Structure and properties of non-classical polymers II. Band structure and spin densities

Theoretical investigation of the band structure of three types of nonclassical polymers, namely alternant (one- and two-dimensional), nonalternant and heteroatomic, are carried out. Although polyradicals, these polymers have a considerable delocalization energy which may determine their relative stability.The spin-density distribution of the alternant type of non-classical polymers corresponds to a ferrimagnetic ground state at 0 K.The non-classical polymers represent a new class of organic systems as their band structure and magnetic properties essentially differ from those of common polymers.     

Basis set dependence of localized orbitals

The effects of Gaussian basis set contraction and addition of polarization functions on H₂O localized orbitals have been studied at the experimental geometry. It is shown that the electric moments and moment features of localized orbitals are not influenced very much by basis set quality variations, as going from medium size to enlarged basis sets. The difference between bond pair and lone pair charge densities was found to be larger on approaching the Hartree-Fock limit. A minimal basis set, however, does not suitably characterize the localized charge distributions.     

Quantum mechanical studies of environmental effects on biomolecules

LCAO SCF calculations with a (7s, 3p/3s) atomic basis are performed on urea and hydrated urea in order to determine the preferred sites of water fixation using the supermolecule approach. It appears that up to five water molecules can be directly bound to urea in the first hydration shell.     

Non-empirical calculations and basis set effects on the inversion geometry of the aniline molecule

The geometry of the amine group and the barrier to internal conversion in aniline have been studied by single-determinantab initio SCF calculations using several basis sets from minimal to double-zeta quality. The results obtained from different types and sizes of basis sets are discussed. Calculations performed with the two most flexible basis sets yield inversion barriers of 0.9–1.1 kcal/mole and angles of pyramidalization at the nitrogen atom of 38–39 ° which are in good agreement with the experimental results (1.3 kcal/ mole and 38 °). Orbital and overlap population analyses are performed and compared with the expected mesomeric and inductive effect. The calculated dipole moment 1.48–1.49 D also agrees with the experimental values (1.48–1.50 D).Dedicated to Professor O. E. Polansky, Mülheim/Ruhr, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

A theoretical study of electrophilic reactions

The electronic structures of protonated formyl and acetylium cations and their deprotonation paths leading to HCO⁺, COH⁺ and CH₃CO⁺have been studied by means of ab initio calculations. The results support Olah's theory that dipositive species can be the de facto reagents in electrophilic reactions.     

The molecular electrostatic potential of the B-DNA helix

The overlap multipole expansion procedure is utilized for the evaluation of the component of the electrostatic molecular potential of the B-DNA helix due to its sugar-phosphate backbone. The overall shape of the potential, its extension in space, the location of the minima and the differences in the values of the potential in particularly significant regions (minor and major grooves, vicinity of the phosphates) are indicated. The isopotential surfaces are practically cylindrical at distances larger than 15 Å from the helix axis but exhibit a more complex structure at shorter distances.This paper is dedicated to Professor H. Hartmann on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Comments on the electronic properties of cyclopropane,cyclobutane, and cyclohexane

Spectral quantities of cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclohexane, and of several derivatives, have been calculated by a semiempirical all-valence electron SCF-CI MO method. In cyclopropane, HOMO is practically localized in the carbon-frame, and LVMO is purely so. In cyclobutane, these two MO's are based on C-H bonds, while cyclohexane holds an intermediate position. Despite the overall similarity-experimental and computed-of the spectra of these molecules, assignments are non-parallel. Like cyclopropane, cyclobutane can extend conjugation, but to a diminished degree; cyclohexane behaves in this respect like an acyclic alkane. An interpretation of this gradation, in terms of the nature of high-lying MO's, is proposed.     

