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#ONFERENCE REPORT 'OLD (IGHLIGHTS AT THE ST -EETING OF THE 0ORTUGUESE 3OCIETY OF #HEMISTRY IN 0ORTO 0ORTUGAL *UNE $R 3vNIA #ARABINEIRO ,ABORATORY OF #ATALYSIS AND -ATERIALS $EPARTMENT OF #HEMICAL %NGINEERING &ACULTY OF %NGINEERING 5NIVERSITY OF 0ORTO 2UA $R 2OBERTO &RIAS SN 0ORTO 0ORTUGAL %MAIL SONIACARABINEIRO FEUPPT
4HERE WERE OVER PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING THIS MEETING MOSTLY NATIVE 0ORTUGUESE AND FOREIGNERS DOING RESEARCH IN 0ORTUGAL COMING FROM SEVERAL CHEMISTRY AREAS (OWEVER SOME VISITORS WERE ALSO PRESENT FROM 3PAIN &RANCE 5NITED +INGDOM 3LOVENIA "RAZIL !RGENTINA 53! AND )NDIA 4HE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE FROM 5NIVERSITIES AND 2ESEARCH )NSTITUTES BUT SOME REPRESENTATIVES FROM INDUSTRY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS WERE ALSO PRESENT 4HIS YEAR´S CONFERENCE WAS CONCERNED WITH ³#HEMISTRY AND )NNOVATION´ AND DEALT WITH THE INNOVATION IN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY TO DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES INNOVATION IN THE TEACHING OF CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND INNOVATION AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN CHEMISTRY AND OTHER SUBJECTS 'OLD RELATED SUBJECTS WERE REPRESENTED BY ORAL PRESENTATION AND POSTERS WHICH WAS JUST A ³DROP IN THE OCEAN´ WHEN COMPARED WITH ABOUT ORALS AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS IN TOTAL BUT REVEALED THAT THIS 3OUTHERN %UROPEAN COUNTRY IS ALREADY DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT 4HIS IS PARTICULARLY SIGNI½CANT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS BIANNUAL MEETINGS IN WHERE ONLY GOLD POSTERS WERE PRESENTED AND OF THEM CAME FROM THE SAME GROUPS PRESENT IN THIS YEAR´S MEETING AND WHERE ONLY ONE POSTER DEALT SPECI½CALLY WITH GOLD 0OTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE ADVANCES IN THE TECHNOLOGY DESCRIBED IN THIS YEAR´S CONFERENCE ARE INDICATED HERE )NoS 'OMES .EW 5NIVERSITY OF ,ISBON PRESENTED A POSTER ENTITLED ³#HARACTERIZATION OF BIONANOPROBES FROM CYTOCHROME C GOLD NANOPARTICLE COMPLEXES´ )N THIS WORK GOLD NANOPARTICLES !U.0S WERE COATED WITH TWO CITOCHROMES C ISOLATED FROM HORSE HEART (#C AND YEAST 9#C )N THE COMPLEXES (#C IS MOST PROBABLY ELECTROSTATICALLY BOUND TO THE GOLD SURFACE THROUGH ITS LYSINE PATCH WHEREAS 9#C IS PROBABLY COVALENTLY BOUND TO THE GOLD SURFACE BY THE SULFUR
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ATOM OF ITS CYSTEINE RESIDUE )T WAS SHOWN THAT BOTH CYTOCHROME C !U.0 COMPLEXES AGGREGATE WHEN THE P( OF THE SOLUTION IS LOW INDUCING A COLOUR CHANGE FROM RED NON AGGREGATED COMPLEXES AT HIGH P( TO BLUE AGGREGATED COMPLEXES AT LOW P( 4HIS BEHAVIOUR WAS SPECI½C TO CYTOCHROME C ALONE 3IGNI½CANT CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN THE PROTEINS SECONDARY STRUCTURE IN THE 9#C !U.0 COMPLEX WERE SEEN WHEREAS (#C !U./ COMPLEX EXHIBITED NO NOTEWORTHY ALTERATIONS 4HE PROTEIN LAYER OF THE (#C !U.0 COMPLEX WAS ^ NM AND ^ NM FOR THE 9#C COMPLEX &OR THE LATTER THE PROTEIN LAYER PROVED TO BE EASILY REMOVED BY SAMPLE DRYING IN CONTRAST WITH THE MORE STURDY PROTEIN LAYER OF THE FORMER )N BOTH CASES THE SURFACE POTENTIAL WAS SIMILAR 4HUS THE BINDING MODE OF THE TWO PROTEINS TO THE !U.0S WAS DIFFERENT AND THAT CONFERRED DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES TO THE !U.0 CYTOCHROME C COMPLEXES 4HIS