The original Bi-based oxyhalide is the Sillen family expressed by [M2O2][Xm] or [M3O4+n][Xm] (m=1-3, X=halide, M=Bi) where bismuth oxide-based fluorite-like layers, [M2O2] or [M3O4+n], are intergrown with single, double, and triple halide. The band gap of BiOX is strictly dependent on the halide participated in its composition and ranges from 3.19–3.44, 2.64–2.91 and 1.77–1.92 eV, respectively for Cl, Br and I. Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate and potassium bromide were applied to synthesize the product in a domestic microwave instrument. The SEM images showed the microflowers were comprised of nanosheets with the thickness of about 54 nm. From energy dispersive X-ray analysis, its empirical formula was estimated to be Bi1.75O13.66Br. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the peaks at 565 and 815 cm-1 were attributed to the stretching vibration of Bi-O. with a band gap energy of 3.58 eV, it showed a high photocatalytic performance in photodegradation of Rhodamine B.

The labelling of biomolecules with organic fluorophores is widely used for analytical applications and for the study of the dynamics of living systems. Coumarins are well known fluorophores that have been reported as fluorescent labels and probes, due to their extended spectral range, high fluorescence quantum yields, good photostability and solubility in common solvents. More recently, they have also been applied in the synthesis of photolabile protecting groups to release relevant biomolecules by UV and visible light irradiation.As most amino acids are poor UV-absorbing, fluorescence labelling is often employed in peptides and, for example, a peptide or protein bound to a fluorescent moiety may be an important tool for conformational studies of protein-protein and ligand-receptor interactions. The tetrapeptide H-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-NH₂ (AAPV) is an important inhibitor of the enzyme human neutrophil elastase, and a few studies have been conducted for the use of this peptide as a therapeutic agent for transdermal delivery.Considering these facts, the present work describes the synthesis of the tetrapeptide labeled at the C-terminus with 7-methoxycoumarin and its spectroscopic characterization by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy in different organic solvents and mixtures with aqueous HEPES solution, in order to simulate physiological conditions. Acknowledgements: Thanks are due to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the NMR Portuguese network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETE-QREN-EU for financial support to Research Centre of Chemistry, CQ/UM [PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037302)].

Quinolone derivatives were recently reported for the first time by us for the protection of carboxylic acids, in the form of ester conjugates, by using an amino acid as model biomolecule. This nitrogen heterocycle, structurally related to coumarin, a well-known photocleavable protecting group 2-4 assured fast cleavage of the ester bond between the amino acid and the heterocycle. In this study a novel benzoquinolone was conjugated with two model amino acids and the photocleavage studies of the ester conjugates in different mixtures of methanol/HEPES buffer solution at different wavelengths of irradiation (300, 350 and 419 nm) confirmed the quantitative release of the model molecules in short irradiation times.   Acknowledgements: We thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support to the NMR portuguese network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER-COMPETE-QREN-EU for financial support to the Research Centre CQ/UM [PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037302)], and a PhD grant to A.M.S.S. (SFRH/BD/80813/2011).

In order to evaluate the application of new benzoxazoles and following the previous work regarding benzoxazoles as photoactive groups and using butyric acid as model, in the preparation of carboxylic acid derivatives, butyric ester conjugates were synthesized by reaction with the chloromethylated heterocyclic precursors. Photocleavage studies of the ester conjugates in methanol/HEPES buffer (80:20) solution at different wavelengths of irradiation (254, 300, 350 and 419 nm) confirmed the quantitative release of the model acid in short irradiation times. Acknowledgements: We thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support to the NMR portuguese network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER-COMPETE-QREN-EU for financial support to the Research Centre CQ/UM [PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037302)], and a PhD grant to A.M.S.S. (SFRH/BD/80813/2011).

