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Related Concept Videos

Production of Organic Acids01:25

Production of Organic Acids

24
Lactic acid, an important organic acid extensively applied in food, pharmaceutical, and biodegradable polymer industries, is primarily produced via microbial fermentation. This method is favored over chemical synthesis due to its environmental sustainability and capacity for enantiomerically pure product formation. Among various microbial processes, the fermentation of starch-based substrates stands out due to the abundance and renewability of raw materials like corn and potatoes.Hydrolysis of...
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Catalytically Perfect Enzymes01:07

Catalytically Perfect Enzymes

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The theory of catalytically perfect enzymes was first proposed by W.J. Albery and J. R. Knowles in 1976. These enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions at high-speed. Their catalytic efficiency values range from 108-109 M-1s-1. These enzymes are also called 'diffusion-controlled' as the only rate-limiting step in the catalysis is that of the substrate diffusion into the active site. Examples include triose phosphate isomerase, fumarase, and superoxide dismutase.
 
Most enzymes...
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Solvents01:12

Solvents

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A solvent is a substance, most often a liquid, that can dissolve other substances. Here, the substance being dissolved is called a solute. When a solvent and a solute combine, they form a solution - a homogenous mixture of both the solvent and the solute. Water is a universal biological solvent. Its polar structure allows it to dissolve many other polar compounds. The ability of water to dissolve is governed by a balance between water molecules binding to each other and binding to the solute.
A...
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Enzyme Kinetics01:19

Enzyme Kinetics

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Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. The speed at which the enzyme turns reactants into products is called the rate of reaction. Several factors impact the rate of reaction, including the number of available reactants. Enzyme kinetics is the study of how an enzyme changes the rate of a reaction.
Scientists typically study enzyme kinetics with a fixed amount of enzyme in the controlled environment of a test tube. When more reactant, or substrate, is...
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Enzymes02:34

Enzymes

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Inside living organisms, enzymes act as catalysts for many biochemical reactions involved in cellular metabolism. The role of enzymes is to reduce the activation energies of biochemical reactions by forming complexes with its substrates. The lowering of activation energies favor an increase in the rates of biochemical reactions.
Enzyme deficiencies can often translate into life-threatening diseases. For example, a genetic abnormality resulting in the deficiency of the enzyme G6PD...
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Titration in Nonaqueous Solvents01:16

Titration in Nonaqueous Solvents

1.5K
Most acid-base titrations are performed in an aqueous medium. In aqueous titrations, water competes with weaker acids or bases for proton donation or acceptance, leading to ambiguous endpoints in the titration curve. Water also affects the partial ionization of weak acids or bases. For example, water accepts a proton from acetic acid to form hydronium and acetate ions. The hydronium ion formed is a stronger acid than acetic acid, and the acetate ion is a stronger base than water. As a result,...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Design of Solid-State Fermentation Systems for Polymer Hydrolytic Extracellular Enzyme Production by Filamentous Fungi
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Improving enzymes by using them in organic solvents.

A M Klibanov1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA. klibanov@mit.edu

Nature
|February 24, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Using enzymes in organic solvents enhances their technological utility. Enzymes in non-aqueous environments show increased stability, new behaviors like molecular memory, and altered selectivity, enabling novel applications.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Enzymes traditionally function in aqueous media.
  • Organic solvents offer a different reaction environment for enzymes.
  • Previous research has explored enzyme activity in non-aqueous systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the benefits and implications of using enzymes in organic solvents.
  • To highlight the novel catalytic capabilities and behaviors of enzymes in organic media.
  • To discuss the potential and commercialized applications of enzyme catalysis in organic solvents.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on enzymes in organic solvents over the past 15 years.
  • Analysis of enzymatic properties such as stability, selectivity, and catalytic activity in various organic media.

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Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes
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Design of Solid-State Fermentation Systems for Polymer Hydrolytic Extracellular Enzyme Production by Filamentous Fungi
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  • Examination of reported applications and commercialized processes.

    • Main Results:

    • Enzymes can be effectively utilized in organic solvents, exhibiting enhanced stability and unique catalytic activities.
    • Enzymatic selectivity (substrate, stereo-, regio-, chemoselectivity) is significantly influenced, and sometimes inverted, by the choice of solvent.
    • Novel behaviors like 'molecular memory' have been observed in enzymes within organic environments.
    • Enzyme catalysis in organic solvents, supercritical fluids, and gas phase has led to numerous potential and existing commercial applications.

    Conclusions:

    • Employing enzymes in organic solvents significantly broadens their technological utility.
    • The altered reaction environment can lead to unprecedented enzymatic reactions and improved enzyme performance.
    • Enzyme technology in non-aqueous media presents diverse and valuable applications across various industries.