Weak Attractive Ligand–Polymer and Related Interactions in Catalysis and Reactivity: Impact,Applications, and Modeling

The notion of weak attractive ligand–polymer interactions is introduced, and its potential application, importance, and conceptual links with “cooperative” ligand–substrate interactions are discussed. Synthetic models of weak attractive ligand–polymer interactions are described, in which intramolecular weak C? H???F? C interactions (the existence of which remains contentious) have been detected by NMR spectroscopy and neutron and X‐ray diffraction experiments. These C? H???F? C interactions carry important implications for the design of catalysts for olefin polymerization, because they provide support for the practical feasibility of ortho‐F???H_β ligand–polymer contacts proposed for living Group 4 fluorinated phenoxyimine catalysts. The notion of weak attractive noncovalent interactions between an “active” ligand and the growing polymer chain is a novel concept in polyolefin catalysis.     

Convexity Bias in the Pricing of Eurodollar Swaps

The traditional use of LIBOR futures prices to obtain surrogates for the Eurodollar forward rates is proved to yield a systematic bias in the pricing of Eurodollar swaps when one assumes that the yield curve is well described by the Heath-Jarrow-Morton model. The resulting theoretical inequality is consistent with the empirical observations of Burghardt and Hoskins (1995), and it provide a theoretical basis for price anomalies that are suggested by more recent empirical data.     

Synthesis of Surface-Modified Nanoparticles via Cycloaddition-Reactions

Summary. The surface modification of nanoparticles via azide/alkine-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition-reactions is described. Ligand exchange onto various nanoparticles was monitored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and formed the basis for the attachment of ligands onto the nanoparticles and their subsequent modification by dipolar cycloaddition reactions. Nanoparticle-surfaces were monitored by binding onto self-assembled monolayers derivatized with matching supramolecular interactions after derivatization.     

Solution structure, mutagenesis, and NH exchange studies of the MutT enzyme–Mg-8-oxo-dGMP complex

The MutT pyrophosphohydrolase from E. coli (129 residues) catalyzes the hydrolysis of nucleoside triphosphates (NTP), including 8-oxo-dGTP, by substitution at Pβ, to yield NMP and pyrophosphate. The product, 8-oxo-dGMP is an unusually tight binding, slowly exchanging inhibitor with a K_D=52 nM, (ΔG°=−9.8 kcal/mol) which is 6.1 kcal/mol tighter than the binding of dGMP (ΔG°=−3.7 kcal/mol). The higher affinity for 8-oxo-dGMP results from a more favorable ΔH_binding (−32 kcal/mol) despite an unfavorable −TΔS°_binding (+22 kcal/mol). The solution structure of the MutT–Mg²⁺-8-oxo-dGMP complex shows a narrowed, hydrophobic nucleotide-binding cleft with Asn-119 and Arg-78 among the few polar residues. The N119A, N119D, R78K and R78A single mutations, and the R78K+N119A double mutant all showed largely intact active sites, on the basis of small changes in the kinetic parameters of dGTP hydrolysis and in ¹H–¹⁵N HSQC spectra. However, the N119A mutation profoundly weakened the active site binding of 8-oxo-dGMP by 4.3 kcal/mol (1650-fold). The N119D mutation also weakened 8-oxo-dGMP binding but only by 2.1 kcal/mol (37-fold), suggesting that Asn-119 functioned both as a hydrogen bond donor to C8=O, and a hydrogen bond acceptor from N7H of 8-oxo-dGMP, while aspartate at position −119 functioned as an acceptor of a single hydrogen bond. Much smaller weakening effects (0.3–0.4 kcal/mol) on the binding of dGMP and dAMP were found, indicating specific hydrogen bonding of Asn-119 to 8-oxo-dGMP. While formation of the wild type MutT–Mg²⁺-8-oxo-dGMP complex slowed the backbone NH exchange rates of 45 residues distributed throughout the protein, the same complex of the N119A mutant slowed the exchange rates of only 11 residues at or near the active site, indicating an increase in conformational flexibility of the N119A mutant. The R78K and R78A mutations weakened the binding of 8-oxo-dGMP by 1.7 and 1.1 kcal/mol, respectively, indicating a lesser role of Arg-78 than of Asn-119 in the selective binding of 8-oxo-dGMP, likely donating a single hydrogen bond to its C6=O. The R78K+N119A double mutant weakened the binding of 8-oxo-dGMP (K_I^slope=3.1 mM) by 6.5±0.2 kcal/mol which overlaps, within error with the sum of the effects of the two single mutants (6.0±0.3 kcal/mol). Such additive effects of the two single mutants in the double mutant are most simply explained by the independent functioning of Asn-119 and Arg-78 in the binding of 8-oxo-dGMP. Independent functioning of these two residues in nucleotide binding is consistent with their locations in the MutT–Mg²⁺-8-oxo-dGMP complex, on opposite sides of the active site cleft, with a distance of 8.4±0.5 Å between their side chain nitrogens.     

