Elucidando os estados de oxidação do nitrogênio através da espectroscopia de absorção de raios-X na borda K do nitrogênio

The potentialities of X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) of the N K edge (N K) obtained with the spherical grating monochromator beam line at the Brazilian National Synchrotron Light Laboratory are explored in the investigation of poly(aniline), nanocomposites and dyes. Through the analysis of N K XANES spectra of conducting polymers and many other dye compounds that are dominated by 1s®p* transitions, it was possible to correlate the band energy value with the nitrogen oxidation states. An extensive N K XANES spectral database was obtained, thus permitting the elucidation of the nature of different nitrogens present in the intercalated conducting polymers.

Redução catalítica seletiva de óxidos de nitrogênio sobre hematita contendo cobre

The activity of copper-doped hematite in the SCR with propane, in the presence of oxygen, was evaluated in this work. It was found that copper sulfate led to the production of solids with different specific surface areas depending on the amount of copper. The sulfur and copper species were mainly located on the surface. The copper-containing catalysts were more active in the reduction of nitrogen oxides and less active in the propane oxidation as compared to pure hematite. This behavior was assigned to an association of both sulfur and copper species to produce new sites active for NO reduction.

Síntese de complexo ferro(II)-nitrogênio: abordagem dos conceitos de reatividade e retro-doação para alunos de graduação em química

There has been a considerable interest in coordination complexes of molecular nitrogen (N2), partly due to a possible relationship between such complexes and the nitrogen activation process in nature. The present paper describes the synthesis and infrared spectroscopic characterization of an iron-nitrogen derivative with ethylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (edta) as an experiment for an undergraduate course. The topics covered here include synthesis, reactivity and spectroscopy.

Ocorrência e atividade biológica de quassinóides da última década

Quassinoids, the bitter principles of the Simaroubaceae family, are a group of structurally complex and highly oxygenated degraded triterpenes. They are divided into five groups according to their basic skeleton, C-18, C-19, C-20, C-22 and C-25. In recent years, attention has been focused on quassinoids because several of them have shown promising biological activities. This paper features a review of some characteristics of these compounds, updating known information with discoveries from the last decade and covering chemical structures, basic skeletons, occurrence in genus and species, besides detailed studies of biological activities such as antitumor, antimalarial, phytotoxic, antifeedant, insecticidal, anti-inflammatory and antiulcer.

Espécies reativas de oxigênio e de nitrogênio, antioxidantes e marcadores de dano oxidativo em sangue humano: principais métodos analíticos para sua determinação

We review here the chemistry of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, their biological sources and targets; particularly, biomolecules implicated in the redox balance of the human blood, and appraise the analytical methods available for their detection and quantification. Those biomolecules are represented by the enzymatic antioxidant defense machinery, whereas coadjutant reducing protection is provided by several low molecular weight molecules. Biomolecules can be injured by RONS yielding a large repertoire of oxidized products, some of which can be taken as biomarkers of oxidative damage. Their reliable determination is of utmost interest for their potentiality in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of maladies.

Composição química e atividade biológica das folhas e frutos de Triphasia trifolia

The chemical composition of the essential oils from leaves and fruits of Triphasia trifolia was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The major constituents of oil obtained from leaves were sabinene (35.4%) and myrcene (34.1%), while the prevalent compounds in oil from fruits were sabinene (37.2%), beta-pinene (23.95) and gamma-terpinene (16.3%). Both oils showed moderate antimicrobial activity. The fruit decoction was also investigated leading to the isolation of the coumarins isopimpinelin, (R)-byakangelicin and (S)-mexoticin. From leaves were isolated the coumarins (R)-byakangelicin, aurapten, (S)-mexoticin, isosibiricin, isomerazin and coumurrayin and the flavonoid vitexin. All coumarins showed cholinesterase inhibition on TLC tests.

Síntese, avaliação biológica e modelagem molecular de arilfuranos como inibidores da enzima tripanotiona redutase

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite that causes a severe disease (Chagas'disease) in Central and South America. The currently available chemotherapeutic agents against this disease are still inadequate. The enzyme trypanothione reductase (TR) is considered a validated molecular target for the development of new drugs against this parasite. In this regard, a series of arylfurans based on 2,5-bis-(4-acetamidophenyl)furan was synthesized and tested for their in vitro inhibitory activity against TR. Molecular modeling studies of putative enzyme-inhibitor complexes revealed a possible mechanism of interaction. From synthesized compounds, a benzylaminofuran derivative was found to be more active than the lead compound.

