Electronic structures of highly symmetrical compounds of f elements: XXXIX. Do more covalent europium(III) compounds exhibit an anti-nephelauxetic behavior?

By comparing the nephelauxetic ratios β of a number of molecular Pr^III compounds, and the Slater parameters F² (or Racah parameters E¹) of molecular Nd^III and selected Sm^III compounds, presumably more covalent types of Eu^III compounds could be identified. Powdered [Eu{N(SiMe₃)₂}₃] (1), “[Eu{OC(tBu)₃}₃]” (“3”) and [Eu(η⁵-C₅H₅)₃(CNC₆H₁₁)] (5) were resynthesized following usual procedures. The absorption transitions ⁷F₀ → ⁵D₀ of an oriented single crystal of 1, a glassy frozen solution of 1 dissolved in a mixture of 2-MeTHF/THF (ratio 3:1) ([Eu{N(SiMe₃)₂}₃(THF)], (2)), of “3” dissolved in 2-MeTHF ([Eu{OC(tBu)₃}₃(MeTHF)], (4)), and of 5 dissolved in a mixture of the inert solvents methylcyclohexane/toluene (ratio 1:1), were measured at room and low temperatures (90 K). The energy differences of this transition for compounds 1, 2, 4 and 5 are larger than those of [Eu(H₂O)₉]³⁺ or even gaseous Eu³⁺, indicating quasi “anti-nephelauxetic” effects. Crystal field calculations, however, reveal that lower Slater parameters F² (or Racah parameters E¹) have to be used than those of [Eu(H₂O)₉]³⁺ in order to reproduce the experimental energy differences between ⁷F₀ and ⁵D₀, thus indicating the expected nephelauxetic effects of more covalent Eu^III compounds.     

Ab initio double-ζ (D95) valence bond calculations for the ground states of NO2, O3, and ClO2

The results of some double-ζ D95 valence-bond (VB) calculations are reported for the ground states of nitrogen dioxide, NO₂ (17 valence electrons), ozone, O₃ (18 valence electrons), and chlorine dioxide, ClO₂ (19 valence electrons). The Mulliken, Löwdin and Hiberty structural weights are reported for nine (NO₂), six (O₃), and three (ClO₂) Lewis structures that differ in the locations of the π electrons. The most important Lewis structures for NO₂ are the uncharged spin-paired diradical structure VII and the two equivalent structures that carry no formal charges (II and V). For O₃ and ClO₂, the primary Lewis structures are, respectively, the uncharged singlet diradical structure III, and I with the odd electron located in the chlorine 3pπ atomic orbital.For ClO₂, the results of some STO-6G calculations, with 16 canonical Lewis type structures included, give a much smaller value for the chlorine odd-electron charge than does the D95 vb2000 calculation with a Hartree-Fock core. However, the structural weights obtained from the STO-6G calculations do reflect the expectation that small atomic formal charge separations, together with some Cl-O covalent σ-bonding, are associated with large structural weights.     

Theoretical model of the aqua-copper [Cu(H2O)5]+cation interactions with guanine

Pentaaqua complexes of Cu(I) with guanine were optimized at the DFT B3PW91/6-31G(d) level. For the most stable structures, vibration frequencies and NBO charges were computed followed by energy analyses. The order of individual conformers was very sensitive to the method and basis sets used for the calculation. Several conformers are practically degenerated in energy. The inclusion of an entropy term changes the order of the conformers stability. Water molecules associated at the N9 position of guanine are favored by the inclusion of the entropy correction. Bonding energies of Cu–O(aqua) interactions were estimated to be about 60 kcal mol^–1 and for Cu–N7 bonding in the range of 75–83 kcal mol^–1. The broad range in Cu–N interaction energies demonstrates the role of induction effects caused by water molecules associated at the various sites of guanine. The charge distribution of the guanine molecule is changed remarkably by the coordination of a Cu(I) cation, which can also change the base-pairing pattern of the guanine.     

Conformational Changes of 3,5,3′-Triiodo <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">L</Emphasis>-Thyronine Induced by Interactions with Phospholipid: Physiological Speculations

The conformational changes of 3,5,3′-triiodo L-thyronine induced by interaction with phospholipids were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The spectra were interpreted in terms of two conformers of this hormone in equilibrium in the lipid medium, depending on the orientation of the 3′-iodine with respect to the ring α. Theoretical geometry optimizations on both conformers in vacuo and in different solvents, together with the respective calculated energies support the experimental results. The presence of only one iodine atom in the phenolic ring allows assumption of a higher flexibility of 3,5,3′-triiodo L-thyronine and a better accommodation into the lipid medium compared to 3,5,3′,5′-tetraiodo L-thyronine. The possible physiological implications of structural differences that appear in membrane models between 3,5,3′-triiodo L-thyronine and 3,5,3′,5′-tetraiodo L-thyronine are discussed.     

