>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The tuberculosis (TB) disease to this day remains one of the world’s prominent killerdiseases. Pyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the most commonly prescribed anti- tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs due to its ability to significantly shorten the TB treatment period from the former nine months to the current six months duration. However, excess PZA in the body causes hepatotoxicity and damages the liver. This hepatotoxicity, together with the resistance of the bacteria to treatment drugs, poor medication and inappropriate dosing, greatly contribute to the high incidents of TB deaths and diseases that are due to side effects (such as liver damage). This brings about the calls for alternative methods for ensuring reliable dosing of the drug, which will be specific from person to person due to inter-individual differences in drug metabolism. A novel biosensor system for monitoring the metabolism of PZA was prepared with a Ni-PPI-PPy star copolymer and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) deposited onto a platinum electrode. The nanobiosensor system exhibited enhanced electro-activity that is attributed to the catalytic effect of the incorporated star copolymer. The biosensor had a sensitivity of 0.142 µA.nM-1, and a dynamic linear range (DLR) of 0.01 nM-0.12 nM (1.231 – 7.386 ng/L PZA). The limit of detection of the biosensor was found to be 0.00114 nM (0.14 ng/L) PZA. From the HPLC peakconcentration (Cmax) of PZA determined 2 h after drug intake is 2.79 – 3.22 ng.L-1,which is very detectable with the nanobiosensor as it falls within the dynamic linear range.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), particularly palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt) and rhodium (Rh) have been identified as pollutants in the environment due to their increased use in catalytic converters and mining in South Africa (as well as worldwide). Joining the continuous efforts to alleviate this dilemma, a new electrochemical sensor based on a nanoparticle film transducer has been developed to assess the level of these metals in the environment. The main goal of this study was to exploit the capabilities of nanostructured material for the development and application of an adsorptive stripping voltammetric method for reliable quantification of PGMs in environmental samples. In the study reported in this thesis, glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) surfaces were modified with conducting films of nanostructured reduced graphene oxide-antimony nanoparticles (rGO-SbNPs) for application as electrochemical sensors. The rGO-SbNPs nanocomposite was prepared by Hummer`s synthesis of antimony nanoparticles in reaction medium containing reduced graphene oxide. Sensors were constructed by drop coating of the surfaces of the carbon electrodes with rGO-SbNPs films followed by air-drying. The nanocomposite material was characterised by: scanning and transmission electron miscroscopies; FTIR, UV-Vis and Ramanspectrosocopies; dc voltammetry; and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The real surface area of both electrodes were studied and estimated to be 1.66 × 10⁶ mol cm⁻² and 4.09 × 10³ mol cm⁻² for SPCE/rGO-SbNPs and GCE/rGO-SbNPs, respectively. The film thickness was also evaluated and estimated to be 0.36 cm and 1.69 × 10⁻⁶ cm for SPCE/rGO-SbNPs and GCE/rGO-SbNPs, respectively. Referring to these results, the SPCE/rGO-SbNPs sensor had a better sensitivity than the GCE/rGO-SbNPs sensor. The electroanalytical properties of the PGMs were first studied by cyclic voltammetry followed by indepth stripping voltammetric analysis. The development of the stripping voltammetry methodology involved the optimisation of experimental conditions such as selection of adequate supporting electrolyte, choice of pH and /or concentration of supporting electrolytes, deposition potential, deposition time, stirring conditions. The detection of Pd(II), Pt(II) and Rh(III) in environmental samples were performed SPCE/rGO-SbNPs and GCE/rGO-SbNPs at the optimised experimental conditions For the GCE/rGO-SbNPs sensor, the detection limit was found to be 0.45, 0.49 and 0.49 pg L⁻¹ (S/N = 3) for Pd(II), Pt(II) and Rh(III), respectively. For the SPCE/rGO-SbNPs sensor, the detection limit was found to be 0.42, 0.26 and 0.34 pg L⁻¹ (S/N = 3) for Pd(II), Pt(II) and Rh(III), respectively. The proposed adsorptive differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetric (AdDPCSV) method was found to be sensitive, accurate, precise, fast and robust for the determination of PGMs in soil and dust samples. The simultaneous determination of PGMs was also investigated with promising results obtained. The AdDPCSV sensor performance was compared with that of inductive coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) for the determination of PGM ions in soil and dust samples. It was found that though the metals could be determined by ICP-MS technique, it was limited from the standpoints of sensitivity, ease of operation and versatility compared to the AdDPCSV sensor. This study has show cased the successful construction and application of novel SPCE/rGO-SbNPs and GCE/rGO-SbNPs AdDPCSV sensors forthe determination of PGMs in environmental samples (specifically roadside dust and soil samples). The study provides a promising analytical tool for monitoring PGMs pollutants that are produced by automobiles and transported in the environment.

