Abstract Sources of fluoride contaminated water are found around the world and their treatment is required before human consumption. This paper contributes to advances in the use of bone-char as an adsorbent for fluoride, associating steps of chemical regeneration and fluoride adsorption in continuous systems, thereby making feasible the multiple use of the adsorbent. Following the development of low cost treatment of water defluoridation in a fixed bed column, using bone-char, regeneration was carried out with NaOH (0.5 mol/L) solution in subsequent adsorption/desorption cycles. The continuous system was modeled applying Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, Adams-Bohart, Wolborska and Yan models, and the Yan model showed the best adjustment. The adsorption capacity of 6.28 mg/g was obtained from the breakthrough curve. Chemical regeneration of bone-char was feasible, and a reduction in adsorption capacity of 30% was observed only after five adsorption/desorption cycles.

This study describes the use of uncured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a binder agent to prepare carbon paste electrodes (CPEs). A comparative study between the properties of CPEs prepared with PDMS and mineral oil Nujol®, the most common binder agent for CPEs, was carried out. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry showed that PDMS-CPEs presented higher electrical conductivity, active electrochemical area, and wider useful potential window compared with Nujol®-CPEs. Moreover, PDMS-CPEs were more stable in aqueous mixtures containing 50% (v/v) of ethanol or methanol than Nujol®-CPEs. PDMS-CPEs have also provided higher sensitivity and lower limit of detection to propranolol than Nujol®-CPE. Therefore, this study demonstrated that PDMS is a promising alternative binder agent able to produce CPEs with superior chemical/electrochemical stability and improved analytical performance.

Cellulose derivatives still receive special attention in today biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, ability to form resistant membranes and compatibility with various bioactive agents. In this work, cellulose acetate (CA) was used to prepare membranes with different morphologies aiming to evaluate the release profile of the drug ibuprofen (IBF). The IBF incorporation was performed by the addition of 10% of the drug in an 8% (w/w) CA/acetone solution. The morphology of the membranes was modified by the addition of water, used as porogenic agent. Drug release assays showed the effect of morphology on the cumulative drug release curves. The symmetric membrane exhibited retention of significant amounts of the drug and a slow release process that lasted for more than 50 hours. The asymmetric porous membranes presented different behavior with greater amount of drug released in less time of release. The kinetic parameters calculated from the Higuchi and Korsmeyer/Peppas models indicated release profiles controlled by diffusion/solution process in the polymer matrix. The results revealed that the interactions established between IBF, CA and the matrix morphology are significant factors for the kinetic control of the drug release process and enable to choose different applications of the membranes loaded with IBF.

This work presents a voltammetric method for Zn2+ determination in antiseptic dusting powder and multivitamin commercial samples, combining an alkaline extraction using NaOH aqueous solution with a carbon paste electrode chemically modified with Bi anchored on Amberlite® IR120 ion exchange resin (CPEAmb/Bi). The best conditions for electrode preparation were: 10% (m/m) of Amberlite® IR 120; 30 s Bi3+ accumulation time (open circuit) in 0.5 mmol L-1 Bi3+ solution prepared in 0.1 mol L-1 acetate buffer (pH = 5.5). The analytical curve for Zn2+ using the CPEAmb/Bi presented linear range from 0.05 to 8.2 µmol L-1 and the limit of detection was 10 nmol L-1. The voltammetric method was simple, fast, efficient and low-cost for the Zn2+ determination in antiseptic dusting powder and multivitamin samples.

In various industrial processes, such as the process of obtaining potassium by solution mining or in the oil industry, fuels are burnt concurrently to the formation of saline effluents. The opportunity to sequester carbon through capturing the CO2 from the flue gas by carbonation of these effluents and reducing the potential of scaling of the water is evident. The use of saline industrial effluent from electrodialysis for carbon sequestration by mineralization of carbon dioxide is the focus of this work. The carbonation reaction of saline effluent of reverse electrodialysis, of low ionic strength and higher CO2 solubility, was simulated through OLI®. Precipitation tests were performed by bubbling 10-20 NL h-1 CO2 in a glass reactor containing the brine and pH adjusted to 8.9. The solid was characterized and the results from the simulation and the experiments were compared. The removal of calcium and strontium in the form of carbonates reach out up to 98% and 75%. The simulation results were in line with the experimental results for the calcium behavior, but not for strontium. The OLI® simulation was powerful to represent the calcium carbonate formation, however, comparisons between predicted Sr removal and testwork results presented differences and must be investigated.

