A multicenter study was conducted to expand the generation and analysis of data that supports the proposal of a reference method for the antifungal susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi. Broth microdilution MICs of amphotericin B and itraconazole were determined in 11 centers against 30 coded duplicate pairs of Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Pseudallescheria boydii, and Rhizopus arrhizus. The effect of inoculum density (approximately 10 3 and 10 4 CFU/ml), incubation time (24, 48, and 72 h), and procedure of MIC determination (conventional and colorimetric [Alamar Blue] evaluation of growth inhibition) on intra-and interlaboratory agreement was analyzed. Based on intra-(97 to 100%) and interlaboratory (94 to 95%) agreement for both drugs, the overall optimal testing conditions identified were determination of colorimetric MICs after 48 to 72 h of incubation with an inoculum density of approximately 10 4 CFU/ml. These testing conditions are proposed as guidelines for a reference broth microdilution method.

Complete 1H, 13C, 19F and11B NMR spectral data for 28 potassium organotrifluoroborates are described. The resonance for the carbon bearing the boron atom is described for most of the studied compounds. A modified 11B NMR pulse sequence was used and better resolution was observed allowing the observation of 11B–19F coupling constants for some of the studied compounds.

Four linear polyacetylenic compounds were synthesized. Pentadeca-6,8,10-triynoic acid 1 and octadeca-8,10,12-triynoic acid 2 were synthesized by using acetylene coupling reactions. The syntheses of (Z)-hexadec-11-en-7,9-diynoic acid 3 and (Z)-octadec-12-en-7,9-diynoic acid 4 by using vinylic telluride coupling reactions were accomplished.

An efficient synthesis of 2-chalcogen-3-substituted-benzo[b]furan compounds has been accomplished via electrophilic cyclization reaction of 2-chalcogenealkynyl anisoles using I(2), ICl, Br(2), and PhSeBr as electrophile sources. The product distributions were strongly dependent on the nature of substituents in the aromatic ring of anisole and on the chalcogen atom directly bonded to the triple bond. The 2-chalcogen-3-iodo-benzo[b]furans obtained smoothly underwent conversion to more complex structures of benzo[b]furan derivatives via palladium- or copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction with thiols, diphenyl diselenides, and zincates.

A series of 4-Se-(Te, S)-isochromenones and 3-substituted isochromenones were synthesized in good yields via FeCl(3)-mediated cyclization of alkynylaryl esters with different diorganyl dichalcogenides. This methodology was carried out at room temperature, using inexpensive and environmentally friendly iron salts as metallic source and under air atmosphere. The reaction showed to be tolerant to a range of substituents bonded into the aromatic ring of the diorganyl dichalcogenides as well as to alkyl groups directly bonded to the chalcogen atom. Alternatively, the cyclization reaction of 2-alkynylaryl esters with FeCl(3), in the absence of diorganyl dichalcogenide, gave the isochromenones without the chalcogen moiety in the structure. This approach proved to be highly regioselective, providing only six-membered ring products, once the possible five-membered products were not observed in any experiments.