Masters of Science / South African dams and reservoirs are increasingly showing the propensity to support sustained populations of Cyanobacteria (blue green algae). These photosynthetic bacteria occur throughout the world and can rapidly form blooms in eutrophic water systems. The occurrence of these photosynthetic bacteria, in our dwindling drinking water source dams, poses a serious, economic, as well as a health, threat to and arid country like South Africa due to is potential to produce of toxic metabolites like Microcystins and Nodularins (MCN). MCN's are cyclic peptides toxins, harmful to humans and animals, and its toxicological mechanism is based on a strong inhibition of protein phosphatises in the liver. This may lead to severe liver damage and increased tumour development. Rural communities consuming untreated water in South Africa are most at risk due the high toxicity of MCN’s at low doses.We endeavour to develop an immunosensor for the detection of Microcystins and nodularins using anti-sheep IgG antibody labelled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilised on a modified glassy-carbon polymer surface. The immunosensor will be applied to water samples for MCN’s as a group of compounds recognised by the ADDA moiety common to all MCN congeners. The immunosensor will provide immediate confirmation and quantification of MCN’s in situ. A competitive Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbant Assay (ELISA) and High Performance liquid Chromatography (HPLC) will be used to validate results of our immunosensor. Elisa's are widely used as a screening test method for MCN's. The antibody-antigen specificity forms the bases for the recognition of target compound (MCN's) by antibodies which bind to a compound which is labelled with a colour indicator, and quantified by spectrophotometry.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Chemistry) / Electrochemical platforms were developed based on pencil graphite electrodes (PGEs) modified electrochemically with reduced graphene oxide metal nanoparticles (ERGO-metalNPs) composite and used for the high-sensitivity determination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in water samples. Synergistic effects of both reduced Graphene Oxide sheets and metal nanoparticles on the performance of the pencil graphite electrode (PGE) were demonstrated in the oxidation of BPA by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). A solution of graphene oxide (GO) 1 mg mL-1 and 15 ppm of metal stock solutions (1,000 mg L-1, atomic absorption standard solution) (Antimony or Gold) was prepared and after sonication deposited onto pencil graphite electrodes by cyclic voltammetry reduction. Different characterization techniques such as FT-IR, HR-SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the GO and ERGO-metalNPs. Parameters that influence the electroanalytical response of the ERGO-SbNPs and ERGO-AuNPs such as, pH, deposition time, deposition potential, purging time were investigated and optimized. Well-defined, reproducible peaks with detection limits of 0.0125 ?M and 0.062 ?M were obtained for BPA using ERGO-SbNPs and ERGO-AuNPs respectively. The rGO-metalNPs-PGE was used for the quantification of BPA in tap water sample and proved to be suitable for the detection of BPA below USEPA prescribed drinking water standards of 0.087 ?M. / 2021-12-31

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Chemistry) / Electrochemical platforms were developed based on pencil graphite electrodes (PGEs) modified electrochemically with reduced graphene oxide metal nanoparticles (ERGO–metalNPs) composite and used for the high-sensitivity determination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in water samples. Synergistic effects of both reduced Graphene Oxide sheets and metal nanoparticles on the performance of the pencil graphite electrode (PGE) were demonstrated in the oxidation of BPA by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). A solution of graphene oxide (GO) 1 mg mL-1 and 15 ppm of metal stock solutions (1,000 mg L-1, atomic absorption standard solution) (Antimony or Gold) was prepared and after sonication deposited onto pencil graphite electrodes by cyclic voltammetry reduction. Different characterization techniques such as FT-IR, HR-SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the GO and ERGO–metalNPs. Parameters that influence the electroanalytical response of the ERGO–SbNPs and ERGO–AuNPs such as, pH, deposition time, deposition potential, purging time were investigated and optimized. Well-defined, reproducible peaks with detection limits of 0.0125 μM and 0.062 μM were obtained for BPA using ERGO–SbNPs and ERGO–AuNPs respectively. The rGO-metalNPs–PGE was used for the quantification of BPA in tap water sample and proved to be suitable for the detection of BPA below USEPA prescribed drinking water standards of 0.087 μM.

