A FLATTENED OCTAHEDRON – THE METAL ENVIRONMENT IN COMPLEXES WITH PYRROLYL-SUBSTITUTED NITROXIDE DIRADICALS

Journal of Structural Chemistry - The structures of Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) complexes with anions of 2,5-pyrrolyl-disubstituted nitronyl nitroxide (L1) and iminonitroxide (L2) diradicals (HL1 is...     

Effect of increasing pressure on the structure and temperature-induced changes in magnetic properties of heterospin complexes

Russian Chemical Bulletin - The study is concerned with structural rearrangements in the crystals of heterospin complexes Cu(hfac)2 with nitroxide radicals LR (hfac is hexafluoroacetylacetonate, LR...     

Properties and structures of porphyrexides

The molecular and crystal structures of porphyrexides, viz., 4-amino-2-imino-(1) and (Z)-2-amino-4-bromoimino-5,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole 1-oxyls (7), and their diamagnetic precursors were determined. Compound 1 is kinetically unstable because it is oxidized with atmospheric oxygen to form (E)-1,2-bis[1-amino-1-(cyanoimino)-2-methyl-propan-2-yl]diazene 1,2-dioxide. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 441–447, March, 2006.     

The role of the putative catalytic base in the phosphoryl transfer reaction in a protein kinase: first-principles calculations

Protein kinases are important enzymes controlling the majority of cellular signaling events via a transfer of the gamma-phosphate of ATP to a target protein. Even after many years of study, the mechanism of this reaction is still poorly understood. Among many factors that may be responsible for the 1011-fold rate enhancement due to this enzyme, the role of the conserved aspartate (Asp166) has been given special consideration. While the essential presence of Asp166 has been established by mutational studies, its function is still debated. The general base catalyst role assigned to Asp166 on the basis of its position in the active site has been brought into question by the pH dependence of the reaction rate, isotope measurements, and pre-steady-state kinetics. Recent semiempirical calculations have added to the controversy surrounding the role of Asp166 in the catalytic mechanism. No major role for Asp166 has been found in these calculations, which have predicted the reaction process consisting of an early transfer of a substrate proton onto the phosphate group. These conclusions were inconsistent with experimental observations. To address these differences between experimental results and theory with a more reliable computational approach and to provide a theoretical platform for understanding catalysis in this important enzyme family, we have carried out first-principles structural and dynamical calculations of the reaction process in cAPK kinase. To preserve the essential features of the reaction, representations of all of the key conserved residues (82 atoms) were included in the calculation. The structural calculations were performed using the local basis density functional (DFT) approach with both hybrid B3LYP and PBE96 generalized gradient approximations. This kind of calculation has been shown to yield highly accurate structural information for a large number of systems. The optimized reactant state structure is in good agreement with X-ray data. In contrast to semiempirical methods, the lowest energy product state places the substrate proton on Asp166. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations provide additional support for the stability of this product state. The latter also demonstrate that the proton transfer to Asp166 occurs at a point in the reaction where bond cleavage at the PO bridging position is already advanced. This mechanism is further supported by the calculated structure of the transition state in which the substrate hydroxyl group is largely intact. A metaphoshate-like structure is present in the transition state, which is consistent with the X-ray structures of transition state mimics. On the basis of the calculated structure of the transition state, it is estimated to be 85% dissociative. Our analysis also indicates an increase in the hydrogen bond strength between Asp166 and substrate hydroxyl and a small decrease in the bond strength of the latter in the transition state. In summary, our calculations demonstrate the importance of Asp166 in the enzymatic mechanism as a proton acceptor. However, the proton abstraction from the substrate occurs late in the reaction process. Thus, in the catalytic mechanism of cAPK protein kinase, Asp166 plays a role of a "proton trap" that locks the transferred phosphoryl group to the substrate. These results resolve prior inconsistencies between theory and experiment and bring new understanding of the role of Asp166 in the protein kinase catalytic mechanism.     