This paper describes a comparative study between the procedures of deconvolution and the second-order derivative of square wave voltammograms to achieve separation of the voltammetric peaks of levofloxacin (LEVO) and norfloxacin (NOR), for their simultaneous quantification in urine samples. The obtained results indicate that the use of second-derivative voltammograms coupled with carbon screen-printed electrodes is the most efficient approach for completely separating the voltammetric peaks of LEVO and NOR. In addition, this approach has produced detection limits lower than 1.0 µmol L-1 and a wide linear range for both drugs. The proposed method was successfully used to simultaneously determine LEVO and NOR in spiked human and bovine urine samples with recovery percentages close to 100% for all analyzed samples.

This work describes a simple and inexpensive flow injection analysis system in which gravity force provides fluid propulsion while needles for insulin administration or metallic wires act as electrodes for amperometric detection. The proposed system was able to demonstrate the influence of several operational parameters on the transient signals. Moreover, this system was successfully used to evaluate both the stoichiometry of Cu2+-EDTA complex and the effect of pH on the kinetics of the reaction between ferricyanide and ascorbic acid. Therefore, the proposed system can be regarded as an efficient and accessible didactic tool for the teaching of FIA principles.

The antinociceptive activity of the Maytenus rigida Mart. (Celastraceae) ethanol extract and its ethyl acetate fraction as well as of (-)-4'-methylepigallocatechin (1), a previously isolated compound, was demonstrated in vivo. ED50 for 1 in the writhing test was 14.14 mg/kg. The acetic acid-induced writhing was inhibited by 98.4, 84.4, and 58.3%, respectively, when mice were treated with the ethanol extract, ethyl acetate fraction, and 1. In the hot plate test, mice pretreated with 1 showed significantly increased reaction times (60-89%). Oral administration of 1 significantly inhibited first and second phases of the formalin-induced pain (50 and 26.5%, respectively), whereas indomethacin inhibited only the second phase of the test (41.2%). Ethanol extract and its fraction showed effects on inflammatory pain, while neurogenic and inflammatory pain suppression by 1 is a strong indication of the presence of both central and peripheral effects and suggests its analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential.

Um eletrodo de pasta de carbono preparado com parafina sólida como aglutinante e quimicamente modificado com sílica funcionalizada com grupos 2-aminotiazol foi empregado na quantificação simultânea de Pb2+ e Cu2+ em amostras de água por meio de voltametria de redissolução anódica. O presente método emprega um tempo curto de pré-concentração (180 s), o qual permitiu a quantificação simultânea e confiável de Pb2+ e Cu2+ de maneira bastante rápida. Foram obtidos limites de detecção de 7,3 e 90 nmol L-1 para Pb2+ e Cu2+, respectivamente. Estes valores estão abaixo das concentrações máximas permitidas destes metais em água potável segundo a legislação brasileira, indicando que o método proposto é aplicável para o monitoramento de Pb2+ e Cu2+ em amostras de água. Estudos de recuperação foram realizados em quatro amostras de água enriquecidas, sendo obtidas porcentagens de recuperação próximas a 100% para todas as amostras analisadas, demonstrando a boa acuracidade do método proposto

A solid paraffin-based carbon paste electrode modified with 2-aminothiazole functionalized silica-gel was used for simultaneous quantification of Pb2+ and Cu2+ in water samples by anodic stripping voltammetry. The present method uses short preconcentration time (180 s), which allowed reliable and simultaneous quantification of Pb2+ and Cu2+ in a very fast way. Detection limits of 7.3 and 90 nmol L-1 were obtained for Pb2+ and Cu2+, respectively. These values are below their maximum concentrations allowed in drinking water by Brazilian legislation, indicating that the proposed method is useful to monitoring Pb2+ and Cu2+ in water samples. Recovery studies were performed in four spiked water samples and the results shown recovery percentages close to 100% for all analyzed samples, demonstrating the good accuracy of the proposed method

