Aplicações sintéticas do ácido mucobrômico e da 3,4-dibromofuran-2(5H)-ona

This review describes the use of two biomass-derivate butenolides as intermediates in organic synthesis, mucobromic acid and its reduced derivative 3,4-dibromofuran-2(5H)-one. The ambiphilic and ambident character of such butenolides make them versatile starting materials in the synthesis of natural and/or bioactive compounds. Thus, the reactions of mucobromic acid with C-nucleophiles and heteronucleophiles are described, as well as the nucleophilic addition to carbonyl reactions of 3,4-dibromofuran-2(5H)-one. Besides, both compounds are active in diverse metal cross-coupling reactions, manly with palladium in Suzuki and Sonogashira reactions.

Nanocompósitos magnéticos: potencialidades de aplicações em Biomedicina

The synthesis of magnetic materials such as nanostructured iron oxide has been intensively researched due to their broad applications in biomedicine. As these nanoparticles have high specific surface area, they are very reactive and can aggregate easily, and biodegrade when exposed to biological systems. Mesoporous silica is often employed as support matrix to protect the magnetic functional component, avoiding undesirable effects. In this context, this review describes various syntheses of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles, and their use in applications such as bioseparation, magnetic resonance imaging, hyperthermia and drug delivery systems showing the growing interest of these materials in biological area.

Mecanismos envolvidos na biodegradação de materiais lignocelulósicos e aplicações tecnológicas correlatas

The biodegradation of lignocellulosic materials is an important natural process because it is responsible for the carbon recycling. When induced under controlled conditions, this process can be used for technological applications such as biopulping, biobleaching of cellulosic pulps, pre-treatment for subsequent saccharification and cellulosic-ethanol production, and increase of the digestibility in agroindustrial residues used for animal feed. In the present work, the enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms involved in the biodegradation of lignocellulosic materials by fungi were reviewed. Furthermore, the technological applications of these extracellular metabolites are presented and discussed.

Análise por injeção em fluxo com detecção amperométrica de múltiplos pulsos: potencialidades e aplicações

The potentialities and applications of the Multiple Pulse Amperometric detection (MPA) coupled with Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) are evaluated. Important aspects as cleaning and activation of electrode surface, indirect and simultaneous analysis of electroactive compounds and the use of the internal standard method for quantifications utilizing FIA-MPA are presented. The main parameters concerning the detection of electroactive analytes by multiple pulse amperometric detection in flowing solutions were also discussed. In addition, aspects such as flow rate, sample volume, application time of the potential pulses and instrumentation necessary for implementing of the method were also addressed.

A reação "click" na síntese de 1,2,3-triazóis: aspectos químicos e aplicações

The Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), often referred to as "click" reaction, has become a very popular reaction in the last years. It affords exclusively 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles and has been widely used to connect readily accessible building blocks containing various functional groups. The great success of this reaction is based on the fact that it is general, virtually quantitative and very robuste. The scope of this copper-catalyzed synthesis is extraordinary and the reaction has found numerous applications in many research fields, including biological chemistry and materials science. In this review, the main chemical aspects and applications of the "click" reaction in the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles are presented.

Polarímetro virtual: desenvolvimento, utilização e avaliação de um software educacional

Optical activity is the ability of chiral substances to rotate the plane of plane-polarized light and is measured using an instrument called a polarimeter. An educational software application to explore, both interactively and visually, the concepts related to polarimetry to facilitate their understanding was developed. The software was field-tested and a questionnaire evaluating the graphics interface, usability and the software as an educational tool, was answered by students. The results characterized the computer application developed as an auxiliary tool for assisting teachers in lectures and students in the learning process.

Óxidos de ferro e suas aplicações em processos catalíticos: uma revisão

A review of most of the reported studies on the use of iron oxides as catalyst in specific processes, namely Haber-Bosch reaction, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, Fenton oxidation and photolytic molecular splitting of water to produce gaseous hydrogen, was carried out. An essential overview is thus presented, intending to address the fundamental meaning, as well as the corresponding chemical mechanisms, and perspectives on new technological potentialities of natural and synthetic iron oxides, more specifically hematite (α-Fe2O3), goethite (α-FeOOH), magnetite (Fe3O4) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), in heterogeneous catalysis.