Métodos de obtenção, reatividade e importância biológica de 4-tiazolidinonas

Molecules containing the 4-thiazolidinone ring are known to possess a wide range of biological properties including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities among others. These compounds can be synthesized by cyclization reactions involving alpha-haloacetic acid or alpha-mercaptoacetic acid and employed in several chemoselective reactions. Comprehensive reviews have been written on 4-thiazolidinones in 1961 by Brown and in 1980 by Singh et al. In the recent literature, some new synthesis methods for 4-thiazolidinone derivatives and several reactions have been reported. These advances warrant to review the chemical and biological properties of compounds with this important heterocycle employed in synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Efeito dos dióxidos de enxofre e de nitrogênio no desempenho de uma célula a combustível de membrana de intercâmbio de prótons

There is presently much interest in the clean and efficient generation of energy by proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), using hydrogen as fuel. The generation of hydrogen by the reforming of other fuels, anaerobic fermentation of residual waters and other methods, often produce contaminants that affect the performance of the cell. In this work, the effect of gaseous SO2 and NO2 on the performance of a H2/O2 single PEMFC is studied. The results show that SO2 decreases irreversibly the performance of the cell under operating conditions, while NO2 has a milder effect that allows the recovery of the system.

Determinação não destrutiva do nitrogênio total em plantas por espectroscopia de reflectância difusa no infravermelho próximo

Diffuse reflectance near-infrared (DR-NIR) spectroscopy associated with partial least squares (PLS) multivariate calibration is proposed for a direct, non-destructive, determination of total nitrogen in wheat leaves. The procedure was developed for an Analytical Instrumental Analysis course, carried out at the Institute of Chemistry of the State University of Campinas. The DR-NIR results are in good agreement with those obtained by the Kjeldhal standard procedure, with a relative error of less than ± 3% and the method may be used for teaching purposes as well as for routine analysis.

Bioprocessos para remoção de dióxido de carbono e óxido de nitrogênio por micro-algas visando a utilização de gases gerados durante a combustão do carvão

The aim of this work was to study the removal of CO2 and NO by microalgae and to evaluate the kinetic characteristics of the cultures. Spirulina sp. showed µmax and Xmax (0.11 d-1, 1.11 g L-1 d-1) when treated with CO2 and NaNO3. The maximum CO2 removal was 22.97% for S. obliquus treated with KNO3 and atmospheric CO2. The S. obliquus showed maximum NO removal (21.30%) when treated with NO and CO2. Coupling the cultivation of these microalgae with the removal of CO2 and NO has the potential not only to reduce the costs of culture media but also to offset carbon and nitrogen emissions.

Atividade biológica do lapachol e de alguns derivados sobre o desenvolvimento fúngico e em germinação de sementes

The natural quinones lapachol, α-lapachone and β-lapachone, and the synthetic derivative β-lapachone-3-sulfonic-acid were assayed for inhibition of fungal growth (Fusarium oxysporum) and germination of lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa L.). β-Lapachone has the strongest activity as a germination inhibitor and lapachol shows no effect. β-Lapachone, followed by lapachol, are the most active in reducing fungal growth.

Composição química e atividade biológica de extrato oleoso de própolis: uma alternativa ao extrato etanólico

Propolis is mostly used as hydroalcoholic extract. Recently there has been a growing number of patents dealing with new solvents for preparing propolis extracts. This study aimed to prepare edible oil propolis extracts and compare their chemical composition and biological activity with ethanolic propolis extracts. ESI-MS and spectrophotometric methods were used for qualitative and quantitative analyses, respectively. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by diffusion in agar. Cytotoxicity was tested by MTT assay using tumor cell lines. The oil is able to extract bioactive compounds from propolis. Further studies are needed to improve extraction efficiency and to characterize the active components.

Aplicação de planejamento fatorial a protocolo de extração e fixação de sulfetos volatilizáveis por acidificação (SVA) em amostras de sedimento

The AVS is defined operationally as acid volatile sulfide, which is a controlling phase on the partition of some metallic species in sediments. A Factorial design was evaluated by means of 16 experiments and using four variables: temperature, extraction time, N2 flow, and volume of the S2- collection solution. The factors that contributed to the efficiency of the process were the extraction time and the N2 flow. Trapping of S2- was efficient in AAB. The S2- was quantified using a potentiometric procedure. Recovery tests for S2- concentrations varying from 1×10-5 to 1×10-4 mol L-1 were in the range from 93 to 116%.

Óleos essenciais das folhas de Vernonia Remotiflora e Vernonia Brasiliana: composição química e atividade biológica

The chemical composition of the essential oils, obtained by hidrodistillation, from leaves of two Vernonia species (V. remotiflora and V. brasiliana), was determined by GC-FID and GC-MS. Both essential oils were predominantly constituted by sesquiterpenes (92.0 - 93.4%). The main constituents of the oil from V. brasilana were (E)-caryophyllene (36.7%), germacrene D (35.5%), and α-humulene (11.7%), while (E)-caryophyllene (42.2%) and bicyclogermacrene (20.0%) were the major ones in the oil from V. remotiflora. Although with moderate activity both oils showed acetylcholinesterase and antibacterial activities.