[pt] Neste trabalho, novas abordagens analíticas para a determinação seletiva de ciclofenil, estrobilurinas (azoxistrobina e dimoxistrobina) e Cu (II) foram desenvolvidas. A determinação do ciclofenil foi feita por meio do sinal fluorescente obtido após sua fotoderivação com UV. Para se alcançar máxima fluorescência (250/410 nm), as condições ótimas para derivação fotoquímica e para medição espectrofluorimétrica foram otimizadas de forma univariada e, em seguida, por meio da otimização multivariada (planejamento composto central). Os valores otimizados mais críticos foram 2 h de tempo de exposição ao UV em meio metanol/tampão Britton-Robinson pH 10,5. Um mecanismo para a reação fotoquímica foi proposto, com a indicação da estrutura de dois prováveis fotoderivados. Nestas condições, a resposta analítica teve comportamento linear e homoscedástico (r2 = 0,9951), sendo o limite de detecção (LQ) e o limite de quantificação (LQ) para determinação espectrofluorimétrica respectivamente iguais a 1,1 x 10-8 mol L-1 e 3,7 x 10-7 mol L-1. A faixa linear do método se estendeu até 8 x 10-5 mol L-1. Esta metodologia se mostrou adequada para a determinação do ciclofenil em formulações farmacêuticas com recuperações de 98,3 ± 3,9 %. Para as determinações em urina, se fez necessário o uso da separação cromatográfica em fase líquida. Nesse caso, o sinal fluorescente de um dos picos do derivado fotoquímico (tempo de retenção em 7.0 min) foi escolhido. Eficiente separação do sinal da matriz foi obtida em coluna C-18 usando modo de eluição gradiente e fase móvel contendo metanol/água. O uso de padrão interno (acetato de m-toluil) permitiu recuperações de 99,5 ± 3,4 % do analito em urina fortificada. No caso da determinação seletiva de Cu (II) por voltametria de PUC-Rio - Certificação Digital Nº 0410388/CA redissolução anódica utilizando eletrodo de filme de bismuto, foi necessário inicialmente resolver a interferência entre os picos de redissolução do Cu (II) e do Bi (III), já que ambos aparecem em aproximadamente +80 mV. A interferência foi contornada com a adição de peróxido de hidrogênio, que provocou o deslocamento do potencial de redissolução do Cu (II) para +200 mV, provavelmente devido à deposição de espécies oxidadas de cobre no filme de bismuto. As condições experimentais e instrumentais foram otimizadas, de forma univariada, para se obter um máximo de sinal analítico do Cu (II) sendo, para tal, escolhidas as seguintes condições: potencial de deposição em -1400 mV, velocidade de varredura de 400 mV s-1, 100 mV de amplitude, 120 s de tempo de deposição e modo de varredura de onda quadrada. Nestas condições, foi encontrado uma resposta analítica linear (R2 = 0,9927) e homoscedástica entre a concentração de Cu (II) e a altura do pico de redissolução. O método foi aplicado em amostras de cachaça onde se obteve valores de LD e de LQ respectivamente iguais a 2,9 x 10-7 mol L-1 e 9,5 x 10-7 mol L-1 respectivamente. Os resultados obtidos destas determinações foram comparados com os provenientes de outra técnica (espectrofotometria de absorção atômica com forno de grafite) e não foi encontrada nenhuma diferença estatística entre estas duas técnicas. A viabilidade da determinação simultânea de Cd (II) e de Pb (II) também foi estudada e uma condição experimental de compromisso estabelecida. Para a estrobilurinas, um método voltamétrico sensível e seletivo foi desenvolvido para a aplicação em alimentos, água de rio e suco industriais. As condições instrumentais foram desenvolvidas de modo a se obter um máximo de sinal analítico para determinação simultânea de azoxistrobina e dimoxistrobina no eletrodo de mercúrio. As condições otimizadas foram: potencial inicial em -300 mV, 150 mV de amplitude, velocidade de varredura de 300 mV s-1, modo de varredura de onda quadrada. Nestas condições foram observados sinais para a azoxistrobina e para a dimoxistrobin / [en] In this work, analytical approaches for the selective determinations