Non-additivity in water-ion-water interactions

The three-body system Li⁺(H₂O)₂ was analyzed to study that non-additive part of the interaction potential which can be obtained by the Hartree-Fock approximation.For long and intermediate distances the three-body correction was found to be well represented by the induction energy, where bond dipoles are induced on each water molecule by point charges located on the (unpolarizable) lithium ion and on the other molecule respectively: for shorter distances this approximation was corrected by means of an exponential repulsive term. Such a potential model for non-additive interactions was extended to the more general situation Li⁺(H₂O)_n, and Monte-Carlo calculations were carried out on clusters containing up to six water molecules; comparison with other simulation results and with available data showed a significantly improved agreement with experiment. Tentative values for H are presented for n =7, 8,..., 20, where experimental data are not available.     

Complementary molecular orbital investigations on the conformation of choline derivatives

Quantum-mechanical computations by the PCILO method, applied previously to the study of the conformational properties of acetylcholine and its derivatives modified in the central part of this molecule, are extended to modifications involving its cationic head and its ester terminal. The replacement of the methyl groups of the cationic head by hydrogens or ethyl groups leads to a steep decline in parasympathomimetic activity. It is shown that the triethyl derivative conserves the gauche form as the most stable one. The redistribution of the electronic charges at the onium group implies, however, a transition from an ionic to a hydrophobic binding. The replacement of the methyls by two or three hydrogens leads to a different preferred gauche-gauche conformation. The replacement of the methyl group at the ester terminal by a phenyl ring enables a comparison with the conformational properties of local anesthetics. The study brings about evidence, substantiated by NMR spectroscopy, that acetylcholine analogs and protonated local anesthetics are conformationally similar. Choline ethers also show a general preference for a gauche conformation. Nevertheless, biological studies do not indicate a constant correlation between conformation and biological potency. Conformational analogies or discrepancies alone cannot thus account for the fine details of the biological activity which must depend also on the electronic structure.This work was supported by the A.T.P. N A 655-2303 of the C.N.R.S.     

Studies of the energy spectrum of ω,ω′-substituted polymethine chains

It is shown that upon substitution of polymethines R-(CH)_N-R with complex many-atom substitution R-, in the energy gap of polymethine chains (N ) may arise states which are responsible for longest-wavelength transition. For certain substituents the energy of the electron transitions may be considerably lower than 1 eV, i.e. the transitions may be in the near infra-red.Second communication: Theoret. Chim. Acta. (Berl.) (1981) 60:185     

Conformations of the thiathiophthenes and related molecules

A conformational ab initio MO study has been carried out for the thiathiophthene molecule (TTP) and two related model compounds, thiomalonaldehyde (TMA) and its conjugate base (TMA(-)). The conformational energy surfaces for TMA, TMA(-) and TTP were generated using a least squares fit to the calculated data and plotted on a CALCOMP plotter. The results of the calculations showed that the cis-cis planar conformation of TTP is the most stable in agreement with experimental findings. For TMA and TMA(-) the cis-cis planar conformation is not the most stable. Contour plots of the five occupied -MO's of TTP show great similarity to those of naphthalene.Less detailed calculations were carried out for 3-hydroxy-prop-2-en-1-thione (HPT) and 3-mercapto-prop-2-en-1-thione (MPT). HPT was shown to be most stable in the cis planar hydrogen bonded conformation in agreement with the experimentally obtained results. For MPT the non-hydrogen bonded planar structure was found to be the most stable.     

An EHT re-examination of Acetylcholine

The results of EHT calculations on the most stable conformations of the neurotransmitter molecule acetylcholine (ACh) are reported. These results are compared with those obtained with other semiempirical quantum mechanical methods CNDO/2, INDO and PCILO, and with those obtained by the classical partitioning of the energy method (PEM). From this comparison it becomes evident a wide agreement between the results of PCILO, EHT and PEM, all these methods allowing accessibility to discrete regions in conformational space.This work has been carried out with financial support of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.     

Ab initio Studies on polymers

Ab initio crystal orbital calculations have been performed on the infinite all-trans polyene. A structure with r _c=c= 1.346 Å, r _c-c = 1.446 Å, r _c-h = 1.08 Å, and CCC = 125.3 ° was found to be most stable. The most important force constants, the band structure and the density of states were determined as well.     

