Predicting 19F NMR Chemical Shifts: A Combined Computational and Experimental Study of a Trypanosomal Oxidoreductase–Inhibitor Complex

The absence of fluorine from most biomolecules renders it an excellent probe for NMR spectroscopy to monitor inhibitor–protein interactions. However, predicting the binding mode of a fluorinated ligand from a chemical shift (or vice versa) has been challenging due to the high electron density of the fluorine atom. Nonetheless, reliable ¹⁹F chemical-shift predictions to deduce ligand-binding modes hold great potential for in silico drug design. Herein, we present a systematic QM/MM study to predict the ¹⁹F NMR chemical shifts of a covalently bound fluorinated inhibitor to the essential oxidoreductase tryparedoxin (Tpx) from African trypanosomes, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. We include many protein–inhibitor conformations as well as monomeric and dimeric inhibitor–protein complexes, thus rendering it the largest computational study on chemical shifts of ¹⁹F nuclei in a biological context to date. Our predicted shifts agree well with those obtained experimentally and pave the way for future work in this area.     

Catalytic Generation and Chemoselective Transfer of Nucleophilic Hydrides from Dihydrogen

Copper(I)–N-heterocyclic-carbene (NHC) complexes enabled the catalytic generation of nucleophilic hydrides from dihydrogen (H₂) and their subsequent transfer to allylic chlorides. The highly chemoselective catalyst displayed no concomitant hydrogenation reactivity; in fact, the terminal double bond formed in the hydride transfer remained intact. Switching to deuterium gas (D₂) allowed for regioselective monodeuteration with excellent isotope incorporation.     

Minimal kernels of Dirac operators along maps

Let M be a closed spin manifold and let N be a closed manifold. For maps and Riemannian metrics g on M and h on N, we consider the Dirac operator of the twisted Dirac bundle . To this Dirac operator one can associate an index in . If M is 2‐dimensional, one gets a lower bound for the dimension of the kernel of out of this index. We investigate the question whether this lower bound is obtained for generic tupels .     

The Pyridazine Scaffold as a Building Block for Energetic Materials: Synthesis,Characterization, and Properties

In the present studies, the synthesis of new energetic materials based on the pyridazine scaffold and their characterization is the main subject. For this purpose, desired 3,5‐dimethoxy‐4,6‐dinitropyridazine‐1‐oxide ( 7 ) was synthesized in the first instance. The persubstituted pyridazine precursor laid the groundwork for further preparative modification. The targeted functionalization through the regioselective introduction of various smaller amine nucleophiles such as methylamine or 2‐aminoethanol gave several new energetic materials. Among them are 3,5‐bis(methylamino)‐4,6‐dinitropyridazine‐1‐oxide ( 8 ), 3,5‐bis(methylnitramino)‐4,6‐dinitropyridazine‐1‐oxide ( 9 ), 3,5‐bis(dimethylamino)‐4,6‐dinitropyridazine‐1‐oxide ( 10 ), and 3,5‐bis((2‐hydroxyethyl)amino)‐4,6‐dinitropyridazine‐1‐oxide ( 11 ). With the aim of increasing the detonation performance, compound 8 was additionally nitrated and 3,5‐bis(methylnitramino)‐4,6‐dinitropyridazine‐1‐oxide ( 9 ) was obtained. These new energetic materials were characterized and identified by multinuclear NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁴N, ¹⁵N) and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and mass spectrometry. In addition, their sensitivities toward impact, friction and electrostatic discharge were thoroughly examined. Furthermore, obtained single‐crystals of the substances were characterized by low‐temperature single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction.     

Local force titration of wood surfaces by chemical force microscopy

Cellulose - Chemical force microcopy, a variation of atomic force microscopy, opened the door to visualize chemical nano-properties of various materials in their natural state. The key function of...     

Synthesis of Highly Substituted γ‐Butyrolactones by a Gold‐Catalyzed Cascade Reaction of Benzyl Esters

Easily accessible benzylic esters of 3‐butynoic acids in a gold‐catalyzed cyclization/rearrangement cascade reaction provided 3‐propargyl γ‐butyrolactones with the alkene and the carbonyl group not being conjugated. Crossover experiments showed that the formation of the new C?C bond is an intermolecular process. Initially propargylic–benzylic esters were used, but alkyl‐substituted benzylic esters worked equally well. In the case of the propargylic–benzylic products, a simple treatment of the products with aluminum oxide initiated a twofold tautomerization to the allenyl‐substituted γ‐butyrolactones with conjugation of the carbonyl group, the olefin, and the allene. The synthetic sequence can be conducted stepwise or as a one‐pot cascade reaction with similar yields. Even in the presence of the gold catalyst the new allene remains intact.