Resolution of Halogenated Mandelic Acids through Enantiospecific Co-Crystallization with Levetiracetam

The resolution of halogenated mandelic acids using levetiracetam (LEV) as a resolving agent via forming enantiospecific co-crystal was presented. Five halogenated mandelic acids, 2-chloromandelic acid (2-ClMA), 3-chloromandelic acid (3-ClMA), 4-chloromandelic acid (4-ClMA), 4-bromomandelic acid (4-BrMA), and 4-fluoromandelic acid (4-FMA), were selected as racemic compounds. The effects of the equilibrium time, molar ratio of the resolving agent to racemate, amount of solvent, and crystallization temperature on resolution performance were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the resolution efficiency reached up to 94% and the enantiomeric excess (%e.e.) of (R)-3-chloromandelic acid was 63%e.e. All five halogenated mandelic acids of interest in this study can be successfully separated by LEV via forming enantiospecific co-crystal, but the resolution performance is significantly different. The results showed that LEV selectively co-crystallized with S enantiomers of 2-ClMA, 3-ClMA, 4-ClMA, and 4-BrMA, while it co-crystallized with R enantiomers of 4-FMA. This indicates that the position and type of substituents of racemic compounds not only affect the co-crystal configuration, but also greatly affect the efficiency of co-crystal resolution.     

Binding Studies of Caffeic and p-Coumaric Acid with α-Amylase: Multispectroscopic and Computational Approaches Deciphering the Effect on Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

Alpha-amylase (α-amylase) is a key player in the management of diabetes and its related complications. This study was intended to have an insight into the binding of caffeic acid and coumaric acid with α-amylase and analyze the effect of these compounds on the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Fluorescence quenching studies suggested that both the compounds showed an appreciable binding affinity towards α-amylase. The evaluation of thermodynamic parameters (ΔH and ΔS) suggested that the α-amylase-caffeic/coumaric acid complex formation is driven by van der Waals force and hydrogen bonding, and thus complexation process is seemingly specific. Moreover, glycation and oxidation studies were also performed to explore the multitarget to manage diabetes complications. Caffeic and coumaric acid both inhibited fructosamine content and AGE fluorescence, suggesting their role in the inhibition of early and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). However, the glycation inhibitory potential of caffeic acid was more in comparison to p-coumaric acid. This high antiglycative potential can be attributed to its additional –OH group and high antioxidant activity. There was a significant recovery of 84.5% in free thiol groups in the presence of caffeic acid, while coumaric attenuated the slow recovery of 29.4% of thiol groups. In vitro studies were further entrenched by in silico studies. Molecular docking studies revealed that caffeic acid formed six hydrogen bonds (Trp 59, Gln 63, Arg 195, Arg 195, Asp 197 and Asp 197) while coumaric acid formed four H-bonds with Trp 59, Gln 63, Arg 195 and Asp 300. Our studies highlighted the role of hydrogen bonding, and the ligands such as caffeic or coumaric acid could be exploited to design antidiabetic drugs.     

Co-crystal/salt crystal structure disorder of trichloroacetic acid–N-methylurea complex with double system of homo- and heteronuclear O–H···O/N–H···O hydrogen bonds: X-ray investigation, ab initio and DFT studies

The X-ray diffraction studies revealed disorder of a trichloroacetic acid?CN-methylurea complex crystal structure, connected with a proton transfer via O?CH···O hydrogen bond. The observed structure corresponds to a co-existence of ionic (salt) and neutral (co-crystal) forms of the complex in the solid state in ratio 3:1, respectively. The geometrical analysis based on ab initio and density functional theory methods combined with the experimental research indicated that two different N-methylurea molecular conformations, defined by CNCN torsion angle, correspond to the neutral and the ionic form of the complex, respectively. The conformational changes seem to be connected with stabilization of the ionic structure after a proton transfer, as according to theoretical calculations this form of the complex (the ionic one) was unstable in the gas phase. A particular attention was focused on a system of a double intermolecular hydrogen bonds, O?CH···O and N?CH···O which join molecules into the title complex. The analysis of these interactions performed in terms of their geometry, energetic and topological electron density properties let for their classification into strong and medium strength hydrogen bonds. It was also found that the antibonding hydrogen bonding donor orbital occupation corresponded to the stabilization energy resulting from charge transfer in hydrogen bonds. Hence, it is postulated as a possible indicator of interaction strength.     

