Tim Elgren, professor of chemistry, presented "Halogenation and Oxidative Dehalogenation Activities Catatlyzed by Encapsulated Peroxidases" at the "Metals in Biology" Gordon Research Conference in Ventura, Calif., in January. Co-authors included Hamilton students Sydney Fasulo '09, Christina Clark '10, Nick Berry '09, Ngoda Manongi '08, Hilary Gamble '07 and Marielle Matthews '09, and post-doctoral research fellow Valentin Sukharev. The presentation described progress made in the characterization of the chemistry of sol-gel encapsulated peroxidases.
Encapsulation of enzymes protects them from common mechanisms of deactivation, such as thermal degradation and proteolyic digestion, and allow them to be applied to such applications as organic synthesis and bioremediation. One interesting application demonstrated is the complete transformation of trichlorophenol, among the most highly regulated chemical wastes due to its extreme toxicity, to dichloroquinone, an unregulated, non-toxic product. This work is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and Research Corporation.
Encapsulation of enzymes protects them from common mechanisms of deactivation, such as thermal degradation and proteolyic digestion, and allow them to be applied to such applications as organic synthesis and bioremediation. One interesting application demonstrated is the complete transformation of trichlorophenol, among the most highly regulated chemical wastes due to its extreme toxicity, to dichloroquinone, an unregulated, non-toxic product. This work is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and Research Corporation.