Non-empirical molecular orbital theory of the electronic structure of molecular crystals

A non-empirical molecular orbital treatment of molecular crystals, based on SCF perturbation theory and matrix partitioning methods is presented.     

Quantum chemical studies on electrophilic addition

The geometries of the 2-hydroxyethyl and isomeric oxiranium cations have been fully optimized using ab initio molecular orbital calculations employing the split valence shell 4-31G basis set. These species are possible intermediates in both the electrophilic addition of OH to ethylene and in the acid catalysed ring opening of oxirane. The optimized structures were then used to compute more accurate wave functions using Dunning's double-zeta basis set, and with this large basis set the bridged oxiranium ion was found to be the more stable by 7.2 kcal/mole. The barrier to interconversion of these two C₂H₄OH ions was computed to be 25.0 kcal/mole above the oxiranium ion.     

Molecular orbital calculations based on linear combinations of fragment orbitals

A semiempirical MO method based on localized fragment orbitals has been developed, which is particularly suited for the construction of orbital correlation diagrams for the discussion of the electronic structure of complex molecules in terms of fragments and their interactions. The method allows for the inclusion of experimental ionization potentials and electron affinities of the fragments within the calculation of the Fock matrix elements and may thus form the basis of an interpretation of photoelectron spectra, comparable to the interpretation of UV spectra by means of the MIM method of Longuet-Higgins and Murrell. Several levels of approximation are discussed using the acrolein molecule as an example.     

Theoretical study of the electronic structure of diazomethane

The least-energy dissociation path of the ground state of CH₂N₂ was determined fromab initio calculations using in a complementary way basis sets of minimal size (STO-3G) and double-zeta (DZ) quality. The results indicate that the least-energy point of attack of the N₂ molecule on CH₂ (¹ A ₁) is roughly perpendicular to the molecular plane (93 °), the C and N atoms being almost co-linear (angle C-N-N203 ° with outermost N atom pointing away from CH₂). The potential barrier of 1.2 eV found previously on theC _2v dissociation path, disappears completely along the least-energy dissociation path (point groupC _s (out-of-plane)). These findings corroborate the Woodward-Hoffman rules for this process since the outermost orbitals of the two intersecting states found in point groupC _2v (...2b ₁ and ...8a ₁) both correlate to the same irreducible representation (10á) in point groupC _s (out-of-plane).Larger basis set calculations (DZ + polarization functions on all centers, 3d _c and 3d _N developed here), were also carried out on CH₂N₂ (¹ A ₁,³ A ₂ and¹ A ₂) at the¹ A ₁ equilibrium geometry and on CH₂ (³ B ₁) and N₂ (¹ _g ⁺ ) at their respective equilibrium geometries. These calculations, together with consideration of correlation energy differences, yieldD ₀ ⁰ (CH₂N₂,¹ A ₁) = 19 kcal/mole and vertical excitation energies of 67 and 73 kcal/mole for the³ A ₂ and¹ A ₂ states respectively. The latter value is in good agreement with the measured experimental value: 72.4 kcal/mole corresponding to the maximum of intensity in the¹ A ₂¹ A ₁ absorption band.     

A quantum-mechanical study of the interaction of methylglyoxal with guanine

Ab initio self-consistent field molecular orbital computations on the relative stabilities of the different possible intermediate adducts for the reactions between methylglyoxal and guanine, as well as the evaluation of the relative stabilities of the two different possible final cyclic products (IIIb and IIIc) point all to the conclusion that it is the addition product in which the methyl group is close to the amino nitrogen which is the most stable one.     

Cation binding to biomolecules

SCF ab initio computations are carried out on the binding of alkali and alkaline-earth cations to the phosphate monoanion. The effect of the binding on the conformational properties of the phosphodiester linkage and of the polar head of phospholipids is investigated. The results indicate that following the nature of the cation and the site of its binding, the interaction may have a profound influence on the conformation of the ligand. The consequences of this situation on the use of lanthanide probes in NMR studies are considered.