Exploring the Effect of Choline-Based Ionic Liquids on the Stability and Activity of Stem Bromelain.

Enzymes are very important components which are vital for the existence of every cellular life. There is significant interest in the use of structurally stable and catalytically active enzymes in pharmaceutical, food, fine chemicals industries, and in various industrial processes as catalysts. Stem bromelain (BM) is a proteolytic enzyme which is widely used in chemical, medical, and pharmaceutical fields. However, harsh process conditions are the main barriers to the effective use of this enzyme in different applications. To overcome these drawbacks, biocompatible bio-based ionic liquids (ILs), composed of the choline cation (an essential nutrient) and different anions are used. The ILs namely choline chloride [Ch]+[Cl]-, choline acetate [Ch]+[Ac]-, choline dihydrogen phosphate [Ch]+[Dhp]-, choline bitartrate [Ch]+[Bit]-, choline iodide [Ch]+[I]-, and choline hydroxide [Ch]+[OH]- are chosen for the current work. Therefore, in the present study, structural stability and activity of BM have been evaluated in the presence of choline-based ILs using various biophysical techniques at different concentrations. The present work demonstrated that [Ch]+[OH]- is the strongest destabilizer, whereas [Ch]+[Cl]- is the best stabilizer for the native structure of BM among all studied ILs. This work revealed the suitability of some choline-based ILs as potential media for sustained stability and activity of BM.

Probing Molecular Interactions between Ammonium-Based Ionic Liquids and N,N-Dimethylacetamide: A Combined FTIR, DLS, and DFT Study.

The present study investigates the effects of the alkyl chain length of the cationic head-group of some ammonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) (having the same anion) on the interaction between the ILs and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA). The molecular interactions between the studied ILs, tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAH), tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAH), tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH), and their binary mixtures with DMA were studied using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique, dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments, and quantum chemical calculations. It was observed from both experimental FTIR analysis and theoretical studies that the strength of intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, ion-ion interactions, and induced dipole interactions, between the ILs and DMA depends on the alkyl chain length of the IL cation head-group. The interaction of DMA with IL is energetically favorable and occurs via direct interactions between the IL anion and the carbonyl oxygen of DMA. The results further revealed that the shorter the alkyl chain length of the cationic head-group of the ILs, the stronger the interaction with the DMA molecule, such that the strength of interactions between the ILs and DMA follows the order TEAH > TPAH > TBAH. This trend can be attributed to the increased self-organized aggregation with increasing alkyl chain length of the IL cation.