Brominated Trihalomethylenones as Versatile Precursors to 3‐Ethoxy, ‐Formyl, ‐Azidomethyl, ‐Triazolyl,and 3‐Aminomethyl Pyrazoles

5‐Bromo[5,5‐dibromo]‐1,1,1‐trihalo‐4‐methoxy‐3‐penten[hexen]‐2‐ones are explored as precursors to the synthesis of 3‐ethoxymethyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐pyrazoles from a cyclocondensation reaction with hydrazine monohydrate in ethanol. 3‐Ethoxymethyl‐carboxyethyl ester pyrazoles were formed as a result of a substitution reaction of bromine and chlorine by ethanol. The dibrominated precursor furnished 3‐acetal‐pyrazole that was easily hydrolyzed to formyl group. In addition, brominated precursors were used in a nucleophilic substitution reaction with sodium azide to synthesize the 3‐azidomethyl‐5‐ethoxycarbonyl‐1H‐pyrazole from the reaction with hydrazine monohydrate. These products were submitted to a cycloaddition reaction with phenyl acetylene furnishing the 3‐[4(5)‐phenyl‐1,2,3‐triazolyl]5‐ ethoxycarbonyl‐1H‐pyrazoles and to reduction conditions resulting in 3‐aminomethyl‐1H‐pyrazole‐5‐carboxyethyl ester. The products were obtained by a simple methodology and in moderate to good yields.     

Wall roughness effects in laminar flows: an often ignored though significant issue

The effect of wall roughness, which is strong in turbulent flows often, is neglected in laminar flows, though without justification. With an experimental set-up which allows for changes in the relative roughness of a channel without requiring manipulation of the rough channel surface, it can be shown that there is a non-negligible influence of wall roughness even for laminar flows. Based on the consideration of entropy production in these flows, an increased dissipation rate in the vicinity of the roughness elements is identified as the physical mechanism that leads to an increased total head loss when the walls are no longer smooth.     

Esterification Activity of Novel Fungal and Yeast Lipases

The main objective of this work was the isolation and screening of microorganisms with potential for producing lipases for the synthesis of fatty esters as well as evaluating the specificity of the enzymes produced, using different alcohols (methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, and butanol) and fatty acids (oleic and lauric acids) as substrates. Promising biocatalysts for organic synthesis were obtained in this work. The isolated strains 69F and 161Y showed ability to efficiently catalyze the reaction for production of n-propyl oleate. Other strains can also be considered of potential interest, as 74F, 111Y, and 186Y. The future development of production using different substrates could result in cheap crude lipase of high importance to industrial applicability.     

Indium(III) bromide catalyzed one-pot synthesis of trichloromethylated tetrahydropyrimidinones

One-pot condensation of ethyl trichloroacetoacetate 1 with p-substituted aromatic aldehydes (Ph, 4-Me-C₆H₄, 4-Cl-C₆H₄, 4-MeO-C₆H₄) or furfural, and urea or thiourea catalyzed by indium(III) bromide affords eight trichloromethylated tetrahydropyrimidinones, in high yields.     

Comparison of classical and ultrasound-assisted extractions of steroids and triterpenoids from three Chresta spp

A comparative study of classical and ultrasound-assisted extractions of steroids and triterpenoids from stem, leaves and flowers of Chresta exsucca, C. scapigera and C. sphaerocephala is described. The direct analysis of crude apolar and medium-polar extracts has been conducted by high-resolution gas chromatography followed by co-injections of the crude extract with certified standards on capillary columns of different polarities. The use of ultrasound decreased significantly the total time of treatment and in addition, this extraction method was more effective for the steroids and most of the triterpenes.