Várias espécies do gênero Hyptis são utilizadas na medicina popular para tratar processos inflamatórios. Para avaliar as ações anti-inflamatória e antioxidante da Hyptis fruticosa Salzm. ex Benth., Lamiaceae, utilizou-se extrato etanólico (EE) das folhas desta planta e suas partições n-C6H14, CHCl3, AcOEt e MeOH/H2O. O tratamento oral com o EE das folhas da H. fruticosa (100, 200 e 400 mg/kg) ou suas partições n-C6H14, AcOEt e MeOH/H2O (50, 100 e 200 mg/kg) apresentou atividade inibitória sobre a formação de edema e migração leucocitária para a cavidade peritoneal induzidas pela carragenina em ratos (p<0,05). Entretanto, a partição CHCl3 não causou nenhum efeito sobre a formação de edema e migração de células peritoneais. O EE bruto e a partição AcOEt apresentaram alto potencial antioxidante (IC50 = 35,00±1,01 e 36,67±2,65 µg/mL DPPH, respectivamente), similar ao composto referência (IC50 = 16,67±1,21 µg/mL). Em conclusão, demonstrou-se que a H. fruticosa apresenta atividades anti-inflamatória e antioxidante.

Various species of Hyptis are used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory. In order to evaluate the actions of Hyptis fruticosa Salzm. ex Benth., Lamiaceae, studies were performed on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The ethanol extract (EE) of H. fruticosa leaves and its n-CH, CHCl, EtOAc, and MeOH/HO partitions were used in the following experiments. Oral treatment with the EE of H. fruticosa leaves (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) or its n-C6H14, EtOAc, and MeOH/H2O partitions (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) elicited inhibitory activity (p<0.05) on carrageenan-induced oedema formation and leukocyte migration into the peritoneal cavity in rats. However, the CHCl3 partition did not show any inhibitory effect on paw oedema and peritonitis experimental models. The EE and EtOAc partition present highest antioxidant potential (IC50 = 35.00±1.01 and 36.67±2.65 µg/mL DPPH, respectively), similar to the reference compound (IC50 = 16.67±1.21 µg/mL). In conclusion, H. fruticosa shows anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Periodically, during petroleum shortage, fatty acids and their derivatives have been used as alternative fuels to those derived from petroleum. Different approaches have been proposed, including the use of neat fats and oils or their derivatives. Indeed, the utilization of biodiesel produced by alcoholysis of triacilglycerides or esterification of fatty acids, or hydrocarbons obtained from cracking of fatty materials were studied and used in several countries. Increasing concerns about energy security and climate changes have lead several countries, including Brazil, to start up biofuels programs. Different technologies are currently being developed in order to produce biofuels with economical feasibility. In this work are discussed alternative fatty raw-materials and processing technologies that are currently being studied in order to produce fuels suitable to sustainable substitute diesel fuel.

Neste trabalho, a redução eletroquímica do amebicida Teclozan (TEC) foi estudada sobre um eletrodo de carbono vítreo em meio de acetonitrila. Eletrólises com potencial controlado foram realizadas visando, tanto a determinação do número de elétrons envolvidos na redução do fármaco, quanto a identificação dos produtos eletrogerados, os quais foram isolados por extração líquido-líquido e caracterizados por ¹H RMN. Foi verificado que o TEC apresenta dois picos voltamétricos, cada um associado à quebra redutiva de duas ligações C-Cl. Em presença de um doador de prótons, foi observado que o primeiro pico voltamétrico em -1,8 V corresponde principalmente à redução dos grupamentos -CHCl2 a -CH2Cl; enquanto o segundo pico em -2,2 V é responsável pela redução dos grupos -CH2Cl a CH3, fornecendo como único produto o derivado totalmente desalogenado do TEC, com rendimentos entre 82 e 97%. Este trabalho descreve também o desenvolvimento de um método eletroanalítico baseado na detecção amperométrica do TEC em condições hidrodinâmicas, o qual forneceu um limite de detecção de 8,9 × 10-6 mol L-1.

The electrochemical reduction of amoebicide Teclozan (TEC) was studied on a glassy carbon electrode in acetonitrile. Controlled-potential electrolyses were performed for coulometric and preparative purposes. The electrogenerated products were isolated by liquid-liquid extraction and characterized by ¹H NMR. It was observed that TEC presents two voltammetric peaks, each one associated with the cleavage of two C-Cl bonds. In presence of a proton donor it was observed that the first peak at -1.8 V promotes mainly the reduction of the groups CHCl2 to CH2Cl and the second one at -2.2 V promotes the reduction of the groups CH2Cl to CH3 giving as the sole product the completely dechlorinated TEC derivative with yields between 82 and 97%. In addition, a comparative study between the analytical performance of voltammetric techniques and amperometric detection of TEC in hydrodynamic conditions was performed. The amperometric detection was more sensitive than all evaluated voltammetric techniques, providing a detection limit of 8.9 × 10-6 mol L-1.

