In this work, two catalytic systems combining Lewis and Brønsted acids (ZnCl2/HCl and AlCl3/HCl) were applied in a tetrahydrofuran (THF)/NaClaq biphasic system to produce furan compounds from plant polysaccharides. The following cellulosic matrices were applied for this purpose: α-cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose and both native and steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse. The AlCl3/HCl catalytic system afforded the best yields for α-cellulose conversion to furan compounds (hydrolysis followed by dehydration). The highest yields of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-furfural (HMF) and furfural were 44.0 and 92.2% for AlCl3/HCl and 36.5 and 81.4% for ZnCl2/HCl, respectively. Cellulosic materials with lower crystallinity indexes afforded the best performance in hydrolysis followed by dehydration, giving relatively high yields of HMF and furfural. The HMF yields were similar for both native and steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse and the presence of lignin had a negative effect on HMF production. The highest furfural yield from native sugarcane bagasse was 60.6% with AlCl3/HCl catalytic system.

Uma série de calcogeno ésteres, 1a, 6a e 6b foi obtida em uma rota sintética conveniente. A análise de microscopia óptica de luz polarizada (POM) e calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC) mostrou que estes calcogeno ésteres apresentam uma ampla faixa de mesofase nemática. Além disso, espectros de absorção na região do UV-Vis em solução (ca.10-5 mol L-1) também foram obtidos de maneira a se obter a diferença de energia entre os orbitais moleculares HOMO-LUMO, para posterior comparação com os resultados teóricos. Os valores calculados para o gap de HOMO-LUMO estão de acordo com os valores experimentais obtidos, onde a eletronegatividade do heteroátomo (O, S e Se) deve ser o principal fator para a localização do máximo de absorção. Um estudo teórico foi realizado utilizando cálculos de DFT/B3LYP com método híbrido de Becke aplicando uma correlação funcional de Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) com a base DGDZVP a fim de avaliar algumas propriedades físico-químicas relacionadas com o mesomorfismo e as propriedades eletrônicas espectrais. Através da síntese destes compostos, a influência do átomo de calcogênio nas propriedades fotofísicas e mesomórficas pôde ser avaliada de uma forma mais precisa.

A series of chalcogeno esters 1a, 6a and 6b have been synthesized in a straightforward manner. Polarized-light optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that these chalcogeno esters displayed a wide nematic range of mesophase. In addition, UV-Vis in solution (ca.10-5 mol L-1) was applied in order to obtain the HOMO-LUMO gap for further comparison with the theoretical results. The calculated values to the HOMO-LUMO gap are in excellent agreement with the experimental results, where the electronegativity of the heteroatom (O, S and Se) seems to play a fundamental role in the absorption maxima location. A theoretical study was performed using a DFT/B3LYP calculations with Becke's three-parameter hybrid method applying the Lee-Yang-Parr functional correlation (B3LYP) with DGDZVP basis set in order to evaluate some physical chemistry data related with mesomorphic and spectral eletronic properties. By synthesizing these compounds we were able to get a more precise description about the influence of the chalcogen atom on the mesomorphic and photophysical properties.