MODULATION OF THE SURFACE PROPERTIES OF THESE !U.0 PROTEIN COMPLEXES IS POTENTIALLY USEFUL FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE FABRICATION OF BIONANOPROBES 2ICARDO &RANCO FROM THE SAME GROUP GAVE AN ORAL PRESENTATION DEALING WITH ³P( INDUCED ADSORPTION OF CYTOCHROME C TO ACIDIC SELF ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS ON GOLD SURFACES AND NANOPARTICLES´ 4HE ADSORPTION CHARACTERISTICS (#C ONTO SELF ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS OF MERCAPTOUNDECANOIC ACID -5! ON GOLD SURFACES AND !U.0S WERE STUDIED !T P( AND THE PRESENCE OF -5! FAVOURS PROTEIN ADSORPTION AT THE HIGHER P( BUT DOES NOT SIGNI½CANTLY IN¾UENCE THE PROCESS AT LOWER P( VALUES !U.0-5!(#C BIONANOPROBES AND !U.0-5! COMPLEXES SHOW AGGREGATION AS A FUNCTION OF THE SOLUTION P( INDUCING A SHIFT OF THE !U.0 PLASMON BAND CORRESPONDING TO A RED TO BLUE COLOUR CHANGE IN THE SOLUTION 4HIS BEHAVIOUR WAS NOT OBSERVED IN THE !U.0S AND PROTEIN ALONE !U.0-5!(#C BIONANOPROBES AGGREGATE AT P( WHEREAS !U.0-5! AGGREGATE AT P( 4HEREFORE (#C ADSORBS ONTO -5! SELF ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS ON !U SURFACES AND NANOPARTICLES IN AN ELECTROSTATIC AND P( DEPENDENT MANNER &URTHERMORE THE AMOUNT OF (#C ON THE !U SURFACE CAN BE MODULATED BY THE P( VALUE OF THE SOLUTION WITH BEING THE ³SWITCHING P(´ VALUE 3vNIA #ARABINEIRO &ACULTY OF %NGINEERING 5NIVERSITY OF 0ORTO PRESENTED A POSTER ON ³'OLD NANOPARTICLES ON CERIA SUPPORTS FOR THE OXIDATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE´ 5LTRA½NE PLATELET SHAPED #E/ PARTICLES WERE PREPARED BY THE SOLVOTHERMAL METHOD # AUTOGENEOUS PRESSURE MIN USING METHANOL AND #4!" !U WAS LOADED ONTO THE CERIA SUPPORTS BY )NCIPIENT 7ETNESS )7 IMPREGNATION $OUBLE )MPREGNATION $)- AND ,IQUID 0HASE 2EDUCTIVE $EPOSITION ,02$ ! COMMERCIAL #E/ &LUKA WAS ALSO USED FOR COMPARISON 4HE $)- METHOD PRODUCED VERY SMALL GOLD PARTICLES NM AND GAVE THE BEST RESULTS 3AMPLES PREPARED BY ,02$ AND )7 GAVE LARGER SIZES UP TO ^ AND ^ NM RESPECTIVELY WHICH CAN EXPLAIN THEIR LOWER ACTIVITY IN #/ OXIDATION *UNJIANG :HU FROM THE SAME GROUP PRESENTED A POSTER ON ³#ARBON SUPPORTED CATALYSTS FOR ALCOHOL OXIDATION WITH
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MOLECULAR OXYGEN´ )N THIS WORK #O# CATALYSTS PREPARED BY INCIPIENT WETNESS IMPREGNATION WERE COMPARED WITH !U# CATALYSTS PREPARED BY THE !U SOL METHOD DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE #ATALYTIC TESTS USING BENZYL ALCOHOL FOLLOWED A REPORTED PROTOCOL FOR !U# CATALYSTS USING BASIC CONDITIONS WHILE FOR #O# CATALYSTS NO STRONG BASE WAS ADDED "OTH THE ACTIVITY AND THE SELECTIVITY DID NOT CHANGE MUCH FROM RE USE OF !U!# CATALYST EVEN AFTER FOUR CYCLES CONVERSION SELECTIVITY 4HE #O# CATALYSTS WERE FOUND TO BE LESS ACTIVE THAN !U# BUT THE FORMER DID NOT NEED THE AID OF A STRONG BASE #ARLA !RIEIRA &ACULTY OF 3CIENCES 5NIVERSITY OF 0ORTO PRESENTED A POSTER ON ³!SSEMBLIES OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES PREPARED BY USING SUGARS AS REDUCING AGENTS´ 4HE AIM OF THIS WORK WAS THE STUDY OF ELECTRODES MODI½ED BY DEPOSITION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSING .ANOPARTICLES OF GOLD WERE PREPARED USING A NUMBER OF REDUCING SUGARS SUCH AS GLUCOSE SUCROSE SORBITOL MANITOL AND DULCITOL AND STABILIZED WITH VARIOUS LIGANDS SUCH AS CITRATE LYSINE AND CYTOSINE 4HE 56 SPECTRA OF THE !U SOLUTION OBTAINED DISPLAYED A MAXIMUM OF NM INDICATIVE OF THE PRESENCE