Hartree-Fock and density functional theory study of alpha-cyclodextrin conformers

Herein, we report the geometry optimization of four conformers of alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) by means of PM3, HF/STO-3G, HF/3-21G, HF/6-31G(d), B3LYP/6-31G(d), and X3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations. The analysis of several geometrical parameters indicates that all conformers possess bond lengths, angles, and dihedrals that agree fairly well with the crystalline structure of alpha-CD. However, only three of them (1-3) resemble the polar character of CDs and show intramolecular hydrogen-bonding patterns that agree with experimental NMR data. Among them, conformer 3 appears to be the most stable species both in the gas phase and in solution; therefore, it is expected to be the most suitable representative structure for alpha-CD conformation. The purpose of selecting such a species is to identify an appropriate structure to be employed as a starting point for reliable computational studies on complexation phenomena. Our results indicate that the choice of a particular alpha-CD conformer should affect the results of ab initio computational studies on the inclusion complexation with this cyclodextrin since both the direction and the magnitude of the dipole moment depend strongly on the conformation of alpha-CD.