Structural studies of lanthanide complexes with tetradentate nitrogen ligands

Complexes have been synthesised with bis(2-pyridine carboxaldehyde) ethylenediimine (1) and bis(2-pyridine carboxaldehyde)propylene-1,3-diimine (2) with all of the available lanthanide trinitrates. Crystal structures were obtained for all but one complex with 1 and for all but one complex with 2. Four distinct structural types were established for 1 but only two for 2, although in all cases the structures contained one ligand bound to the metal in a tetradentate fashion. With 1, the four different structures of the lanthanide(III) nitrate complexes included 11-coordinate [Ln(1)(NO₃)₃(H₂O)] for Ln = La; 10 coordinate [Ln(1)(NO₃)₃(H₂O)] with one monodentate and two bidentate nitrates for Ln = Ce, then 10-coordinate [Ln(1)(NO₃)₃] for Ln = Pr-Yb with three bidentate nitrates; and 9-coordinate [Ln(1)(NO₃)₃] with one monodentate and two bidentate nitrates for Ln = Lu. On the other hand for 2 only two distinct types of structure are obtained, the first type with Ln = La-Pr and the second type for Ln = Sm-Lu, although all are 10-coordinate with stoichiometry [Ln(2)(NO₃)₃]. The difference between the two types is in the disposition of the ligand relative to the nitrates. With the larger lanthanides La-Pr the ligand is found on one side of the coordination sphere with the three nitrate anions on the other. In these structures, the ligand is folded such that the angle between the two pyridine rings approaches 90°, while with the smaller lanthanides Sm-Lu, two nitrates are found on one side of the ligand and one nitrate on the other and the ligand is in an extended conformation such that the two pyridine rings are close to being coplanar. In both series of structures, the Ln-N and Ln-O bond lengths were consistent with the lanthanide contraction though there are significant variations between ostensibly equivalent bonds which are indicative of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and steric crowding in the complexes.     

A study of the conformations of valinomycin in solution phase

Vibrational absorption and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of valinomycin are measured, in different solvents, in the ester and amide carbonyl stretching regions. The influence of cations, namely Li(+), Na(+), K(+), and Cs(+), in methanol-d(4) solvent is also investigated. Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations using density functional theory and 6-31G* basis set are used to predict the absorption and VCD spectra. A bracelet-type structure for valinomycin that reproduces the experimental absorption and VCD spectra in inert solvents is identified. For the structure of valinomycin in polar solvents, a propeller-type structure was optimized, but further investigations are required to confirm this structure. A symmetric octahedral environment for the ester carbonyl groups in the valinomycin-K(+) complex is supported by the experimental VCD spectra. The results obtained in the present study demonstrate that even for large macrocyclic peptides, such as valinomycin, VCD can be used as an independent structural tool for the study of conformations in solution.     

Leaving group activation by aromatic stacking: an alternative to general acid catalysis

General acid catalysis is a powerful and widely used strategy in enzymatic nucleophilic displacement reactions. For example, hydrolysis/phosphorolysis of the N-glycosidic bond in nucleosides and nucleotides commonly involves the protonation of the leaving nucleobase concomitant with nucleophilic attack. However, in the nucleoside hydrolase of the parasite Trypanosoma vivax, crystallographic and mutagenesis studies failed to identify a general acid. This enzyme binds the purine base of the substrate between the aromatic side-chains of Trp83 and Trp260. Here, we show via quantum chemical calculations that face-to-face stacking can raise the pKa of a heterocyclic aromatic compound by several units. Site-directed mutagenesis combined with substrate engineering demonstrates that Trp260 catalyzes the cleavage of the glycosidic bond by promoting the protonation of the purine base at N-7, hence functioning as an alternative to general acid catalysis.     

The influence of a transmembrane pH gradient on protonation probabilities of bacteriorhodopsin: the structural basis of the back-pressure effect

Bacteriorhodopsin pumps protons across a membrane using the energy of light. The proton pumping is inhibited when the transmembrane proton gradient that the protein generates becomes larger than four pH units. This phenomenon is known as the back-pressure effect. Here, we investigate the structural basis of this effect by predicting the influence of a transmembrane pH gradient on the titration behavior of bacteriorhodopsin. For this purpose we introduce a method that accounts for a pH gradient in protonation probability calculations. The method considers that in a transmembrane protein, which is exposed to two different aqueous phases, each titratable residue is accessible for protons from one side of the membrane depending on its hydrogen-bond pattern. This method is applied to several ground-state structures of bacteriorhodopsin, which residues already present complicated titration behaviors in the absence of a proton gradient. Our calculations show that a pH gradient across the membrane influences in a non-trivial manner the protonation probabilities of six titratable residues which are known to participate in the proton transfer: D85, D96, D115, E194, E204, and the Schiff base. The residues connected to one side of the membrane are influenced by the pH on the other side because of their long-range electrostatic interactions within the protein. In particular, D115 senses the pH at the cytoplasmic side of the membrane and transmits this information to D85 and the Schiff base. We propose that the strong electrostatic interactions found between D85, D115, and the Schiff base as well as the interplay of their respective protonation states under the influence of a transmembrane pH gradient are responsible for the back-pressure effect on bacteriorhodopsin.     

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     

Theoretical 49Ti NMR chemical shifts

⁴⁹Ti chemical shifts for a total of 20 titanium complexes are reported, and several levels of theory are evaluated in order to identify a reliable approach for the calculation of titanium NMR data. The popular B3LYP/6–31G(d)//B3LYP/6–31G(d) proves to give very good agreement with experimental data over a range from 1,400 to −1,300 ppm. The MP2/6–31G(d)//MP2/6–31G(d) level computes even smaller average deviations but fails for TiI₄. This behavior together with its huge demand for computational resources requires careful handling of this theoretical level. In addition, NMR data for five titanium fulvene (or related) complexes are given. Dedicated to Professor Dr. Paul von Ragué Schleyer on the occasion of his 75th birthday