of cyclofenil, stroblilurins (azoxystrobin and dimoxystrobin) and Cu (II) have been developed. The determination of cyclofenil was made by taking advantage of their fluorescent photoderivative. In order to achieve maximum fluorescence (250/410), the best conditions for derivatization and for the analytical measurements have been optimized firstly by univariate approach and then by a multivariate way (central composite design). The optima conditions were: 2 h of UV exposition time and solvent system composed by methanol/Britton-Robinson buffer pH 10.5. A mechanism for this photochemical reaction has been proposed, with the indication of the structure of two most probable photoderivades. In such conditions, the analytical response presented a linear and homocedastic behavior (r2=0,9951) up to 8 x 10-5 mol L-1. Limit of detection (LQ) and limite of quantification (LQ) for the spectrofluorimetric determination were respectively 1.1 x 10-8 mol L-1 and 3.,7 x 10-7 mol L-1. The methodology was proven to be adequate to quantify cyclofenil in pharmaceutical formulations with mean recovery of 98.3 + 3.9%. For the determination of cyclofenil in urine, it was necessary the use of a separation technique (HPLC). In such case, the fluorescent signal from one of its photochemical derivatives (7.0 min retention time) was chosen. Efficient separation from the matrix background was achieved using a C- 18 column, gradient elution using methanol/water system. The use of an internal standard (m-toluil acetate) allowed recoveries of 99.5 + 3.4 % for cyclofenil fortified urine samples. In the case of the selective anodic stripping voltammetric determination of Cu (II) using bismuth film electrode, the overlapping between Cu (II) and Bi (III) needed to be eliminated, since both species present redissolution peaks near +80 mV. The interference was solved by the addition of PUC-Rio - Certificação Digital Nº 0410388/CA hydrogen peroxide in the working cell which caused the shifting of Cu (II) redissolution peak to +200 mV, probably caused by the deposition of oxidated copper species on the electrode surface. The experimental and instrumental conditions have been optimized in an univariated way in order to achieve a maximum analytical signal for Cu (II). As a result, the optimized conditions were: -1400 mV of deposition potential, 400 mV s-1 scan rate, 100 mV amplitude. In such conditions, a linear and homoscedastic behavior (r2 = 0,9927) analytical response was found. The method has been applied for sugarcane spirit samples where values of 2.9 x 10-7 mol L-1 and 9.5 x 10-7 mol L-1 were achieved respectively for LD and LQ. The results from such determinations had been compared with the ones from another technique (graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry) with statistically similar results. The simultaneous determination of Cd (II) and Pb (II) was also achieved using a compromised condition. For the strobilurins, a sensible and selective voltammetric method was developed to be applied in foods, river water and industrial juices. The experimental conditions have been developed in order to achieve a maximum analytical signal for the simultaneous determination of azoxistrobin and dimoxistrobin in the hanging mercury drop electrode. The optimized conditions were: deposition potential at -300 mV, 150 mV amplitude, 300 mVs-1 using the square wave mode. In such conditions, the azoxystrobin and the dimoxystrobin peaks were found at – 928 mV and -650 mV respectively. Linear analytical response (r2>0,99) and homoscedastic behavior have been observed. LD and LQ where respectively 3.6 x 10-7 mol L-1 and 1,2 x 10-6 mol L-1 for azoxystrobin and 7.1 x 10-7 mol l-1 and 2.4 x 10 -6 mol L-1 for dimoxystrobin. Enough selectivity was achieved in complex samples and no interferences from others strobilurins (piraxystrobin and picoxystrobin) was found. A simple mechanism for the redox process at the mercury electrode was proposed.

