24 min listen
SuperStructures and the looking glass
ratings:
Length:
40 minutes
Released:
Jun 15, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
You will hear the following terms used during the interview. I've included some descriptions here. Chirality – Chirality is a feature where an object can be distinguished from a mirror-image version of itself (for instance left and right gloves, or shoes). In chemistry, chirality is often due to the presence of an asymmetrical carbon atom. Chiral isomers are identified as either L-type or D-type, based on how polarized light is rotated when passing through a molecule.Superstructure – In the context of this discussion “When the structures become way, way bigger than the building blocks, you can call the superstructures.” They represent massive polymers of the base construction moleculesNanomaterials / Nanoparticles – A term used to describe substances where the base unit is small – between 1 nm - 100 nm along one or more dimensionsAmyloid beta-peptide (also known as Abeta, or Aβ) – Peptides between 36-43 amino acids long that form insoluble amyloid plaques in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Although the specific role of Amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease is not fully understood, it is widely accepted that they are responsible for the pathology of the disease.Peptide – A short chain of 2-50 amino acids, linked by a peptide bond. A dipeptide has two amino acids in the chain, a tripeptide has three amino acids, and so on.Hydrophobic pockets – When folded into a functional configuration, the amino acids of a protein can be brought into physical proximity. When the majority of amino acids surrounding an ‘opening’ in the surface of the protein are hydrophobic, it creates a region that is unattractive to hydrophilic molecules. As the majority of biological systems are water-based, this hydrophobic region stimulates other hydrophobic regions of suitable molecules to bind. This then typically leads to downstream activation or effectCatalytic triads - a set of three coordinated amino acids that can be found in the active site of some enzymes. Catalytic triads are most commonly found in hydrolase and transferase enzymes.Antimicrobial resistance – This is an evolutionary process where bacteria become immune to the effects of antimicrobial agents (such as antibiotics). Typically this is caused by exposure are designed to kill bacteria. To do this, the bacteria need to be exposed to the agents at sub-lethal levels. As antimicrobial agents accumulate in the environment, it is believed that this provides an opportunity for bacteria to be exposed at sub-lethal levels, which accelerates the rate at which the bacteria develops resistance to the antimicrobial.We discussed the drawing of Alice going through the looking glass during our discussion, you can see it at https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/995913/view/through-the-looking-glass-alice-pushes-through-the-mirror.Silvia also mentions an article in the journal ACS Nano, you can find that at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c09386#Silvia is contactable on social media, you can find her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-marchesan-2590712/On Twitter, search @MarchesanLabThe group website is www.marchesanlab.com Our theme music is "Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)Music from https://filmmusic.ioLicense: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Connect with me (Paul) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulorange/H.E.L. group can be found at www.helgroup.com online,on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hel-group/ on Twitter we're @hel_group, https://twitter.com/hel_groupor search for us on Facebook
Released:
Jun 15, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (20)
Understanding The Science Of Safety With Jensen Hughes: For episode 1 of the Modern Chemistry show, I interviewed DAMIAN STEFANCZYK, Senior Consultant at Jensen Hughes and JENS CONZEN Associate Director, Industrial and Process Safety, also of Jensen Hughes. You can find out more information about Jensen Hughes at https://www.jensenhughes.com/ Jens is on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jens-conzen-15364468/ - you’ll also find links to his publications and webinars on safety through this profile. Damian is on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damiandstefanczyk/ We mention a few terms in this episode that you might want to understand a bit better: -The chemical ‘MDI’, which stands for Methylenediphenyl diisocyanate. MDI is often used in the production of rigid insulation for homes and other building. In different forms, it is also used in sealants, adhesives and weather-resistant materials. If you want to jump all the way down this rabbit hole – then check out this resou by Modern Chemistry Podcast