Statistical mechanics and transition state (TS) theory describe rates and selectivities of C-C bond cleavage in C2-C10 n-alkanes on metal catalysts and provide a general description for the hydrogenolysis of hydrocarbons. Mechanistic interpretation shows the dominant role of entropy, over enthalpy, in determining the location and rate of C-C bond cleavage. Ir, Rh, and Pt clusters cleave C-C bon...

The adsorption and separation of linear C1-nC5 and branched C5 isomers alkanes on single-walled carbon nanotube bundles at 300 K have been studied using configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulation. For pure linear alkanes, the limiting adsorption properties at zero coverage exhibit a linear relation with the alkane carbon number; the long alkane is more adsorbed at low pressures, but the revers...

Local climate and environment broadly affect the deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratios of plant materials, however the degree to which an individual plant’s leaf waxes D/H ratios are affected by these parameters remains in question. Understanding these issues is particularly important in order to reconstruct past floral transitions and changes in the paleohydrologic cycle. For this study, we sampled ...

We tested different alga-bacterium-archaeon consortia to investigate the production of oil-like mixtures, expecting that n-alkane-rich biofuels might be synthesized after pyrolysis. Thermosipho globiformans and Methanocaldococcus jannaschii were cocultured at 68°C with microalgae for 9 days under two anaerobic conditions, followed by pyrolysis at 300°C for 4 days. Arthrospira platensis (Cyanoba...

BACKGROUND Hydrocarbon alkanes, components of major fossil fuels, are considered as next-generation biofuels because their biological production has recently been shown to be possible. However, high-yield alkane production requires robust host cells that are tolerant against alkanes, which exhibit cytotoxicity. In this study, we aimed to improve alkane tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a k...

Rhodococcus sp. strain BCP1 was initially isolated for its ability to grow on gaseous n-alkanes, which act as inducers for the co-metabolic degradation of low-chlorinated compounds. Here, both molecular and metabolic features of BCP1 cells grown on gaseous and short-chain n-alkanes (up to n-heptane) were examined in detail. We show that propane metabolism generated terminal and sub-terminal oxi...

A detailed atmospheric photochemical mechanism which had been previously used in model calculations for developing ozone reactivity scales for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was evaluated by comparing its predictions with measurements of incremental reactivities in an environmental chamber system. An updated version of this mechanism is also described and evaluated. The experiments consisted...

Vibrio furnissii M1 was recently reported to biosynthesize n-alkanes when grown on biopolymers, sugars, or organic acids (M. O. Park, J. Bacteriol. 187:1426-1429, 2005). In the present study, V. furnissii M1 was subjected to genomic analysis and studied biochemically. The sequence of the 16S rRNA gene and repetitive PCR showed that V. furnissii M1 was not identical to other V. furnissii strains...

Whole-cell biosensors offer potentially useful, cost-effective systems for the in-situ monitoring of seawater for hydrocarbons derived from accidental spills. The present work compares the performance of a biosensor system for the detection of alkanes in seawater, hosted in either Escherichia coli (commonly employed in whole-cell biosensors but not optimized for alkane assimilation) or differen...

Surface sediments were collected from various locations of the Mandovi estuary and the Marmugoa harbour. Sediments were analysed for organic carbon (OC), total lipids, n-alkanes concentration and composition. Concentrations of OC, total lipids and n-alkanes varied spatially and ranged from 1 to 2.5%, 176 to 1413 microg/g dry weight (dw) sediments, and 0.8 to 3.2 microg/g dw sediments of the Man...