SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

Background: The Second Southern Science Conference (SSCON 2024) represents a significant milestone in international scientific collaboration, bringing together researchers from twelve nations across multiple continents. The conference, held in Mendoza, Argentina, and co-hosted by the University of Vassouras in Brazil, marked both the 64th anniversary of Universidad de Mendoza and the 20th anniversary of Periódico Tchê Química, demonstrating the growing importance of cross-border academic partnerships. Aim: This study aimed to document and analyze the outcomes and impact of the Second Southern Science Conference, focusing on participation metrics, collaborative patterns, and institutional contributions while highlighting the significance of the hybrid format in facilitating global scientific dialogue. Methods: The analysis involved quantitative assessment of conference participation metrics, including the number of approved papers, author distributions, and institutional representation. The study examined participation patterns across countries and institutions, analyzing collaboration trends through statistical data visualization and comparative analysis of submission rates. Results: The conference achieved significant participation metrics with 65 approved papers and 242 contributing authors, averaging 4 authors per paper. The Universidad Nacional de Córdoba emerged as the leading institution, showcasing its 4 centuries legacy of academic excellence. The analysis revealed strong representation from Latin American institutions, with Brazil and Argentina leading in submissions. Most papers involved 2-5 collaborators, indicating effective research collaboration patterns. Over 500 people participated in the event through both in-person and virtual attendance options. Discussion: The hybrid format successfully facilitated broader international participation and knowledge exchange, which is particularly beneficial for addressing contemporary global challenges. The strong showing from Latin American institutions highlights the region's growing influence in international scientific discourse. The conference's interdisciplinary nature fostered new collaborative initiatives and research partnerships. Conclusions: The conference demonstrated the effectiveness of hybrid international scientific events in fostering global collaboration and knowledge exchange. Areas for improvement were identified, including extended submission timelines and establishment of a permanent management committee. The success of this edition supports the planning of future iterations, with the next edition scheduled to be held in Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro.

The extraction of naturally occurring compounds is one of the fastest-growing industries because of its benefits against its synthetic analogs. Environmental protection must require the use of natural products instead of chemicals to minimize pollution. Thus, this investigation studies the use of some natural product, as curcumin, as naturally occurring acid‐base indicators. Curcumin can be used as acid-base indicators since it was found that it possesses pH-dependent solubility. Curcumin, the major active component of turmeric, Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae), is used as a spice in curry and as a coloring agent in yellow mustards, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and hair dyes. In this research, the main compound colored rhizome of turmeric (Curcuma longa) cultivated in Mérida, Venezuela, is extracted: Curcumin (C₂₁H₂₀O₆) (1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, in a yield of 3.42% after 8 hours of extraction using soxhlet extractor system with organic solvents (hexane and ethanol). The thin-layer chromatography and column performed separation and purification using a mobile phase, a mixture of chloroform-hexane 3:2. The dye was characterized by spectroscopic analysis of visible ultraviolet (UV-Vis) and infrared (IR), in addition to his studio in steering sensitivity as an acid-base indicator. This dye is useful as an acid-base indicator in strong acid-strong base volumes and did not require large amounts of it as it has high sensitivity. The results indicate that curcumin as an acid-base indicator allows the development of new standards in different chemistry fields that require this type of analysis.

Demand for diversified biodiesel feedstocks is high and increasing, but few are viable for large-scale production, and many of those selected compete with other sectors of the chemical industry. To improve energy and environmental sustainability, fatty acids from waste oils that are improperly disposed of and pollute the environment can be used for transesterification reactions. However, they need treatment to achieve high conversion rates. In this context, the aim of this work was to perform and analyze the treatment of residual frying oil with the evaporation and entrainment process, aiming at its use as raw material to obtain biodiesel (methyl esters) by a transesterification reaction. The physicochemical properties of the residual oil after treatment were characterized by moisture content, pH and the acidity, saponification, iodine, and peroxide index. The conversion rate of the residual oil to methyl esters was determined by 1H NMR analysis. After the treatment, the method of analysis of variance showed that the oil obtained a significant reduction of the saponification, iodine, peroxide and acidity indexes, being the acidity reduced from 9.36 to 7.85 mg KOH g-1. The moisture content of 0.733% and elevation of pH to 8.0. The conversion rate of fatty acid biodiesel of residual oil was 79.3 %, lower value of standards norms (ASTM, 2005; EN, 2008; ANP, 2014), showing that the assigned methodology for frying residual oil is inefficient in biodiesel production.