A cyclic trimer of 2-(2-aminophenoxy)propionic acid with a bowl-shaped structure

A cyclic trimer of (R)-2-(2-aminophenoxy)propanoic acid, a δ-amino acid analogue, was synthesized. Molecular mechanics calculations on the cyclic trimer predicted that a concave network of sequential hydrogen bonds forms a C₃-symmetric bowl-shaped structure. Evidence for this conformation was found in the NMR spectra of the trimer in d-chloroform. Although the single-crystal structure of the cyclic trimer indicates that chloroform could be included in the bowl-shaped structure, the conformation was not C₃-symmetric and the hydrogen bonding network was of a different mode. These different conformations between solid and solution were reasonably clear from IR spectra.     

Induced helix of 2-(2-aminophenoxy)alkanoic acid oligomers as a δ-peptidomimetic foldamer

Peptidomimetic foldamers were synthesized by oligomerizing derivatives of the δ-amino acid analogue, 2-(2-aminophenoxy)alkanoic acid. Single-crystal analysis of the tetramer reveals a 2₁-helical secondary structure stabilized by hydrogen bonding and the coiled stacking of aromatic rings. The M-helicity of 2-aminophenoxyacetic acid oligomers was induced by the incorporation of only a single chiral carbon of the N-terminal (R)-2-(2-nitrophenoxy)propionamide moiety. The solution state CD spectra demonstrated that the resulting helix induced a substantial Cotton effect. The secondary structure was further characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy.     

Supramolecular Paradigm for Capture and Co-Precipitation of Gold(III) Coordination Complexes

A new supramolecular paradigm is presented for reliable capture and co-precipitation of haloauric acids (HAuX₄) from organic solvents or water. Two classes of acyclic organic compounds act as complementary receptors (tectons) by forming two sets of directional non-covalent interactions, (a) hydrogen bonding between amide (or amidinium) NH residues and the electronegative X ligands on the AuX₄⁻, and (b) electrostatic stacking of the electron deficient Au center against the face of an aromatic surface. X-ray diffraction analysis of four co-crystal structures reveals the additional common feature of proton bridged carbonyls as a new and predictable supramolecular design element that creates one-dimensional polymers linked by very short hydrogen bonds (CO⋅⋅⋅OC distance <2.5 Å). Two other co-crystal structures show that the amidinium-π⋅⋅⋅XAu interaction will reliably engage AuX₄⁻ with high directionality. These acyclic compounds are very attractive as co-precipitation agents within new “green” gold recovery processes. They also have high potential as tectons for controlled self-assembly or co-crystal engineering of haloaurate composites. More generally, the supramolecular paradigm will facilitate the design of next-generation receptors or tectons with high affinity for precious metal square planar coordination complexes for use in advanced materials, nanotechnology, or medicine.     

Proton-driven conformational change in a 2-aryl-p-carborane constrained by an intramolecular C-H?O hydrogen bond

2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-p-carborane forms an intramolecular hydrogen bonding based on the results of X-ray, IR, and ¹H NMR studies. The hydrogen bonding is released by the addition of acid in solution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the phenol, phenolate and protonated phenol structures indicated two stable conformational state, hydrogen bonding form for phenol and phenolate, and dihydrogen bonding form for protonated phenol.     

(Amino acid + silica) adsorption thermodynamics: Effects of temperature

A thorough understanding of amino acid adsorption by mineral and oxide surfaces has a major impact on a variety of industrial and biomedical applications. Little information currently exists regarding temperature effects on most of these adsorption processes. Deeper thermodynamic analyses of their multiple temperature adsorption isotherms would aid the interpretation of the interfacial interactions. Low solution concentration adsorption isotherms for glycine, lysine and glutamic acid on a silica adsorbent were generated for T = (291, 298 and 310) K. Data analysis via the Clausius–Clapeyron method yielded the isosteric heat of adsorption as a function of fractional monolayer coverage for each adsorptive. Each amino acid showed an exothermic adsorption response. Glycine and lysine experienced a greater negative effect of increased temperature compared with glutamic acid, indicating a greater number of adsorbed molecules than glutamic acid, with the former undergoing intermolecular clustering within the adsorbed phase. Isosteric heat analyses suggest ionic interactions for lysine and hydrogen bonding for glutamic acid, both weakening with increased coverage. In contrast, initial hydrogen bonding led to ionic bonding for glycine with increasing coverage.     