O biodiesel vem se consolidando como combustível alternativo devido às suas vantagens e importância econômica. Conforme seu percentual no diesel comercial cresce, o monitoramento da qualidade se torna cada vez mais importante para uma comercialização segura. No entanto, a estabilidade oxidativa do biodiesel é inferior à do diesel fóssil, assim antioxidantes sintéticos, tais como BHA, BHT, PG e TBHQ, são adicionados para prevenir a degradação do mesmo, evitando danos ao sistema de combustão automotivo. Os métodos para avaliar a estabilidade oxidativa e a quantidade de antioxidantes são em geral demorados, requerem preparação amostral ou equipamentos de alto custo. Com o objetivo de contornar tais problemas, neste trabalho foi aplicada uma metodologia para análise direta de antioxidantes em amostras de biodiesel por meio de voltametria de pulso diferencial. Conjuntamente, foi estudada a viabilidade da associação dessa metodologia com técnicas quimiométricas para a determinação simultânea desses antioxidantes em misturas de antioxidantes em biodiesel. Para permitir uma análise direta, sem extração e pré-concentração dos analitos, o biodiesel foi diluído em meio etanólico. Medidas de voltametria de pulso diferencial para cada antioxidante individualmente mostraram relação linear entre as concentrações dos antioxidantes e a corrente de oxidação. Os limites de detecção individuais obtidos foram de 20,5 mg L-1 para BHA, 32,4 mg L-1 para BHT, 35,5 mg L-1 para PG e 26,5 mg L-1 para TBHQ. A modelagem quimiométrica foi aplicada por meio das ferramentas Mínimos Quadrados Clássico (CLS), Mínimos Quadrados Parciais (PLS), Redes Neuronais Artificiais (ANN), Componentes Principais-Redes Neuronais Artificiais (PC-ANN) e Árvore de Decisão-Redes Neuronais Artificiais (DT-ANN). O modelo construído por PLS se mostrou melhor quando comparado à modelagem por CLS. O modelo construído por ANN’s sem seleção de dados de entrada apresentou erros semelhantes ao PLS. Quando a redução da quantidade de dados de entrada foi aplicada em conjunto com ANN’s através de Análise por Componentes Principais (PCA) e DT, a aplicação de PCA levou a aumento de 10,2% no erro de predição, enquanto que na seleção por DT os erros de predição foram reduzidos em 8,5%. A determinação simultânea dos quatro compostos pelo modelo DT-ANN apresentou precisão satisfatória, com recuperação de 98% para BHA, 97% para BHT, 103% para PG e 100% para TBHQ, o que indica que a técnica analítica e a modelagem quimiométrica são viáveis e promissoras para aplicação no controle de qualidade do biodiesel, bem como em análises de monitoramento nas plantas industriais. / Biodiesel is becoming established as an alternative fuel because its advantages and economic importance. As the levels of biodiesel in commercial diesel grows, quality monitoring becomes increasingly important for safe marketing. However, the oxidative stability of biodiesel is smaller than that of fossil diesel and synthetic antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, PG and TBHQ are added to it in order to prevent its degradation, avoiding damage to the automotive combustion system. Methods for evaluating oxidative stability and the amount of antioxidants are usually time-consuming, require sample preparation or expensive equipment. In order to overcome such problems, in this work a methodology was applied for direct analysis of antioxidants in biodiesel samples by means of differential pulse voltammetry. The viability of associating this methodology with chemometric techniques was studied for the simultaneous determination of these antioxidants in biodiesel. To allow a direct analysis, without extraction and preconcentration of analytes, biodiesel was diluted in ethanolic medium. Differential pulse voltammetric measurements for each antioxidant individually showed a linear relationship between antioxidant concentrations and oxidation current. The individual detection limits were 20,5 mg L-1 for BHA, 32,4 mg L-1 for BHT, 35,5 mg L-1 for PG and 26,5 mg L-1 for TBHQ. The chemometric modeling was applied using the Classical Least Squares (CLS), Partial Least Squares (PLS), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Principal Component-Artificial Neural Networks (PC-ANN) and Decision Tree-Artificial Neural Networks (DT-ANN) techniques. The model constructed by PLS was better than that obtained with CLS. The model constructed by ANN’s without input selection presented similar deviations in comparison to PLS. When amount of input data reduction was applied together with ANNs through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and DT, the PCA application led to a 10.2% increase in prediction error, whereas in the selection by DT prediction errors were reduced by 8,5%. The simultaneous determination of the four compounds by the DT-ANN model presented satisfactory accuracy with 98% recovery for BHA, 97% for BHT, 103% for PG and 100% for TBHQ, indicating that the analytical technique and the chemometric modeling are feasible and promising for application in biodiesel quality control, as well as in monitoring analyzes in the industrial plants.

