title: Rapid microwave assisted esterification method for the analysis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in Alcaligenes latus by gas chromatography.
abstract: In the present study, we used microwave energy instead of conventional heating to transform poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) into methyl 3-hydroxybutyrate (Me-3HB) in acidified methanol (H2SO4, 10%, v/v) mixture in less than 4 min at 10% microwave power. The microwave assisted method was then applied to analyze PHB produced by Alcaligenes latus. The PHB content in the biomass determined using microwave heating was comparable to the amount found by conventional heating. Moreover, the new esterification method was at least 50 times faster than the conventional method, affording a significant saving of time and energy.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montréal (Québec) H4P 2R2, Canada.
authors.forename: Aimesther
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Betancourt
authors.forename: Abdessalem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yezza
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halasz
authors.forename: Huu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Tra
authors.forename: Jalal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hawari
mesh_terms: D000421:Alcaligenes / Q000737:chemistry; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D004952:Esters / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008872:Microwaves; D011091:Polyesters / Q000032:analysis* / Q000528:radiation effects; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D004952:Esters; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D011091:Polyesters; C003182:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates; C016579:2-methyl-3-hydroxybutyric acid