Própolis: 100 anos de pesquisa e suas perspectivas futuras

Propolis is a multifunctional material used by bees in the construction and maintenance of their hives. The chemical composition and pharmacological properties have been studied for centuries. Today they represent an important raw material for many health products and constitute a new interdisciplinary area for research. Among others they show important antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities and various pharmacological properties. This paper presents an overview of the scientific literature and patents concerning propolis.

A Catálise no Brasil nos últimos 25 anos: uma história de sucesso

In the last 25 years the research in catalysis has passed from heterogeneous processes mainly applied to petrochemical industries to homogeneous processes applied to fine chemicals and green chemistry. In this context the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) is playing an important role in the organization of this interdisciplinary area involving researches from different fields of physical sciences.

A história, evolução e crescimento da Eletroquímica: Eletroanalítica nestes últimos 25 anos

This text describes the development of Electrochemistry and Electroanalytical Chemistry in Brazil from the pioneers at the IQ/USP in the 70's to the present day status. It explains how the members of the scientific community organized themselves before the establishment in 1993 of a specific division within the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) through bi-ennial meetings (Brazilian Symposium of Electrochemistry and Electroanalytical Chemistry - SIBEE). Those SIBEE meetings, in a present number of 12, are described individually giving some emphasis on their organizers, the invited speakers and the statistics and overall structure of the event. The activities of the Electrochemistry and Electroanalytical Chemistry Division of the SBQ from 1993 are also briefly discussed as well as some considerations are made on the present and future of these fields.

SBQ-25 anos: Físico;Química

The authors present a concise but critical review on the development of physical chemistry in Brazil, as seen by two experimental scientists with more then 25 years of experience in the Brazilian academics.

Química Medicinal: 25 anos de planejamento racional de fármacos

The Sociedade Brasileira de Química is commemorating its 25th anniversary, and this paper is intended to draw an overview of the Brazilian Medicinal Chemistry over all these years. In 1977 Brazil had almost no activities at all in the field, albeit many efforts were already on the way for encouraging Brazilian Scientists to enter the area. Among many different endeavours to help medicinal chemists to fulfil their proposals and the establishment of an on-going research with the help of networks, the Sociedade Brasileira de Química created, in 1991, its own Division on Structure and Activity Relationship, which became the Division of Medicinal Chemistry, in 1997.

Química analítica brasileira durante os 25 anos da SBQ: contexto atual e senso comum

This work presents an overview of the development of analytical chemistry in Brazil in the last 25 years under the influence of Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ). It is shown that the common sense that analytical chemistry is still an under-developed area is not true. Data from specialized literature show a significant contribution of Brazilian analytical chemists in high impact periodicals and for several areas there is a good adherence among works carried out in Brazil and abroad according to a comparison of studies presented in the 11th Brazilian Meeting on Analytical Chemistry (Campinas, September, 2001) and the XI European Conference on Analytical Chemistry (Lisboa, September, 2000). According to the opinion of investigators in this area, there are some topics that require a focused attention for proper evolution. However, there is an absolute consensus about the evolution of graduate programs and the need to improve and extend strategies to absorb newcomers in the area. Some suggestions are presented considering possible pathways of analytical chemistry in Brazil.

Vinte e cinco anos de reações, estratégias e metodologias em Química Orgânica

An overview of the developments that occurred in the field of organic chemistry in Brazil in the last 25 years is presented. These developments are briefly compared to those observed worldwide, including some modern trends. The main source of information was the annual meeting of the Brazilian Chemical Society (RASBQ) covering the period 1979-2001 and the biennial Brazilian Meeting on Organic Synthesis (BMOS). All the contributions presented at these two meetings were classified according to six main indicatives, to permit a discussion about the past, present and future activities of Organic Chemistry in Brazil.

Química de materiais em 25 anos de SBQ

Communications on Chemistry of Materials topics were already presented in the first annual meetings of the Brazilian Chemical Society, dispersed throughout various meeting sections. The SBQ Materials Chemistry division was organized in 1993, attracting those members with an interest in the composition, structure and properties of materials, as related to their functions. This paper is an account of the development of Materials Chemistry research in Brazil, based on the SBQ annual meetings data.

Esquizofrenia: quarenta anos da hipótese dopaminérgica sob a ótica da Química Medicinal

Schizophrenia is a devastating psychiatric illness that affects 1-2% of the world population and continues as a challenge to neuroscience. In this work, we describe an account about the historical evolution of the dopaminergic hypothesis of schizophrenia discussing, from the medicinal chemistry point of view all different classes of antipsychotic drugs, emphasizing the rational design, structure activity relationships (SAR) and physico-chemical properties related with its molecular mechanism of action.

25 anos de quimiometria no Brasil

Chemometric activities in Brazil are described according to three phases: before the existence of microcomputers in the 1970s, through the initial stages of microcomputer use in the 1980s and during the years of extensive microcomputer applications of the ´90s and into this century. Pioneering activities in both the university and industry are emphasized. Active research areas in chemometrics are cited including experimental design, pattern recognition and classification, curve resolution for complex systems and multivariate calibration. New trends in chemometrics, especially higher order methods for treating data, are emphasized.

De Svante Arrhenius ao peagâmetro digital: 100 anos de medida de acidez

This work describes the establishment of the concept of pH and the evolution of its measurement. The origin of the pH definition can be found in the development of the chemistry of aqueous solutions during the XIXth century. The electrolytic dissociation theory by Svante Arrhenius played a central role. After the proposal of the pH scale by Sörensen, many years were necessary for the acceptance of this new parameter among chemists in general. Its importance was first recognized in biochemistry and related areas. Twenty years after, its importance had been recognized in many industrial and laboratorial practices. The previous methods were based on colorimetric and electrometric methods, but both suffered from many problems. Acceptance of pH in Chemistry was only possible after the development of experimental trustable measurements. The invention of the pH meter was the primordial step.

Avaliação da composição química de águas do Sistema Guarapiranga: estudo de caso nos anos de 2002 e 2003

The supply of drinking water in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo City has been a great and serious challenge in the latest years. This work demonstrates the viability of the evaluation of the degree of contamination of the water reservoirs using analytical procedures, which allow the analysis of several compounds at relatively low cost: stripping square wave voltammetry (SSWV) and capillary zone electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection (CZE-CCD). The results of ionic composition indicated significant contamination of the Guarapiranga water system by human activities on the reservoir banks. In fact, the Guavirutuba and Itupu streams presented high concentrations of phosphate and ammonium ions. This can be directly related to misuse and unruled occupation of the soil and precarious sanitary infrastructure.

Eletroforese capilar acoplada à espectrometria de massas (CE-MS): vinte anos de desenvolvimento

CE-MS has been increasingly used for analysis of a vast array of compounds. This article reviews the different electrophoretic modes, interfaces and mass analyzers that are commonly used in the CE-MS coupling, as well as the technique advantages and performance characteristics. A large compilation of CE-MS applications is also presented. Therefore, this review is both a guide for beginners and a collection of key references for people who are familiar to the technique. Furthermore, this is the first CE-MS review published in a Brazilian journal and marks the installation of the first two commercial CE-MS units in Sao Paulo State.