As reduções eletroquímicas dos complexos de ferro(II) FeL32+, com ligantes diimínicos alifáticos, L=CH3-N=C(R)-C-(R\')=N-CH3, onde R,R\' = H,H; H,CH3; CH3,CH3; e ligantes diimínicos mistos, L = C5H4N-C(R\')=N-(R\"), onde R\',R\"= H,CH3; CH3,CH3 foram estudadas através de polarografia e voltametria cíclica em acetonitrila em perclorato de tetraetilamônio 0,2M a 25,0ºC. Utilizam-se eletrodo plano de platina.ou eletrodo gotejante de mercúrio como eletrodos de trabalho para a voltametria cíclica e polarografia, respectivamente. Os eletrodos auxiliar e de referência são fio de platina e Ag/AgCl , respectivamente. Os polarogramas obtidos para esses complexos no intervalo de potenciais de 0,0 a -2,4 V vs Ag/AgCl mostram duas a quatro ondas de redução. As duas primeiras etapas são controladas por difusão e os processos de eletrodo podem ser descritos como monoeletrônicos e reversíveis, com a estabilização dos baixos estados de oxidação Fe(I) e F:(0) em acetonitrila. Para o derivado R,R\' = H,CH3, observam-se três ondas reversíveis e monoeletrônicas indicando a estabilização do complexo com ferro no estado de oxidação formal (-I).Comportamento semelhante foi encontrado para complexos de ferro(II) com 2,2\'-dipiridina e 1,10 fenantrolina (. Electrochim. Acta. 13. 335 (1968) ). A estabilização dos baixos estados de oxidação deve-se ao caráter aceptor de elétrons dosoligantes diimínicos, como indicado pelo espectro de transferência de carga e,depende da presença do grupo cromofórico. Verifica-se ainda que quanto maior o valor de 10 Dq, maior a retrodoação e, maior a estabilização dos baixos estados de oxidação. Os voltamogramas cíclicos apresentam dois a três picos de redução no intervalo de potenciais de 0,0 a - 2,2V vs Ag/AgCl. A primeira etapa de redução é bem caracterizada como processo monoe1etrônico e reversível Na redução dos derivados alifáticos R,R\' = H,H; CH3.CH3; há um grande aumento da corrente de pico e os potenciais são deslocados cerca de 0,18V para regiões mais negativas. Isso é interpretado em termos de adsorção do reagente na superfície do eletrodo de platina. É interessante notar que apenas os complexos. que apresentam substituintes simétricos adsorvem na superfície do eletrodo. / The electrochemical reduction of the iron(II) complexes, FeL32+ with aliphatic diimine ligands, CH3-N=C(R)-C(R\')=N-CH3, where R,R\'= H,H; H,CH3; CH3,CH3, and mixed diimine ligands. L = C5H4N-C(R\')=N(R\"), where R\',R\" = H, CH3; CH3,CH3, was studied by means of polarography, and cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile containing 0,2M tetraethylammonium perchlorate at 25,0ºC. A platinum disk or a dropping mercury electrode were used as working e1ectrodes for the cyclic voltammetric and polarographic experiments, respectively. A platinum wire and Ag/AgCl were employed as auxiliar and reference electrodes, respectively. The polarograms obtained for these complexes in the 0.0 to -2,4 V vs Ag/AgCl potential range exhibit two to four reduction waves. The first two reduction waves were shown to correspond to reversible one electron reductions yielding stable complexes of iron in the formal oxidation states (I) and (O). For the derivative R\',R\" = H,CH3, three reversible one electron waves were found, indicating the stability of the complex with iron in the formal oxidation state (-I). A similar be havior has been found for the 2,2\'-dipyridine and 1,10-phenan -throline complexes of iron(II) (Electrochim. Acta,.13, 335(1968)). The stabilization of the low valence states is due to the strong acceptor properties of the diimine ligands. This acceptor character is reflected in the appearence of a characteristic intense inverse charge transfer band in the visible region. in the presence of the diimine chromophore. Increased stabilization of the low oxidation states is correlated with an increase in the magnitude of the ligand-field strength (10 Dq), i.e., increased back-donation. Two or three reduction peaks were observed in the cyclic voltammograms in the region of 0.0 to -2.2 V vs Ag/AgCl. The first reduction of the aliphatic derivatives R,R =\' H,H ; CH3, CH3, there is a large increase in peak currents and a shift of 0.18 V to more negative potentials. This is interpretable in terms of the platinum electrode, It is interesting to note that only the complexes which have symmetrical ligands exhibit adsorption at the electrode surface.