Degree: Doctor

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CIQUP_FCUP

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Ana Almeida (ARRPA) currently holds a contracted researcher position at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) within the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department (DQB). She is a member of the Institute of Molecular Sciences (IMS) and the Molecular Thermodynamics for Sustainability Group at CIQUP. She earned her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry in 2001, followed by MSc degree in 2004 and PhD in Chemistry in 2013, all from the University of Porto. Her doctoral work was approved with distinction. Following her master's studies, ARRPA gets on a scientific career, starting as a researcher/monitor at the School of Biotechnology of the Portuguese Catholic University in 2005. Subsequently, from 2009 to 2013, she undertook research assignments integral to her doctoral thesis and in 2014, she secured a post-doctoral grant. Since 2019, ARRPA has been supervising various scientific research activities aligned with internships, bachelor’s projects, master's dissertations, and a doctoral dissertation in Chemistry. Concurrently, she has been actively engaged in teaching both practical and theoretical classes across different levels and subjects within the Chemistry and Biochemistry curriculum at FCUP. ARRPA co-authored numerous scientific articles (40) published in international peer-reviewed journals, often serving as the first and/or corresponding author. She has also presented her research findings at several national and international scientific conferences (>50) and has actively participated in initiatives promoting scientific dissemination and education, including Open University Days, Science Fairs, and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Junior University. In addition to working on different national and international collaborations, she has served as a referee for peer-reviewed international journals and as a guest editor at an open access journal. Furthermore, she has also organized lectures and scientific conferences, as well as contributing to the DQB's security team and committee of researchers. ARRPA has been responsible for lab management tasks, including budgeting and acquiring supplies for lab procedures, as well as conducting instrument maintenance. With a keen focus on Physical Chemistry and Thermodynamics, her research activities span a wide range of topics, including volatility, solubility, phase transitions, intermolecular interactions, and thermodynamic stability of organic compounds. Her interests also involve developing user-friendly models to predict physical-chemical properties critical for assessing environmental pollutant mobility: vapor pressures, Gibbs energy of hydration, aqueous solubility, Henry constants and octanol-water partition coefficients.

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Publications
Showing 5 latest publications. Total publications: 43
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1. Antioxidant treatment attenuates age-related placenta GLUT-1 and PLIN-2 downregulation, Pinheiro, AR Rodrigues, AR; Matos, L; Costa, JJ; Ricardo, S; Guedes-Martins, L; Almeida, H; Silva, E in PLACENTA, 2025, ISSN: 0143-4004,  Volume: 160, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, wos  DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2024.12.024 P-017-TS7
Abstract Background and aim: Pregnancy after the age of 35 is correlated with an increased risk of impaired placentation and the development of pregnancy-associated complications. Changes in uterine redox balance seem to play a role in these settings. In this work, we hypothesized that local redox dysregulation impacts the placenta metabolic profile. Thus, we aimed to study the expression of enzymes/transporters related to nutrient uptake during reproductive aging and the effect of antioxidant supplementation. Methods: Placenta samples were collected from pregnant women aged between 22 and 41 years, and from mice of different reproductive ages (8-12 and 38-42 weeks). A subgroup of 38-42 weeks-old mice was treated with apocynin (5 mM) in the drinking water. Real-time PCR was carried out to assess gene expression, and immunohistochemistry or western blotting to assess protein expression. Results: A significant age-related decrease in the expression of glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT-1) was observed in both species. Regarding lipid metabolism, there was a strong negative and significant correlation between the gene expression of fatty-acid transporter type 4 and maternal age, in the human placenta. Perilipin isoform 2 (PLIN-2) decreased significantly with maternal age, in both models. Additionally, a significant age-related decrease in the gene expression of large neutral amino acid transporter type 4 with reproductive age was observed in the mice placenta. Supplementation with apocynin attenuated the observed alterations in GLUT-1 and PLIN-2. The observed changes suggest an age-related placenta metabolic dysfunction, likely associated with oxidative stress, that may negatively impact fetal and placental development.
2. Correction to: Thermochemical Research on Furfurylamine and 5-Methylfurfurylamine: Experimental and Computational Insights (Molecules, (2024), 29, 12, (2729), 10.3390/molecules29122729), Amaral, MPF; Almeida, RRP Ribeiro da Silva, AV in Molecules, 2025, ISSN: 1420-3049,  Volume: 30, 
Correction,  Indexed in: scopus  DOI: 10.3390/molecules30132773 P-019-QZ3
Abstract In the original publication [1], there was an error in the Discussion section in Figure 3, entitled “Thermochemical cycle of the vaporization of dimer and monomer of furfurylamine”. The arrow representing (Formula presented.) was incorrectly labeled. The corrected Figure 3 is provided below: Additionally, there were errors in the Discussion section following Figure 3 in the original publication. In accordance with the revised Figure 3, the value (Formula presented.) = 24 kJ·mol−1 [30] was replaced with (Formula presented.) = −24 kJ·mol−1 [30]. Equation (5) of the original publication is related to Figure 3 and was therefore incorrect. The corrected Equation (5) is shown below: (Formula presented.) In the original publication, there was also an error in Table 5 (Discussion section), titled “Vaporization enthalpies according to Equations (4) and (5) for furfurylamine”. The values of (Formula presented.) calculated in this work for furfurylamine (dimer) were incorrect. The corrected values are now presented in the revised Table 5. The authors state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Academic Editor. The original publication has also been updated. © 2025 by the authors.
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, scopus, unpaywall  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. Thermochemical Research on Furfurylamine and 5-Methylfurfurylamine: Experimental and Computational Insights, Amaral, LMPF; Almeida, ARRP da Silva, MAVR in MOLECULES, 2024, ISSN: 1420-3049,  Volume: 29, 
Article,  Indexed in: crossref, scopus, unpaywall, wos  DOI: 10.3390/molecules29122729 P-010-JQF
Abstract The need to transition from fossil fuels to renewables arises from factors such as depletion, price fluctuations, and environmental considerations. Lignocellulosic biomass, being abundant, and quickly renewable, and not interfering with food supplies, offers a standout alternative for chemical production. This paper explores the energetic characteristics of two derivatives of furfural-a versatile chemical obtained from biomass with great potential for commercial sustainable chemical and fuel production. The standard (p degrees = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation of the liquids furfurylamine and 5-methylfurfurylamine were derived from the standard molar energies of combustion, determined in oxygen and at T = 298.15 K, by static bomb combustion calorimetry. Their standard molar enthalpies of vaporization were also determined at the same temperature using high-temperature Calvet microcalorimetry. By combining these data, the gas-phase enthalpies of formation at T = 298.15 K were calculated as -(43.5 +/- 1.4) kJmol-1 for furfurylamine, and -(81.2 +/- 1.7) kJmol-1 for 5-methylfurfurylamine. Furthermore, a theoretical analysis using G3 level calculations was performed, comparing the calculated enthalpies of formation with the experimental values to validate both results. This method has been successfully applied to similar molecules. The discussion looks into substituent effects in terms of stability and compares them with similar compounds.
5. 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: crossref, scopus, unpaywall  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.