Multinuclear compounds of s-elements with sterically hindered <Emphasis Type="Italic">о</Emphasis>-semiquinonates and catecholates

Alkali metals form mutinuclear compounds with redox-active singly and doubly reduced derivatives of sterically of hindered о-benzoquinones. Complexes [Na₆(Cat)₃(THF)₇]?4THF, [Na₅(Cat)₂(SQ)(THF)₅], [Na₄(SQ)₄(THF)₄]?THF?C₆H₁₄, [Na₄(3,5-SQ)₄(THF)₄], [K₄(SQ)₄(THF)₄]?4THF and [Li₃(SQ)₃(THF)₃]?THF (Cat is catecholate, SQ is semiquinonate) possessing high sensitivity to atmospheric oxygen were synthesized and their structures were determined. Magnetochemical measurements and quantum chemical calculations revealed that variation of the alkali metal and/or change in the structure of the polymetallic core significantly affect the energy of exchange interaction between the unpaired electrons of the paramagnetic ligands framing the polynuclear metal core formed by s-elements.     

Synthesis of Diels–Alder adducts of the quinolizidine alkaloids N-methylcytisine, (−)-leontidine,and (−)-thermopsine with N-phenylmaleimide

The Diels–Alder adducts of the quinolizidine alkaloids N-methylcytisine, (?)-leontidine, and (?)-thermopsine with N-phenylmaleimide have been synthesized. The structures and absolute configurations of the new asymmetric centers of the products were determined by NMR spectroscopy experiments, QC-calculations, and X-ray data.     

Chitosan nanostructures deposited from solutions in carbonic acid on a model substrate as resolved by AFM

Chitosan macromolecules can be dissolved in water saturated with CO₂ under high pressure, i.e. in carbonic acid. This unique biocompatible solvent with acidity regulated by the variation of applied CO₂ pressure is rather promising for biomedical applications. In this work the main features of deposition of chitosan structures on the model substrate from solutions in this media were examined. After deposition on the mica surface, the obtained structures have been successfully visualised by atomic force microscopy (AFM). It has been found out that they adsorb as rather peculiar elongated objects with an average length of about 70?nm. Such conformations are believed to appear due to amphiphilic nature of chitosan semiflexible chains in agreement with recent theoretical findings. The well-defined geometry of the elongated monodispersed structures allows them to demonstrate some elements of liquid crystalline-like ordering.     

Synthesis, structure, and properties of nitronyl nitroxyl tetraradical with calix[4]arene framework

A reaction of calix[4]arene tetraaldehyde with 2,3-bis(hydroxyamino)-2,3-dimethylbutane in DMF resulted in the corresponding 1,3-dihydroxyimidazolidine tetraadduct, whose oxidation gave a calix[4]arene (1,3-alternate) bearing four nitronyl nitroxyl-containing substituents at the upper rim.     

Spin transition in the molecular heterospin complex of Cu(hfac)2 with 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(1-methylpyrazol-5-yl)-4,5-dihydroimidazole-1-oxyl 3-oxide

The synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of the products of the reaction for Cu(hfac)₂ (hfac is hexafluoroacetylacetonate) with spin-labeled nitronyl nitroxides 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(1-R-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-3-imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxides L^5/R (R = Me, Et, Pr, Bu), viz., binuclear complex [Cu(hfac)₂L^5/Me]₂ and chain polymer complexes [Cu(hfac)₂L^5/R]_n, are described. The polymer heterospin chains are built according to “head-to-head” (R = Me, Et, Pr, Bu) and “head-to-tail” (R = Pr, Bu) motifs. Compound [Cu(hfac)₂L^5/Me]₂ is characterized by the ability to reveal the reversible effect of thermally induced spin transition at a temperature about 75 K (without hysteresis). In the set of heterospin Cu^II compounds with spin-labeled pyrazoles, this is the earlier unknown example of a molecular complex exhibiting a similar magnetic anomaly.