Poly(p-phenylene) (PPP), polypyrrole (PPY), and poly(p-phenylene-pyrrole) (PPP-PPY) films were electrochemically synthesized in acetronitrile by cyclic voltammetry. For comparison purposes, the films were characterized by cyclic voltammetry in a monomer-free solution, and their optical responses were also obtained in the UV-VIS range of energy after varying the applied potentials. The absorbance spectra of the PPP-PPY film exhibited bands typically seen in the spectra of the homopolymers, PPP and PPY films, but better defined, intense, and related to reversible color transitions. Although it was not possible to confirm by using infrared and Raman spectroscopy that a copolymer was in fact obtained, the presence of both monomers, pyrrole and biphenyl, in the polymerization medium turned easier the process of film formation, yielding darker, more uniform, and rougher films as it was verified by photographic images and AFM (atomic force microscopy) images.

Turnera subulata Sm., known as "Chanana" or "flor-do-Guarujá" in Brazilian folklore, is a plant species belonging to the subfamily Turneroideae of family Passifloraceae, which is used for various medicinal purposes in Brazil. The phytochemical study conducted here led to the isolation and identification of ten compounds present in T. subulata: two mixtures of steroids, sitosterol and stigmasterol (nonglycosylated and glycosylated); a mixture of flavonoids, 5,7,4′-trihidroxiflavona-8-C-α-glucopyranoside and 5,7,3′,4′-tetrahidroxiflavona-8-C-α-glucopyranosidel; and four phaeophytins, phaeophytin purpurin-18-phytyl ester, a rare natural product, phaeophytin a , 13²-hydroxy-(13²-S)-phaeophytin a , and phaeophytin b Phaeophytin b exhibited electrochemical activity similar to that of phthalocyanines.

In this work we take advantage of the polyelectrolyte character of some Brazilian native gums to fabricate electrically conductive, nanostructured films. The gums Sterculia urens, (caraia), Sterculia striata (chicha) or Anadenanthera macrocarpa Benth were assembled in conjunction with poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) in the form of layered nanostructured films using the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. All the LbL films displayed a well-defined electroactivity, as confirmed via cyclic voltammetry. In comparison to POMA LbL films fabricated with conventional polyelectrolytes (viz. poly(vinyl sulfonic acid)-PVS), the presence of the gums in the LbL films increased remarkably the electrochemical stability of the films.