In this work we describe a new efficient strategy for the preparation of 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (3) in 56% overall yield. The compound 3 was used in a preliminary study of insect attraction by a mixture of semiochemicals called TIV, composed of indol (1), vanillin (2) and 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene (3), in eight Mc Phail style traps installed at a domestic orchard of citric-culture, containing 120 trees not infected by plagues in Bom Jesus Farm, located next to a patch of the Atlantic Forest, at Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

alpha-Bromoacetophenones are important in organic synthesis. They have been widely used as precursors of several natural products. Several methods of bromination aiming at their synthesis have been described, however they furnish a mixture of starting material 10, mono 8 and dibromide 11 products. We developed a novel, simple and efficient synthesis of these compounds with applications in the synthesis of benzoylbenzofurans 9, compounds with important pharmacological properties, such as the ability of dilating the coronary artery and analgesic action. Such compounds have also been used as key intermediates to obtain quinone systems.

Glucocorticosteroids (CT) show a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. In view of this, they are extensively used in sports medicine, but their misuse (systemic administration) can lead to severe injuries on athletes and has been restricted by the IOC in recent years. For GC-MS analysis, a derivatization step is necessary in order to convert them to a stable form, thus preventing thermal breakdown with the loss of the ketone side chain. Derivatization of CT is reviewed and a new approach of silylation is presented for screening of CT in urine.