Proton transfer in some periodic molecular systems

The electronic structure of representative hydrogen bonded systems: hydrogen cyanide, imidazole and malonic acid have been studied at the non-empirical level. The role of the dimensionality on the potential barrier for the proton transfer has been examined. It was shown that it depends on the crystal structure and only in some cases like hydrogen cyanide or imidazole the relevant crystals may be considered as one-dimensional. However, for more complicated crystallographic structures, e.g. malonic acid, the evaluated barrier is strongly dependent on the dimensionality taken into account in our calculations. Figure Density of states for the imidazole dimer: MD-EQ- standard proton position (black line), MD-TR- proton position in the middle of the hydrogen bond (red line)     

SOMMER: self-organising maps for education and research

SOMMER is a publicly available, Java-based toolbox for training and visualizing two- and three-dimensional unsupervised self-organizing maps (SOMs). Various map topologies are implemented for planar rectangular, toroidal, cubic-surface and spherical projections. The software allows for visualization of the training process, which has been shown to be particularly valuable for teaching purposes. Spread of a spherical self-organizing map (SOM) in a three-dimensional data space     

The design of organic catalysis for epoxidation by hydrogen peroxide

The potential of various organic species to catalyze epoxidation of ethene by hydrogen peroxide is explored with B3LYP/6-31G* DFT calculations. Electronic Supplementary Materials Supplementary material is available for this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00894-005-0044-4.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Paul von Ragué Schleyer on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

Structure-based 3D-QSAR studies on thiazoles as 5-HT<Subscript>3</Subscript> receptor antagonists

Structure-based 3D-QSAR studies were performed on 20 thiazoles against their binding affinities to the 5-HT₃ receptor with comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA). The thiazoles were initially docked into the binding pocket of a human 5-HT_3A receptor homology model, constructed on the basis of the crystal structure of the snail acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP), using the GOLD program. The docked conformations were then extracted and used to build the 3D-QSAR models, with cross-validated values 0.785 and 0.744 for CoMFA and CoMSIA, respectively. An additional five molecules were used to validate the models further, giving satisfactory predictive values of 0.582 and 0.804 for CoMFA and CoMSIA, respectively. The results would be helpful for the discovery of new potent and selective 5-HT₃ receptor antagonists.      

Density functional computations of enantioselective alkynylation of aldehyde catalyzed by chiral zinc(II)-complexes

The enantioselective alkynylation of aldehyde catalyzed by chiral zinc(II)-complexes was studied by means of the density functional theory (DFT). All the structures were optimized completely at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. To obtain more exact energies, single-point energy calculations at B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level were carried out on the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) geometries. As shown, this enantioselective alkynylation was endothermic. The chirality-determining step for the alkynylation was the formation of the catalyst–ethanol complexes and the transition states for this step involved a six-membered ring. The dominant products predicted theoretically were of (R)-chirality, in good agreement with experiment.      

Aromaticity and electronic properties of Heterosuperbenzene (Heterohexabenzocoronene)

A global electrophilicity parameter and the aromaticity of some heterocyclic polyaromatic hydrocarbons were evaluated on the basis of DFT calculations. The substitution of carbon atoms by nitrogen atoms dramatically changes the global electrophilicity of the molecules, with the fully substituted molecule being the most electrophilic with a reactivity very close to that of fullerene. Figure Fully substituted heterohexabenzocoronene Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Molecular model for host–guest interaction of tetraamino-<Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-butylthiacalix[4]arene and tetraamino-<Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-butylcalix[4]arene receptors with carboxylate and dicarboxylate guests: an ONIOM study

Geometry optimizations of tetraamino-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (tatbtc4a) and tetraamino-tert-butylcalix[4]arene (tatbc4a) complexes with acetate, oxalate, malonate, succinate, glutarate, adipate, and pimelate were carried out using the integrated MO:MO method. Thermodynamic quantities, preorganization energies and complexation energies of these complexes were obtained at the ONIOM(B3LYP/6-31G(d):AM1) level of theory. The relative stabilities of the tatbtc4a and tatbc4a complexes with carboxylate guests are reported. The complexes tatbtc4a/malonate and tatbc4a/oxalate were found to be the most stable species. The selectivity of the tatbtc4a receptor toward to malonate with respect to oxalate, in terms of selectivity coefficient, is 9.90×10². Figure Atom labeling of tatbtc4a/oxalate complex as a representative of host-guest system.     