Orthopristis ruber (Cuvier, 1830) é uma espécie muito comum na costa brasileira, sendo encontrada em baias, onde figura entre os mais abundantes peixes nos arrastos de fundo. Este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar a influência das condicionantes ambientais na distribuição espaço-temporal e no período reprodutivo de O. ruber na Baía de Sepetiba, uma área costeira semi-fechada no sul do Rio de Janeiro. Foi realizado um programa de arrasto de fundo, entre outubro de 1998 e setembro de 1999, em três zonas da baía, estabelecidas de acordo com sua proximidade do mar (interna, central e externa). Amostras mensais de peixes foram tomadas em triplicatas em cada ocasião de amostragem, bem como foram medidas as variáveis ambientais de temperatura, salinidade, transparência e profundidade. Abundância relativa foi avaliada com base nas CPUEs (Captura por Unidade de Esforço) em termos de número e de biomassa, enquanto o período reprodutivo foi determinado com o índice gonadossomático. Um total de 866 indivíduos foi capturado, com o tamanho variando entre 31 e 293 mm de comprimento total e proporção sexual de 1:1. Um maior número de peixes foi registrado em janeiro/fevereiro e em maio, embora não tenha sido encontrada diferença na abundancia relativa entre as estações do ano. Espacialmente, os maiores números e biomassas foram registrados na zona externa. Correlação positiva significativa foi encontrada entre a abundancia relativa e a profundidade, salinidade e transparência, e negativa com a temperatura. O período reprodutivo, indicado pelos maiores valores de índices gonadosomático (IGS), provavelmente ocorre de junho a setembro, coincidindo com as menores temperaturas. Esta espécie parece ter distribuição limitada às zonas mais externa da baia, próxima à influência com o mar, com maiores influxos no verão, como provável efeito da das Águas Centrais do Atlântico Sul (ACAS) que comprimem as Águas Costeiras (AC) para a baía.

Orthopristis ruber (Cuvier, 1830) is a very common species in the Brazilian coast, being found in large abundance in bays where they rank among the most numerical abundant species in bottom trawls. This work aims to assess environmental influences on spatial, temporal distribution and reproductive period of O. ruber in the Sepetiba Bay, a coastal semi-closed area in the Rio de Janeiro State. Monthly samplings were carried out using otter trawl from October 1998 to September 1999, in three Bay zones, defined according to the proximity of the sea (inner, middle and outer). Samples were taken as triplicate at each site as well as environmental measurements of water temperature, salinity, transparency and depth. Relative abundance was assessed by CPUE (capture per unit effort) in both number and weight. The reproductive period was determined by the gonadossomatic index. A total of 866 individuals was caught, with size ranging from 31 to 293 mm Total Length and sex ratio 1:1. Higher fish numbers and biomass were recorded in January/February and May, although no significant difference was found among seasons. Spatially, the highest number and biomass were recorded in the outer zone. Positive significant correlation between relative abundance and depth, salinity and transparency and negative with temperature were found. The reproductive period, indicated by the highest gonadosomatic index (IGS) occurred probably between June and September, coinciding with the lowest temperatures. This species seems to have distribution limited to outer bay zones, near to the sea influence, with the highest influxes in Summer, as a probable effect of the South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW) that compress Coastal Waters (CW) toward the bay.