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-12T18:48:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-07-28. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-08-12T18:51:01Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000854402.pdf: 1252402 bytes, checksum: 39240062d51578fcff0dfe01d1f5a15f (MD5) / A construção de filmes pela técnica layer-by-layer com fibroína de seda (SF) e amiloide β de 40 aminoácidos (Aβ40) para aplicação em imunossensores eletroquímicos e ópticos foi investigada. O crescimento desses filmes foi confirmado por voltametria cíclica (VC) pela área dos voltamogramas e também por espectroscopia na região ultravioleta-visível (UV-vis) pela absorbância do filme em 230 nm. O recobrimento completo do eletrodo pela SF foi verificado por VC utilizando solução de ferri/ferrocianeto de potássio. A distorção dos voltamogramas foi observada com maior tempo de adsorção e o tempo de 30 minutos foi considerado como cobertura completa do eletrodo. Também foi verificada uma mudança de estrutura do peptídeo em filme juntamente com a SF por dicroísmo circular (CD). Em solução a Aβ40 apresentou um espectro característico de α-hélice, e quando incorporada no filme observou-se uma predominância de folhas-β. Para o imunossensor óptico, utilizou-se nanopartículas de YVO4:Eu3+ para monitorar a emissão do íon európio. Os filmes tiveram máximo de excitação em 270 nm e a emissão do Eu3+ em 619 nm e também uma emissão em 300 nm associada à SF e ao peptídeo. Após a adição dos anticorpos houve uma diminuição da emissão em 300 nm e um aumento da emissão em 619 nm, associada à uma transferência de energia entre SF e Aβ40 e o európio. Na detecção óptica foi verificado que o anticorpo era incorporado ao filme mesmo sem a presença do peptídeo, fazendo necessárias mudanças experimentais para diminuir interações não específicas. A detecção eletroquímica da solução de anticorpos anti-Aβ 40 foi feita por VC, e foi observada uma mudança nas correntes obtidas em potenciais positivos, principalmente em 0,3V e também da área dos voltamogramas; em ambos os casos é verificada uma região linear entre 0 e 10 ng.mL-1 e essa resposta foi obtida apenas... / Silk fibroin (SF) and amyloid-β with 40 aminoacids (Aβ40) layer-by-layer (LbL) films for optical and electrochemical imunosensing applications were investigated. The growth of this films was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry (VC), observing changes in the voltammogram area and ultraviolet-visible region spectroscopy (UV-vis), observing increasing absorbance in 230 nm. The complete covering of an carbon electrode was verified using potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide in VC. There was distortion of the voltammograms with increasing adsorption time for the SF, and with 30 minutes was observed the maximum distortion, and therefore maximum electrode coverage. A conformation change of the peptide Aβ40 in the film was also observed using circular dichroism (CD). In the solution the peptide presented an characteristic spectrum of α-helix structure and in the film was observed the predominance of β-sheet structure. For the optical immunosensor an YVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticle suspension to monitor the europium emission. The LbL films had an excitation maximum centered in 270 nm and the europium emission in 619 nm, it was also observed an emission centered in 300 nm attributed to the SF and Aβ40. After the addition of antibodies, it was observed an increase in Eu3+ emission and a decrease of protein emission, associated with an energy transfer from SF/Aβ40 to the Eu3+. In the optical detection this effect was observer in the absence of peptide, therefore non-specific interactions between antibodies and the substrate. The electrochemical detection of the antibodies solution was performed with VC and were observed changes in voltammograms: an increase of current in positive potentials and an increase in voltammogram area. Both had a linear response in the 0 through 10 ng.mL-1 range and this response was observed only in the presence of the Aβ40.