CHIH-DFT determination of the molecular structure and IR and UV spectra of solanidine

Solanidine is the steroidal aglycon of some potato glycoalkaloids and a very important precursor for the synthesis of hormones and some pharmacologically active compounds. In this work, we make use of a new chemistry model within Density Functional Theory, called CHIH-DFT, to calculate the molecular structure of solanidine, as well to predict its infrared and ultraviolet spectra. The calculated values are compared with the experimental data available for this molecule as a means of validation of our proposed chemistry model. Figure Molecular structure of solanidine calculated with the CHIH(small) model chemistry     

DFT study of the gas phase proton transfer in guanine assisted by water, methanol, and hydrogen peroxide

A computational study of hydrogen-bonded complexes between the oxo-/hydroxo-amino N7/9H tautomers of guanine and water, methanol, and hydrogen peroxide has been performed at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level of theory. The mechanisms of the water-, methanol-, and hydrogen peroxide-assisted proton transfers in guanine were studied and compared with the intramolecular proton transfer in guanine in the gas phase. It was found that the assisted proton transfers pass through about three times lower energy barriers than those found for isolated guanine tautomers. Figure DFT study of the gas phase proton transfer in guanine assisted by water, methanol and hydrogen peroxide     

Application of the PM6 method to modeling the solid state

The applicability of the recently developed PM6 method for modeling various properties of a wide range of organic and inorganic crystalline solids has been investigated. Although the geometries of most systems examined were reproduced with good accuracy, severe errors were found in the predicted structures of a small number of solids. The origin of these errors was investigated, and a strategy for improving the method proposed. Figure Detail of Structure of Dihydrogen Phosphate in KH₂PO₄ (upper pair) and in (CH₃)₄NH₂PO₄. (Footnote): X-ray structures on left, PM6 structure on right. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Theoretical study on the thermal decomposition of model compounds for Poly (dialkyl fumarate)

The thermal decomposition of model compounds for poly (dialkyl fumarate) was studied by using ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. To determine the most favorable reaction pathway of thermal decomposition, geometries, structures, and energies were evaluated for reactants, products, and transition states of the proposed pathways at the HF/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/6-31G(d) levels. Three possible paths (I, II and III) and subsequent reaction paths (IV and V) for the model compounds of poly (dialkyl fumarate) decomposition had been postulated. It has been found that the path (I) has the lowest activation energy 193.8 kJ mol⁻¹ at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level and the path (I) is considered as the main path for the thermal decomposition of model compounds for poly (dialkyl fumarate).      

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies of various benzodiazepine analogues of γ-secretase inhibitors

A 3D QSAR analysis has been performed on a series of 67 benzodiazepine analogues reported as γ-secretase inhibitors using molecular field analysis (MFA), with G/PLS to predict steric and electrostatic molecular field interaction for the activity. The MFA study was carried out using a training set of 54 compounds. The predictive ability of model developed was assessed using a test set of 13 compounds ( as high as 0.729). The analyzed MFA model has demonstrated a good fit, having r² value of 0.858 and cross validated coefficient, value as 0.790. The analysis of the best MFA model provided insight into possible modification of the molecules for better activity.   Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

An experimental and theoretical study of the enantioselective deprotonation of cyclohexene oxide with isopinocampheyl-based chiral lithium amides

The mechanism of the enantioselective deprotonation of cyclohexene oxide with isopinocampheyl-based chiral lithium amide was studied by quantum chemical calculations. The transition states of eight molecules were fully optimized at the ab initio HF/3-21G and density functional B3LYP/3-21G levels with Gaussian 98. The activation energies were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/3-21G level. We found the theoretical evaluation to be consistent with the experimental data. At the best case, an enantiomeric excess of up to 95% for (R)-2-scyclohexen-1-ol was achieved with (−)-N, N-diisopinocampheyl lithium amide. Enantioselective deprotonation of cyclohexene oxide Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at Dedicated to Professor Dr. Paul von Ragué Schleyer on the occasion of his 75th birthday.     

Theoretical study on the ground state intramolecular proton transfer (IPT) and solvation effect in two Schiff bases formed by 2-aminopyridine with 2-hydroxy-1- naphthaldehyde and 2-hydroxy salicylaldehyde

The tautomerization mechanism the isolated and monohydrated forms of two Schiff bases 1 and 2, and the effect of solvation on the proton transfer from enol-imine form to the keto-enamine form have been investigated using the B3LYP hybrid density functional method at the 6-31G** basis set level. The barrier heights for H₂O-assisted reactions are significantly lower than that of unassisted tautomerization reaction in the gas phase. Nonspecific solvent effects have also been taken into account by using the continuum model (IPCM) of four different solvent. The tautomerization energies and the potential energy barriers are decreased by increasing solvent polarity. Figure The tautomerization mechanism the isolated and monohydrated forms of two Schiff bases 1 and 2, and the effect of solvation on the proton transfer from enol-imine form to the keto-enamine form have been investigated using the B3LYP hybrid density functional method at the 6-31G** basis set level     

Neighboring group stabilization by σ-holes

We have used density-functional theory to investigate the neighboring-group stabilization of iodine, arsenic, and phosphorus-centered oxyanion moieties in species such as deprotonated 2-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX) and its analogs. The magnitudes of different stabilizing effects and further candidates for analogous stabilization are analyzed.      

