Degree: Doctor

Affiliation(s):

FCUP

Bio

M J S Monte is a member of the "Chemistry Research Centre of the University of Porto" since 1981. In 1990, he graduated from the University of Porto with a PhD in Chemistry in the field of Physical Chemistry. While he was studying for his doctoral degree, he did four internships at Utrecht University in the Thermodynamics Group. His thesis, "Applications of Effusion Techniques to the Determination of Sublimation Enthalpies," describes how he planned and built an innovative apparatus for measuring vapour pressures in Porto. The first vapour pressures of organic compounds that were published in the literature by Portuguese researchers were measured by him using that apparatus.  He continues to be interested in the experimental investigation of the volatility of various families of organic compounds and their derived thermodynamic properties, including correlations aimed at developing new methods for estimating thermodynamic properties (enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs energies) of phase transitions.  Recently, his research has focused on the experimental determination of properties aiming to estimate the environmental mobility and fate of pollutants used in agriculture to combat pests and predators. Since his jubilation in August 2019, he has continued to be an active science researcher and has increased his interest in the history of science and the dissemination of scientific knowledge to a general public. In this context, he wrote four dramaturgy books that were published by U. Porto Press from 2019 to 2023. In 2021, he was awarded the José Mariano Gago prize from the Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA) for his first book, "O Bairro da Tabela Periódica" (The Neighborhood of the Periodic Table), which was performed on the theatre stages of three cities (Oeiras, Coimbra, and Porto). He held various positions at the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto (FCUP), including Monitor (1980-1982), Trainee Assistant (1982-1985), Assistant (1985-1990), Assistant Professor (1990-1995), Associate Professor (2002-2019) and Invited Associate Professor (2019-). He has been a member of the Ethics Commission of the University of Porto since 2019. He held the ensuing relevant positions in the management of this University: Chairman of FCUP's Chemistry Department from 2006-2007, Vice-President of the FCUP Scientific Council from 2008-2009, Member of the General Council of the University of Porto from 2010-2013, Vice-Chairman of the FCUP Council of Representatives from 2014-2017, and President of the FCUP Council of Representatives from 2017-2018.