Influence of hydrogen bonding on the properties of water molecules adsorbed in zeolite frameworks

Three hydrated aluminosilicate frameworks—LiABW, NaNAT, and BaEDI—are partly optimized with the periodic Hartree–Fock CRYSTAL95 code. In particular, we optimized the positions of the adsorbed water molecules including the positions of the framework cations (ABW, NAT) or part of the framework atomic positions (ABW). This allowed us to compare cation–water clusters in the gas and adsorbed states and discuss the influence of hydrogen bonding to the framework oxygen atoms or to the neighbor water molecules on the atomic properties (quadrupole coupling constant, anisotropy of electric field gradient) of the adsorbed water molecules. The LiBIK structure obtained from X‐ray diffraction is also considered to illustrate the hydrogen bonds occurring between adsorbed water molecules. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2003     

Ab initio study of the complexes of halogen-containing molecules RX (X=Cl, Br, and I) and NH3: towards understanding the nature of halogen bonding and the electron-accepting propensities of covalently bonded halogen atoms

Ab initio calculations have been performed on a series of complexes formed between halogen-containing molecules and ammonia to gain a deeper insight into the nature of halogen bonding. It appears that the dihalogen molecules form the strongest halogen-bonded complexes with ammonia, followed by HOX; the charge-transfer-type contribution has been demonstrated to dominate the halogen bonding in these complexes. For the complexes involving carbon-bound halogen molecules, our calculations clearly indicate that electrostatic interactions are mainly responsible for their binding energies. Whereas the halogen-bond strength is significantly enhanced by progressive fluorine substitution, the substitution of a hydrogen atom by a methyl group in the CH(3)X...NH(3) complex weakened the halogen bonding. Moreover, remote substituent effects have also been noted in the complexes of halobenzenes with different para substituents. The influence of the hybridization state of the carbon atom bonded to the halogen atom has also been examined and the results reveal that halogen-bond strengths decrease in the order HC triple bond CX > H(2)C=CHX approximately O=CHX approximately C(6)H(5)X > CH(3)X. In addition, several excellent linear correlations have been established between the interaction energies and both the amount of charge transfer and the electrostatic potentials corresponding to an electron density of 0.002 au along the R-X axis; these correlations provide good models with which to evaluate the electron-accepting abilities of the covalently bonded halogen atoms. Finally, some positively charged halogen-bonded systems have been investigated and the effect of the charge has been discussed.     

Oligonucleotide Analogues with Integrated Bases and Backbone. Part 14

The self‐complementary tetrameric propargyl triols 8, 14, 18 , and 21 were synthesized to investigate the duplex formation of self‐complementary, ethynylene‐linked UUAA, AAUU, UAUA, and AUAU analogues with integrated bases and backbone (ONIBs). The linear synthesis is based on repetitive Sonogashira couplings and C‐desilylations (34–72% yield), starting from the monomeric propargyl alcohols 9 and 15 and the iodinated nucleosides 3, 7, 11 , and 13 . Strongly persistent intramolecular H‐bonds from the propargylic OH groups to N(3) of the adenosine units prevent the gg‐type orientation of the ethynyl groups at C(5′). As such, an orientation is required for the formation of cyclic duplexes, this H‐bond prevents the formation of duplexes connected by all four base pairs. However, the central units of the UAUA and AAUU analogues 18 and 14 associate in CDCl₃/(D₆)DMSO 10 : 1 to form a cyclic duplex characterized by reverse Hoogsteen base pairing. The UUAA tetramer 8 forms a cyclic UU homoduplex, while the AUAU tetramer 21 forms only linear associates. Duplex formation of the O‐silylated UUAA and AAUU tetramers is no longer prevented. The self‐complementary UUAA tetramer 22 forms Watson–Crick‐ and Hoogsteen‐type base‐paired cyclic duplexes more readily than the sequence‐isomeric AAUU tetramer 23 , further illustrating the sequence selectivity of duplex formation.