Drogas de abuso em águas naturais e residuárias urbanas: ocorrência, determinação e aplicações forenses

Drugs of abuse are commonly used outside medical or legal settings where their production, marketing and consumption are subject to legal summons and/or intervention. Classified as emerging contaminants, these substances have been recently detected in samples of environmental concern, such as waters and wastewaters. This review presents the state-of-the-art on the methodological approaches used in sample preparation, the main techniques applied in analytical determination at trace levels, as well as the use of information related to the drug or its metabolite concentration in sewage samples to empirically estimate the consumption of drugs of abuse in a city or region.

Polímeros impressos com íons: fundamentos, estratégias de preparo e aplicações em química analítica

Chemical imprinting technology has been widely used as a valuable tool in selective recognition of a given target analyte (molecule or metal ion), yielding a notable advance in the development of new analytical protocols. Since their discovery, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been extensively studied with excellent reviews published. However, studies involving ion imprinted polymers (IIPs), in which metal ions are recognized in the presence of closely related inorganic ions, remain scarce. Thus, this review involved a survey of different synthetic approaches for preparing ion imprinted adsorbents and their application for the development of solid phase extraction methods, metal ion sensors (electrodes and optodes) and selective membranes.

Redes metalorgânicas e suas aplicações em catálise

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) form a new class of materials with well-defined yet tunable properties. These are crystalline, highly porous and exhibit strong metal-ligand interactions. Importantly, their physical and chemical properties, including pore size, pore structure, acidity, and magnetic and optical characteristics, can be tailored by choosing the appropriate ligands and metal precursors. Here we review the key aspects of synthesis and characterization of MOFs, focusing on lanthanide-based and vanadium-based materials. We also outline some of their applications in catalysis and materials science.

Otimização, validação e aplicação de método para determinação da concentração residual de difenoconazol em morangos após múltiplas aplicações

Difenoconazole residues in strawberry fruit cultivated in pots were estimated using the solid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (SLE/LTP) method for sample preparation and gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC/ECD) for analysis. The optimized method presented excellent recovery values from fortified samples and reproducibility (average recovery values ≥ 98%; CV values < 15%). Linearity of response was demonstrated (r = 0.995) with a detection limit of 9 µg kg-1. The method was successfully applied for the determination of difenoconazole residues in strawberries. Based on these results, the fungicide dissipates quickly, but the residual concentration increases after multiple applications.

Biocatálise heterogênea em fase sólido/gás: princípios e aplicações

Enzymatic conversion of gaseous substrates into products in aquo-restricted media, using enzymes or whole cells (free and immobilized) as biocatalysts, constitutes a promising technology for the development of clearer processes. Solid-gas systems offer high production rates for minimal plant sizes, allow important reduction of treated volumes, and permit simplified downstream processes. In this review article, principles and applications of solid-gas biocatalysis are discussed. Comparisons of its advantages and disadvantages with those of the organic- and aqueous-phase reactions are also presented herein.

Software para simulação de mecanismo de supressão da luminescência: modelo cinético de Stern-Volmer

A software that includes both Stochastic and Molecular Dynamics procedures has been developed with the aim of visualizing the Stern-Volmer kinetic mechanism of dynamic luminescence quenching. The software allows the student to easily simulate and graphically visualize the molecular collisions, the molecular speed distributions, the luminescence decay curves, and the Stern-Volmer graphs. The software named "SternVolmer" is written for the FreeBASIC compiler and can be applied to dynamic systems where luminescent molecules, during their excited state lifetimes, are able to collide with quenching molecules (collisional quenching). The good agreement found between the simulations and the expected results shows that this software can be used as an effective teaching aid for the study of luminescence and kinetic decay of excited states.

Eletrodo compósito à base de grafite-Araldite®: aplicações didáticas - parte II

This work proposes the use of a graphite-Araldite® 70% (graphite, m/m) composite electrode in didactic experiments, specifically in the quantitative determination of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) in a sample of pharmaceutical formulation. The goal is to demonstrate the possibility of using voltammetric techniques in quality control of medicines, besides covering some concepts such as the influence of pH on the redox process, the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique, the optimization of experiments and comparison with an official method described in the United States Pharmacopoeia.

Ressonância: desenvolvimento, utilização e avaliação de um software educacional

Resonance is a useful concept that shows how electrons are shared between two or more atoms and allows a prediction of the chemical reactivity and relative stability of reagents, intermediates, and products. An educational software that enables interactive exploration of the concepts related to resonance and thereby facilitates its understanding was developed. The software was field-tested, and an evaluation questionnaire concerning the software as an educational tool was answered by the students and professors involved in the test. The results led to the conclusion that the developed computer application can be characterized as an auxiliary tool that assists teachers in their lectures and students in their learning process.