Publications
Showing 5 latest publications. Total publications: 126
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1. Exploring the Volatility, Phase Transitions, and Solubility Properties of Five Halogenated Benzaldehydes, Almeida, ARRP Pinheiro, BDA León, GP; Postolnyi, B; Araújo, JP; Monte, MJS in MOLECULES, 2025, ISSN: 1420-3049,  Volume: 30, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.3390/molecules30071551 P-018-H96
Abstract Halogenated benzaldehydes possess unique chemical properties that render them valuable in pharmaceutical synthesis, pesticide formulation, and dye production. However, thorough thermodynamic data for these compounds remain scarce. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating key physical properties of several halogenated benzaldehydes, namely 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, 4-bromobenzaldehyde, 2,3-dichlorobenzaldehyde, 2,4-dichlorobenzaldehyde, and 2,6-dichlorobenzaldehyde. The physical properties determined in this study include volatility, phase transitions, and water solubility, all of which are crucial for predicting the environmental fate of these compounds. The vapor pressures of both crystalline and liquid phases were measured using a reliable static method, allowing for the determination of standard molar enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs energies of sublimation and vaporization, as well as their triple points. The melting temperature and molar enthalpy, along with the isobaric molar heat capacity of the crystalline phase, were assessed using differential scanning calorimetry. Water solubility was evaluated at 25 degrees C through the saturation shake-flask method, complemented by ultra-violet visible spectroscopy. By combining sublimation and solubility data, additional properties such as Gibbs energies of hydration and Henry's law constants were derived. The experimental results were integrated into existing databases, enhancing the predictive models for properties including melting temperature, vapor pressure, solubility, Gibbs energy of hydration, and Henry's constant. These findings significantly improve the environmental modeling capabilities, providing valuable insights into the mobility and fate of halogenated benzaldehydes in various environmental contexts.
2. Ferreira da Silva, Entre Zoilos e Templos, Manuel J. S. Monte in Boletim da Sociedade Portuguesa de Química, 2024,
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, unpaywall  DOI: 10.52590/m3.p718.a30002890 P-017-XQC
3. Research on the volatility, phase transitions and thermodynamic stability of five organochlorine compounds, Almeida, RRP Pinheiro, DA Monte, JS in Chemosphere, 2024, ISSN: 0045-6535,  Volume: 351, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, unpaywall, scopus  DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141224 P-00Z-WN6
Abstract The present investigation describes the experimental evaluation of relevant physicochemical properties of five organochlorine compounds (OCs), including some that are related to their environmental mobility. The vapor pressures of (2,4′-Dichlorodiphenyl)dichloroethane (2,4′-DDD, CASN:53-19-0), 1,1-Dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (4,4′-DDD, CASN:72-54-8) and 2,2-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)acetic acid (4,4′-DDA, CASN:83-05-6), as well as of the bactericide Nitrapyrin (CASN:1929-82-4) and of the rodenticide Crimidine (CASN:535-89-7) were determined at different temperatures. The Knudsen mass-loss effusion technique was employed to determine the sublimation vapor pressures of the referred compounds, apart from Crimidine. For the latter compound, a static method using a capacitance diaphragm manometer enabled the measurement of vapor pressures of both condensed (crystalline and liquid) phases. This technique was also used to measure the vapor pressures of the crystalline phase of Nitrapyrin over a larger temperature range, as well as its vaporization vapor pressures. The results of the standard molar enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs energies of sublimation for all five compounds and of vaporization for Crimidine and Nitrapyrin, at reference temperatures, were derived. For these two compounds the phase diagram representations of the (p,T) results, in the vicinity of the triple point, were obtained. DSC analysis enabled the determination of the crystalline heat capacities of the five OCs studied and also of their temperatures and enthalpies of fusion. Gas-phase thermodynamic properties were estimated using quantum chemical calculations. The thermodynamic stability of the compounds studied was evaluated and compared in the crystalline and gaseous phases, at 298.15 K, in consideration with estimated results of the standard Gibbs energies of formation. Combined with other physical and chemical properties, the results derived from this study can be used to predict the mobility, and environmental fate of these pollutants. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd
4. Phase transitions properties of N,N-dimethyl-4nitroaniline, Pinheiro B.D.A. Almeida A.R.R.P. Monte M.J.S. in U.Porto Journal of Engineering, 2023, ISSN: 2183-6493,  Volume: 9, 
Article,  Indexed in: unpaywall, crossref, scopus  DOI: 10.24840/2183-6493_009-005_002176 P-00Z-EDZ
Abstract The present work reports an experimental study aiming to determine several thermodynamic properties of fusion and sublimation of the chromophore N,Ndimethyl-4-nitroaniline. This compound is commonly used as a reference in studies focused on the non-linear optical (NLO) characteristics of chromophores. Using the Knudsen mass-loss effusion method, the vapor pressures of the crystalline phase of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline were measured over the temperature range between 341.1 K and 363.5 K. The standard molar enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of sublimation were calculated from the experimental results, at 298.15 K, and compared with those given in the literature. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine the temperature and enthalpy of fusion, as well as the isobaric heat capacities of the crystalline compound under study. Additionally, the enthalpic and entropic contributions to N,N-dimethyl-4-nitroaniline’s volatility were assessed, and it was determined that is greatly conditioned by enthalpic factors.
5. Phase Transitions Equilibria of Five Dichlorinated Substituted Benzenes, Almeida, ARRP Pinheiro, BDA Monte, MJS in MOLECULES, 2023, Volume: 28, 
Article,  Indexed in: scopus, wos, crossref  DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041590 P-00X-ZP8
Abstract This work reports an experimental study aiming to determine the thermodynamic properties of five chlorinated compounds with environmental impact. The vapor pressures of the crystalline phases of three isomers of dichlorobenzoic acid (2,4-, 2,5-, and 2,6-) and 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile were measured at several temperatures using the Knudsen effusion technique. Another technique (a static method based on capacitance diaphragm manometers) allowed the measurement of the vapor pressures of both the crystalline and liquid phases of 2,4-dichlorobenzonitrile between 303.0 and 380.0 K. This latter technique also enabled the measurement of sublimation vapor pressures of 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile over a larger range interval of temperatures, T = 328.7 and 391.8 K. The standard molar enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of sublimation (for all the compounds studied) and vaporization (for 2,4-dichlorobenzonitrile) were derived, at reference temperatures, from the experimental vapor pressure results. The temperatures and enthalpies of fusion and the isobaric heat capacities of the five crystalline-substituted benzenes were determined using differential scanning calorimetry. The contributions of the three substituents (-COOH, -CN, and -Cl) to the sublimation thermodynamic properties of the compounds studied were discussed.