Orientador: Sidney José Lima Ribeiro / Co-orientador: Marli Leite de Moraes / Banca: José Mauricio Almeida Caiut / Banca: Rogéria Rocha Gonçalves / Resumo: A construção de filmes pela técnica layer-by-layer com fibroína de seda (SF) e amiloide β de 40 aminoácidos (Aβ40) para aplicação em imunossensores eletroquímicos e ópticos foi investigada. O crescimento desses filmes foi confirmado por voltametria cíclica (VC) pela área dos voltamogramas e também por espectroscopia na região ultravioleta-visível (UV-vis) pela absorbância do filme em 230 nm. O recobrimento completo do eletrodo pela SF foi verificado por VC utilizando solução de ferri/ferrocianeto de potássio. A distorção dos voltamogramas foi observada com maior tempo de adsorção e o tempo de 30 minutos foi considerado como cobertura completa do eletrodo. Também foi verificada uma mudança de estrutura do peptídeo em filme juntamente com a SF por dicroísmo circular (CD). Em solução a Aβ40 apresentou um espectro característico de α-hélice, e quando incorporada no filme observou-se uma predominância de folhas-β. Para o imunossensor óptico, utilizou-se nanopartículas de YVO4:Eu3+ para monitorar a emissão do íon európio. Os filmes tiveram máximo de excitação em 270 nm e a emissão do Eu3+ em 619 nm e também uma emissão em 300 nm associada à SF e ao peptídeo. Após a adição dos anticorpos houve uma diminuição da emissão em 300 nm e um aumento da emissão em 619 nm, associada à uma transferência de energia entre SF e Aβ40 e o európio. Na detecção óptica foi verificado que o anticorpo era incorporado ao filme mesmo sem a presença do peptídeo, fazendo necessárias mudanças experimentais para diminuir interações não específicas. A detecção eletroquímica da solução de anticorpos anti-Aβ 40 foi feita por VC, e foi observada uma mudança nas correntes obtidas em potenciais positivos, principalmente em 0,3V e também da área dos voltamogramas; em ambos os casos é verificada uma região linear entre 0 e 10 ng.mL-1 e essa resposta foi obtida apenas... / Abstract: Silk fibroin (SF) and amyloid-β with 40 aminoacids (Aβ40) layer-by-layer (LbL) films for optical and electrochemical imunosensing applications were investigated. The growth of this films was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry (VC), observing changes in the voltammogram area and ultraviolet-visible region spectroscopy (UV-vis), observing increasing absorbance in 230 nm. The complete covering of an carbon electrode was verified using potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide in VC. There was distortion of the voltammograms with increasing adsorption time for the SF, and with 30 minutes was observed the maximum distortion, and therefore maximum electrode coverage. A conformation change of the peptide Aβ40 in the film was also observed using circular dichroism (CD). In the solution the peptide presented an characteristic spectrum of α-helix structure and in the film was observed the predominance of β-sheet structure. For the optical immunosensor an YVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticle suspension to monitor the europium emission. The LbL films had an excitation maximum centered in 270 nm and the europium emission in 619 nm, it was also observed an emission centered in 300 nm attributed to the SF and Aβ40. After the addition of antibodies, it was observed an increase in Eu3+ emission and a decrease of protein emission, associated with an energy transfer from SF/Aβ40 to the Eu3+. In the optical detection this effect was observer in the absence of peptide, therefore non-specific interactions between antibodies and the substrate. The electrochemical detection of the antibodies solution was performed with VC and were observed changes in voltammograms: an increase of current in positive potentials and an increase in voltammogram area. Both had a linear response in the 0 through 10 ng.mL-1 range and this response was observed only in the presence of the Aβ40. / Mestre