Narrowleaf firethorn (en), espinho de fogo (pt-br)
Photo credit: E. L. Bastos; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Photo credit: Moayed Bahajjaj; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Antigonon leptopus
Mexican creeper (en), amor-agarradinho (pt-br)
Centaurea cineraria
Silver dust (en), cinerária (pt-br)
Photo credit: E. L. Bastos; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Rob Roy daisy (en), Margarida Rob Roy (pt-br)
Bellis perennis
Photo credit: Diggler photography; CC BY-NC 2.0
'Rob Roy'
Callicarpa dichotoma
Purple beautyberry (en), beautyberry (pt-br)
Photo credit: E. L. Bastos; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Portulaca grandiflora
Photo credit: José Roberto Peruca; CC BY 2.0
Moss-rose (en), onze-horas (pt-br)
Mirabilis jalapa
Marvel of Peru (en), maravilha (pt-br)
Photo credit: titanium22; CC BY-SA 2.0
CHEMISTRY OF NATURAL PIGMENTS
We are interested in the chemistry and biology of betalains, which are water-soluble and non-toxic natural pigments. Interestingly, betalains have been found in the petals of most fluorescent flowers.
SEMISYNTHESIS OF BETALAINS
Betalains are biosynthesized from the oxidation of L-tirosine to betalamic acid, a fluorescent aldehyde. The isolation of betalamic acid allows the partial synthesis (semisynthesis) of betalains in vitro.
PHOTOPHYSICS AND PHOTOCHEMISTRY
Natural betalains isolated from fluorescent flowers are slightly fluorescent in water. Inspired by nature, we have designed several artificial betalains with exciting photophysical properties.
BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCE
The fluorescence and chemical versatility of betalains are advantageous to develop new applications. We aim to create (bio)analytical tools and smart materials based on designed betalains.
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