The present work describes how a group of chemistry graduate students have improved their teaching skills by teaching extension courses. It is suggested that future teachers have much to be gained by sharing the insights they have whilst teaching with their peers and students. This work explores the implications in teaching and learning and the relationship between teachers and students. This relationship requires mutual respect of ideas as well as continuous critical evaluation in both directions.

Several cannabinoid compounds present therapeutic properties, but also have psychotropic effects, limiting their use as medicine. Nowadays, many important discoveries on the compounds extracted from the plant Cannabis sativa (cannabinoids) have contributed to understand the therapeutic properties of these compounds. The main discoveries in the last years on the cannabinoid compounds were: the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, the endogenous cannabinoids and the possible mechanisms of action involved in the interaction between cannabinoid compounds and the biological receptors. So, from the therapeutical aspects presented in this work, we intended to show the evolution of the Cannabis sativa research and the possible medicinal use of cannabinoid compounds.

This work presents the electrochemical and quantum chemical studies of the oxidation of the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline (AM) employing a carbon-polyurethane composite electrode (GPU) in a 0.1 mol L-1 BR buffer. The electrochemical results showed that the oxidation of AM occurs irreversibly at potentials close to 830 mV with the loss of one electron and one proton and is controlled by reagent and product adsorption. According to the PM3 results, the atom C16 is the region of highest probability for the oxidation of AM since it has the largest charge variation.