydrogen evolution
Daniel Merki, Heron Vrubel, Lorenzo Rovelli, Stéphane Fierro and Xile Hu
Chem. Sci., 2012, 3, 2515-2525

Hydrogen evolution across nano-Schottky junctions at carbon supported MoS₂ catalysts in biphasic liquid systems
Peiyu Ge, Micheál D. Scanlon, Pekka Peljo, Xiaojun Bian, Heron Vubrel, Arlene O’Neill, Jonathan N. Coleman, Marco Cantoni, Xile Hu, Kyösti Kontturi, BaoHong Liu and Hubert H. Girault
Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 6484-6486

Nickel-catalyzed cross coupling of non-activated alkyl halides: a mechanistic perspective
Xile Hu
Chem. Sci., 2011, 2, 1867-1886

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Chemical Society Reviews Blog

The ins and outs of enzyme immobilisation: a Tutorial Review

Carbohydrate chemistry themed issue

Chem Soc Rev Editorial Board: Exciting Changes

Smart wormlike micelles react to their environment

20 Years of Mesoporous Materials

Another europium crisis? Clarifying misconceptions on the spectra of lanthanides

Biosensors – A personal overview by Anthony Turner

Power is nothing without control: Smart, polymeric, thermally-responsive nanoparticles

Chemistry of functional nanomaterials themed issue

Xile Hu wins Chem Soc Rev Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2013

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