All the monomers used in ring opening metathesis polymerization ( ROMP) were synthesized by two step reactions. The first step of the synthesis was the Diels-Alder reaction between furan and maleic anhydride to produce exo-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride. The second step was to prepared 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3- dicarboxylic acid, dimethyl ester by Fischer estrification of exo-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride in refluxing methanol.7-Oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3- dicarboxylic acid, dimethyl ester was polymerized by ROMP catalyzed by commercially available ruthenium catalyst Ru(PPh3)2(Cl)2(CHPh) at defined concentrations relative to the monomer. Depending on the molar ratio of the monomer to the catalyst polymers with different large molecular weight were obtained. Molecular weights and polydispersities were confirmed by gel permeation chromatography. Monomers and polymers were also analyzed by FT-IR.Polyanions of poly (7-oxanorbornene-2,3-dicarboxylate) were prepared by hydrolysis of poly (dimethyl-7-oxabicyclo (2.2.1) hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid).It is worth noting that the polyanions in aqueous solution form a gel, were lubricious.The properities of the prepared polymers will be discussed in full paper.

In this research, a new strategy has been introduced for the synthesis of a series of benzylamino coumarin derivatives. Coumarin and its derivatives are an important class of heterocyclic compounds, which constitute the key core of various natural products. These compounds also exhibit a wide band of biological activities including anti-HIV, antimalarial, insecticides, and antioxidants, antibacterial, antiviral, anticoagulant and anticancer activities. Also these compounds have been used in important clinical applications such as Warfarin, Phenprocoumon, Coumatetralyl, Carbochromen, Bromadialone. Nano magnetic sulfated zirconia (Fe₃O₄@ZrO₂/SO₄^2-) can be used as a magnetic solid acid catalyst for the synthesis of benzylamino coumarin derivatives by the reaction of 4-hydroxycoumarin, cyclic secondary amine and aromatic aldehyde at room temperature in acetonitrile. The catalyst (Fe₃O₄@ZrO₂/SO₄^2-) could be easily separated by the use of an external magnetic field and recycled and reused several times without considerable reduction in its activity.

The meso-tetrakis (4-N, N, N-trimethylanilinium) porphyrin and its zinc compound deposited on glass slide at high temperature and at a pressure of 15 PSI were used as photo-inactivation surface. Also, the effect of two porphyrin compounds irradiated with tungsten lamp, on a Gram negative bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a Gram positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis was investigated.

Labeling is one of the most common techniques used in cell imaging and analytical purposes. Benzophenoxazinium dyes are utilized as markers due to their several interesting properties. They exhibit intense long-wavelength absorption and emission at about 650 nm. Hence, they are used as potential candidates for dyeing paper and fiber stuff. Moreover, they are useful as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy, antitubercolastatic or anticancerogenic agents. In continuation of our research interests with Nile blue derivatives, the present work describes the synthesis of new benzophenoxazinium fused julolidine derivatives. The photophysical studies in ethanol and water medium will be discussed. Fluoroscence quantum yield and acid-base equilibrium will also be determined.

In this work, Co(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(carboxyphenyl)porphyrin was synthesized and immobilized on chitosan. The synthesized composite was characterized by FT-IR and UV-Vis and DRS spectrometers. It is expect that porphyrin act as visible light antenna and to modify the photoresponse properties of chitosan particles. Adsorption and photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) over TCPP- chitosan were systematically investigated.

The use of fluorescent probes is a well-established practice in many scientific and technologic areas with several decades. Nevertheless, developing new fluorophores is fundamental to overcome the limitations associated with the commercially available fluorescent probes. The potential as fluorescent probes of two recently synthesised water-soluble benzo[a]phenoxazinium salts, mono- or dissubstituted with carboxylic ester groups as terminal of propyl substituents at the amine of position 9, were studied by fluorescence microscopy employing intact, live cells. With the aim of assessing the compounds cellular staining pattern and potential specificity, co-localization experiments were performed using yeast mutants expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged proteins that localize to specific intracellular location/organelles. It was found that both compounds display a very high affinity to the vacuolar membrane, being the dissubstituted compound especially important due to its higher fluorescence at lower, less toxic concentrations.