OF NANOPARTICLES 7HEN GLUCOSE SORBITOL MANITOL AND DULCITOL WERE USED AS REDUCING AGENTS L MAXIMUM DID NOT CHANGE SUGGESTING THAT THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF THE NANOPARTICLES FORMED WAS SIMILAR FOR ALL THESE SUGARS )N CONTRAST WHEN SUCROSE WAS USED THE INTENSITY OF THE MAXIMUM INDICATED A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF NANOPARTICLES SUGGESTING THAT THIS SUGAR IS THE MOST EF½CIENT REDUCING AGENT !U.0S WERE DEPOSITED ON A '# ELECTRODE SURFACE AND THE VOLTAMETRIC PRO½LE WAS OBTAINED SHOWING THAT THE REDOX PROCESS BECOMES IRREVERSIBLE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE !U.0S 4HIS IS PROBABLY CAUSED BY SURFACE ELECTROSTATIC REPULSIONS BETWEEN !U.0S AND THE NEGATIVELY CHARGED PROBE 7ORK IS STILL IN PROGRESS TO CON½RM THIS INTERPRETATION %LISA 0EREIRA FROM THE SAME 5NIVERSITY PRESENTED A POSTER ON ³!&- CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ORGANIZED MOLECULAR ½LMS´ )N THIS WORK ,ANGMUIR¯"LODGETT ," ½LMS WERE PREPARED BY SPREADING A CHLOROFORM SOLUTION OF !U .0S ON A SUB PHASE KEPT AT # 4HE MONOLAYER WAS COMPRESSED AT THE SPEED OF MM MIN !FTER COMPRESSION OF MONOLAYER TO M.M THIS WAS TRANSFERRED ONTO A MICA SUBSTRATE BY DIPPING THE SUBSTRATE ONTO A MONOLAYER AT A DEPOSITION RATE OF MMMIN 4HE GOLD OLEYL AMINE /,! FUNCTIONALIZED NANOPARTICLES WERE PREPARED AS DESCRIBED IN THE LITERATURE !PPLICATION OF THE SELF ASSEMBLED MONOLAYER 3!- TECHNIQUE CONSISTS IN THE
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IMMOBILIZATION OF THE GOLD NANOPARTICLES MODI½ED WITH /,! AND SUBSEQUENT DEPOSITION OF THE $.! MOLECULES ON MICA 4HE STEPS OF THE DEPOSITION WERE ANALYSED BY !&- RESULTING IN A TRANSITION FROM THREE DIMENSIONAL TO A TWO DIMENSIONAL CONFORMATION LIMITED BY THE THICKNESS OF THE LAYER -ARIA !DELAIDE -IRANDA FROM THE SAME 5NIVERSITY HAD A POSTER PRESENTATION ON ³!NISOTROPIC GOLD NANOPARTICLES A CONTROLLED APPROACH TO OBTAIN NANOTRIANGLES´ "Y THE PHOTOCATALYTIC REDUCTION OF HYDROGEN TETRACHLOROAURATE))) BY TRIETHANOLAMINE USING 3N)6 MESO TETRA. -ETHYL PYRIDYL PORPHINE TETRATOSYLATE CHLORIDE AS THE PHOTOCATALYST AND #4!" AS THE CAPPING AGENT IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM P( BEAUTIFUL GOLD NANOTRIANGLES WERE OBTAINED )T WAS SHOWN THAT THE P( AND THE CONCENTRATION OF #4!" AND 3NT-EPY0 HAVE A STRONG IN¾UENCE ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE NANOPARTICLES 4HESE FACTORS WERE OPTIMIZED FOR THE PREPARATION OF NANOTRIANGLES WITH A LENGTH OF ^ NM AND NM HEIGHT 0EDRO 1UARESMA .EW 5NIVERSITY OF ,ISBON PRESENTED A POSTER IN COLLABORATION WITH THE 5NIVERSITY OF 0ORTO ENTITLED ³'OLD ON MAGNETITE NANOPARTICLES GROWTH TO A CORE SHELL SYSTEM´ )N THIS WORK MAGNETITE NANOPARTICLES OF &E/ WERE PRODUCED USING AN ACETYLACETONATE METAL PRECURSOR RESULTING IN ENHANCED CONTROL OVER SIZE AND MONODISPERSITY !N ULTRASOUND MEDIATED ITERATIVE ADDITION OF GOLD PRECURSOR AND REDUCING AGENT WAS EMPLOYED FOR THE IN SITU FORMATION OF GOLD NUCLEI ON THE SURFACE OF MAGNETITE NANOPARTICLES AND ITS GROWTH TO A GOLD SHELL LAYER
!CKNOWLEDGEMENTS ) AM GRATEFUL TO $R $AVID 4HOMPSON FOR HIS COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
2EFERENCES - "OWKER ! .UHU AND * 3OARES #ATAL 4ODAY 9 3UNAGAWA + 9AMAMOTO ( 4AKAHASHI AND ! -URAMATSU #ATAL 4ODAY 9 /NAL 3 3CHIMPF AND 0 #LAUS * #ATAL ** :HU *, &IGUEIREDO AND *, &ARIA #ATAL #OMMUN !SLAM , &U - 3U + 6IJAYAMOHANAN AND 60 $RAVID * -ATER #HEM