Reverse-docking study of the TADDOL-catalyzed asymmetric hetero-Diels–Alder reaction

The reverse-docking of a TADDOL catalyst to rigid transition-state (TS) representations of an asymmetric hetero-Diels–Alder reaction is described. The resulting docking poses represent a simplified geometric model of the TS for the catalyzed reaction. The conformational space of the catalyst in proximity to the catalyst-free TS models is sampled stochastically and the energetically favored poses are subjected to a clustering procedure to highlight structural attributes compatible with organocatalysis. Each pose is scored and ranked based on its molecular-mechanics docking energy. The reverse-docking procedure reveals a clear energetic trend in favor of the experimentally preferred product enantiomers. Analysis of the best poses suggests a geometric model that is consistent with principles of molecular recognition, catalysis, and experimental data.      

A theoretical study of some new analogues of the anti-cancer drug camptothecin

The enzyme topoisomerase I (topo I), which is essential for cell replication, transiently causes a DNA single strand break and makes a complex with it. The anti-cancer agent camptothecin (CPT) binds to the topo I–DNA complex and stabilizes it, preventing resealing of the broken DNA strand and cell growth. Considering the structural factors of CPT that are believed to be involved in stabilizing the topo I–DNA complex via hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions, designs of two new analogues of CPT (topo I inhibitors) have been suggested. The molecular geometries of CPT, two of its analogues and certain other related molecules included in the study were fully optimized in both gas phase and aqueous media at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of density functional theory. Solvation effects of aqueous media were treated using the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Net CHelpG charges and surface molecular electrostatic potentials (MEP) near the atomic sites of the molecules were studied. Structural analogy and surface MEP values suggests that the two new CPT analogues studied here would be potent topoisomerase I inhibitors. Figure Optimized structures of CPT and two of its new analogues, 10 and 11.     

Theoretical study of the hydrogen-bonded complexes serotonin–water/hydrogen peroxide

Eight H-bonded complexes between serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine) and water/hydrogen peroxide were studied at the B3LYP and HF levels of theory, using the 6-31+G(d) basis set. A thermodynamic analysis was performed in order to find the most stable complex. The calculated bonding parameters showed that the most stable H-bonded complex is formed between serotonin and hydrogen peroxide by means of the intermolecular H-bond –H₂N...H–OOH. Fig. a Theoretical study of the hydrogen-bonded supersystems serotonin-water/hydrogen peroxide     

Conformational stability and three-dimensional model of the δ-opioid pharmacophore for the extended antiparallel dimer structure of Met-enkephalin in water

The conformational stability of the extended antiparallel dimer structure of Met-enkephalin in water was analyzed by examining the hydration structure of enkephalin using molecular dynamics simulations. The result shows that, despite of the hydrophicility of the terminal atoms in the pentapeptide, the main contributor for the stability of the dimer in water is the four intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the Gly² and Phe⁴ groups. The three-dimensional model of the δ-opioid pharmacophore for this dimer structure was also established. Such a model was demonstrated to match the δ-opioid pharmacophore query derived from the non-peptides SIOM, TAN-67, and OMI perfectly. This result thus strongly supports the assumption that the dimer structure of Met-enkephalin is a possible δ-receptor binding conformation. Figure Schematic model of the extended antiparallel dimer structure of Met-enkephalin     

G2, G3, and complete basis set calculations on the thermodynamic properties of triazane

As a follow-up study to our study on tetrazane (N₄H₆), we present computed thermodynamic properties of triazane (N₃H₅). Calculated properties include optimized geometries, infrared vibrations, enthalpy of formation, enthalpy of combustion, and proton affinities. We have also mapped the potential energy surface as the molecule is rotated about the N-N bond. We have predicted a specific enthalpy of combustion for triazane of about -20 kJ g⁻¹. Figure Schematic diagram of the dielectric barrier discharge (left) and typical temporal profiles of voltage and current, as obtained from the simulations (right)