A redução eletroquímica do Furoato de Diloxanida (FD) em acetonitrila sobre um eletrodo de carbono vítreo foi estudada neste trabalho. Foi observado que o FD é reduzido após uma transferência reversível de um elétron seguida por uma reação química irreversível, diagnosticada, como uma ruptura de uma ligação C-Cl. A redução do FD foi estudada por voltametria de varredura linear (LSV), pulso diferencial (DPV) e onda quadrada (SWV). Curvas analíticas foram obtidas usando todas as técnicas voltamétricas estudadas. Para a técnica de LSV obteve-se um intervalo linear (LR) de 5,0 x 10-4 a 1,0 x 10-2 mol L-1, com limite de detecção (DL) de 1,5 x 10-4 mol L-1 e sensibilidade (S) de 2,1 x 10(4) µA mol-1 L . Os parâmetros analíticos obtidos com a técnica de DPV foram: LR = 5,0 x 10-4 a 2,2 x 10-3 mol L-1, DL = 7,8 x 10-5 mol L-1, S = 3,7 x 10(4) µA mol-1 L. Para a técnica de SWV foram obtidos os seguintes parâmetros analíticos LR = 7,5 x 10-6 a 1,2 x 10-3 mol L-1, DL = 5,5 x 10-6 mol L-1 e S = 2,8 x 10(5) µA mol-1 L. Assim, a técnica de SWV foi a mais sensível, podendo ser empregada para a quantificação de FD em baixos níveis de concentração. Métodos estatísticos foram utilizados para avaliar o procedimento analítico, recuperações próximas a 100% e desvios padrão relativos inferiores a 5,0% (N=5) foram obtidos. Através do teste-t verificou-se que não há evidências de erros sistemáticos em nenhuma das técnicas estudadas.

The electrochemical reduction of diloxanide furoate (DF) in acetonitrile on glassy carbon electrode was studied in this work. It was observed that DF is reduced after a reversible one-electron transfer followed by an irreversible chemical reaction, diagnosed as C-Cl bond cleavage. Its reduction was followed by linear (LSV), differential pulse (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Analytical curves were obtained for DF determination using all the investigated voltammetric techniques. For LSV was obtained a linear range (LR) from 5.0 x 10-4 to 1.0 x 10-2 mol L-1, with detection limit (DL) of 1.5 x 10-4 mol L-1 and sensitivity (S) of 2.1 x 10(4) µA mol-1 L. The analytical parameters obtained by DPV were: LR = 5.0 x 10-4 to 2.2 x 10-3 mol L-1, DL = 7.8 x 10-5 mol L-1, S = 3.7 x 10(4) µA mol-1 L. For SWV were obtained a LR = 7.5 x 10-6 to 1.2 x 10-3 mol L-1, DL = 5.5 x 10-6 mol L-1 and S = 2.8 x 10(5) µA mol-1 L. Thus, the SWV was the most sensible technique, which can be used for DF determination at low concentration levels. Statistics methods were used to evaluate the analytical procedure, where recovery around to 100% was obtained for all voltammetric techniques. Relative standard deviations were lower than 5.0% (N=5). The obtained t values evaluating all the three voltammetric methods were less than the tabulated ones, indicating that there are no evidences of systematic error.

A relação peso-comprimento de Orthopristis ruber (Cuvier, 1830) na Baia de Sepetiba (22º54'-23º04'S; 43º34'-44º10'W), Rio de Janeiro foi determinada. Este trabalho objetiva contribuir com o conhecimento sobre a morfometria desta espécie na baía e fornecer bases para comparações com outros ambientes. Os peixes foram coletados em programas de amostragens de arrasto de praia (juvenis) e arrasto de fundo (adultos) entre outubro de 1998 e setembro de 1999. A equação encontrada foi W = 0,000006 L3,1368 para machos e W = 0,000006 L3,14º3 para fêmeas. Alometria positiva foi encontrada para machos e fêmeas e a proporção sexual foi de 1:1. Os altos valores para o coeficiente alométrico indicam alto investimento no crescimento, que pode ser devido ao pequeno tamanho relativo dos espécimes da população analisada, ou ser um mecanismo para suportar as condições de estresse nesta área.

The lenght-weight relationship of Orthopristis rubber (Cuvier, 1830) in the Sepetiba Bay (22º54'-23º04'S; 43º34'-44º10'W), Rio de Janeiro was determined. It aims to contribute to morphometrics knowledge of this species in a semi-closed coastal area and to supply basis for comparisons with others environment. Fishes were collected by beach seine (juveniles) and otter trawl (adults) from October 1998 to September 1999. The equation found was W = 0,000006 L3,1368 for males and W = 0,000006 L3,14º3 for females. Positive allometry was found for both sexes and sex rate was 1:1. The comparatively high values for allometric coefficient indicate high investment in growth, which can be due to relatively small size of the examined fish populations, or a mechanism to overcome stress conditions in the area.