Lichens are symbiotic associations of fungi with microalgae and/or cyanobacteria, which are considered among the slowest growing organisms, with strong tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. There are about 400 genera and 1600 species of lichens and those belonging to the Usnea genus comprise about 360 of these species. Usnea lichens have been used since ancient times as dyes, cosmetics, preservatives, deodorants and folk medicines. The phytochemistry of the Usnea genus includes more than 60 compounds which belong to the following classes: depsides, depsidones, depsones, lactones, quinones, phenolics, polysaccharides, fatty acids and dibenzofurans. Due to scarce knowledge of metabolomic profiles of Usnea species (U. barbata, U. antarctica, U. rubicunda and U. subfloridana), a study based on UHPLC-ESI-OT-MS-MS was performed for a comprehensive characterization of their secondary metabolites. From the methanolic extracts of these species a total of 73 metabolites were identified for the first time using this hyphenated technique, including 34 compounds in U. barbata, 21 in U. antarctica, 38 in U. rubicunda and 37 in U. subfloridana. Besides, a total of 13 metabolites were not identified and reported so far, and could be new according to our data analysis. This study showed that this hyphenated technique is rapid, effective and accurate for phytochemical identification of lichen metabolites and the data collected could be useful for chemotaxonomic studies.

Lichens are symbiotic associations of fungi with microalgae and/or cyanobacteria. Lichens belonging to the Parmeliaceae family comprise 2700 species of lichens, including the Parmotrema genus which is composed of 300 species. The metabolites of this genus include depsides, depsidones, phenolics, polysaccharides, lipids, diphenylethers and dibenzofurans, which are responsible for the biological activities reported including antidiabetic, antihelmintic, anticancer, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimitotic, antitumoral, antifungal, and antioxidant enzyme inhibitory. Due to scarce knowledge of metabolomic profiles of Parmotrema species (P. andinum and P. robustum), a full metabolome study based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography- diode array detector-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-orbitrap-mass-spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-orbitrap MS) was performed for a comprehensive characterization of their substances. From the methanolic extracts of these species, a total of 54 metabolites were identified for the first time using this hyphenated technique, including thirty compounds in P. andinum, and thirty-seven in P. robustum. Moreover, two compounds were not identified as known compounds, and could be new structures, according to our data. This report shows that this technique is effective and accurate for rapid chemical identification of lichen substances and the compounds identified could serve as chemotaxonomic markers to differentiate these ruffle lichens.

In this work, six complexes (2–7) of Cr(III) and Co(II) transition metals with triazole ligands were synthesized and characterized. In addition, a new ligand, 3,5-bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)toluene (1), was synthesized and full characterized. The complexes were obtained as air-stable solids and characterized by melting point, electrical conductivity, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman, infrared and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. The analyses and spectral data showed that complexes 3–7 had 1:1 (M:L) stoichiometries and octahedral geometries, while 2 had a 1:2 (M:L) ratio, which was supported by DFT calculations. The complexes and their respective ligands were evaluated against bacterial and fungal strains with clinical relevance. All the complexes showed higher antibacterial and antifungal activities than the free ligands. The complexes were more active against fungi than against bacteria. The activities of the chromium complexes against Candida tropicalis are of great interest, as they showed minimum inhibitory concentration 50 (MIC50) values between 7.8 and 15.6 μg mL−1. Complexes 5 and 6 showed little effect on Vero cells, indicating that they are not cytotoxic. These results can provide an important platform for the design of new compounds with antibacterial and antifungal activities.

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The detection of Allura red (AR) by electrochemical reduction using a different electrode from the conventional mercury electrode is presented. A carbon paste with cobalt (II, III) oxide composite electrode (CoOx/CPE) is reported for the first time for the detection of AR. Moreover, others dyes such as tartrazine (TZ), sunset yellow (SY), amaranth (AM), Ponceaut 4‐R (P‐4R), and Sudan (SD) as well as pharmaceutical agents such as paracetamol (PMC) that are present in samples that contained AR did not show a reduced signal between 0.0 and −0.3 V, which is the potential range where AR reduction was observed. The surface electroactivity was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of CoOX increased the cathodic peak current for AR by more than 50 % and 65 % via CV and square wave voltammetry (SWV), respectively, compared with an unmodified carbon paste electrode. Under the optimal parameters, (pH=3.0, accumulation time (tACC)=60 s and accumulation potential (EACC)=0.50 V), the detection limit for AR was 0.05 μmol L−1. The new sensor was sensitive and stable for the detection of AR. Moreover, it was easily manufactured and very convenient for food samples such as soft and isotonic drinks as well as chili sauce.

The simultaneous detection of tartrazine (TZ) and sunset yellow (SY) using a carbon paste‐decorated neodymium (III) oxide electrode (NdOx/CPE) is reported for the first time in this work. The surface properties of the NdOx/CPE were studied by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The anodic peak currents for TZ and SY increased by more than 60 %, and the anodic peak potentials for TZ and SY were observed at potential values less positive than those of the carbon paste without NdOX. Under the optimal parameters (pH 3.0; accumulation time tACC 30 s; and accumulation potential EACC 0.10 V), the detection limits for TZ and SY observation were 0.02 μmol L−1 (10.6 μg L−1) and 0.09 μmol L−1 (40.6 μg L−1), respectively. The new sensor was sensitive, stable, easily manufactured, and very convenient for the detection of TZ and SY in food samples and pharmaceutical materials and provided consistent results.

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