Chiral Bisphosphoric Acids and Their Applications in Asymmetric Catalysis

Asymmetric Brønsted acid catalysis has been recognized as a powerful concept for asymmetric synthesis. In the process of pursuing more robust and highly effective chiral Brønsted acid catalysts, chiral bisphosphoric acids have received much attention in the last two decades. Their unique catalytic properties are mainly attributed to the inherent intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions that could increase the overall acidity and tune the conformation property. Integrating hydrogen bonding into the catalyst design, quite a few structurally unique and effective bisphosphoric acids have been synthesized, which frequently exhibited superior selectivity in a broad range of asymmetric transformations. This review summarizes the status quo of chiral bisphosphoric acid catalysts and their applications in catalyzing asymmetric transformations.     

m-Aminobenzoic acid inserted β-turn in acyclic tripeptides: a peptidomimetic design

X-ray diffraction studies show that peptides Boc-Leu-Aib-m-ABA-OMe (I) (Aib, α-aminoisobutyric acid; m-ABA, meta-aminobenzoic acid) and Boc-Phe-Aib-m-ABA-OMe (II) adopt a type-II β-turn conformation, solely stabilized by co-operative steric interactions amongst the amino acid residues. This type of β-turn without any intramolecular hydrogen bonding is generally referred to as an open turn. Although there are some examples of constrained cyclic peptides in which o-substituted benzenes have been inserted to mimic the turn region of the neurotrophin, a nerve growth factor, peptides I and II present novel two examples where m-aminobenzoic acid has been incorporated in the β-turn of acyclic tripeptides. The result also demonstrates the first crystallographic evidence of a β-turn structure containing an inserted m-aminobenzoic acid, which can be considered as a rigid γ-aminobutyric acid with an all-trans extended configuration.     

Thermal stability and structure of a new co-crystal of theophylline formed with phthalic acid

A new co-crystal of theophylline and phthalic acid with 1:1 molar ratio has been prepared. It crystallises in the monoclinic crystal system, space group P2₁/c, a=11.5258(9), b=10.1405(6), c=13.9066(12) Å, β=106.827(4)°. The structure of the co-crystal has been revealed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. An infinite helical polymeric chain is formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds of the two neutral constituents. The hydroxyl group and carbonyl oxygen atom in one of the carboxyl groups of phthalic acid form hydrogen bonds to O6 and to N(7)H atoms of theophylline, respectively, while the other carboxyl OH group of phthalic acid is in hydrogen bond to N9 atom of theophylline by very strong intermolecular interactions proven by 1883 cm^?1 centred peak in FTIR spectrum.Thermal degradation of this new supramolecular compound is a two-step process in air. At first phthalic acid (47.4%) released up to 230°C, meanwhile it loses water and transforms into phthalic anhydride. In EGA-MS spectra, the characteristic fragments of water (m/z=17, 18) appear from about 180°C, while absorption bands of phthalic anhydride are shown in EGA-FTIR spectrum at about 210°C. In the second step theophylline begins to sublime, melts at 276°C, and then evaporates up to 315°C with minute residues.     

Hydrogen Bonding and Polymorphism of Amino Alcohol Salts with Quinaldinate: Structural Study

Three amino alcohols, 3-amino-1-propanol (abbreviated as 3a1pOH), 2-amino-1-butanol (2a1bOH), and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (2a2m1pOH), were reacted with quinoline-2-carboxylic acid, known as quinaldinic acid. This combination yielded three salts, (3a1pOHH)quin (1, 3a1pOHH⁺ = protonated 3-amino-1-propanol, quin⁻ = anion of quinaldinic acid), (2a1bOHH)quin (2, 2a1bOHH⁺ = protonated 2-amino-1-butanol), and (2a2m1pOHH)quin (3, 2a2m1pOHH⁺ = protonated 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol). The 2-amino-1-butanol and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol systems produced two polymorphs each, labeled 2a/2b and 3a/3b, respectively. The compounds were characterized by X-ray structure analysis on single-crystal. The crystal structures of all consisted of protonated amino alcohols with NH₃⁺ moiety and quinaldinate anions with carboxylate moiety. The used amino alcohols contained one OH and one NH₂ functional group, both prone to participate in hydrogen bonding. Therefore, similar connectivity patterns were expected. This proved to be true to some extent as all structures contained the NH₃⁺∙∙∙⁻OOC heterosynthon. Nevertheless, different hydrogen bonding and π∙∙∙π stacking interactions were observed, leading to distinct connectivity motifs. The largest difference in hydrogen bonding occurred between polymorphs 3a and 3b, as they had only one heterosynton in common.     

Structural rationalisation of co-crystals formed between trithiocyanuric acid and molecules containing hydrogen bonding functionality

Crystallisation of trithiocyanuric acid (TTCA) from various organic solvents that have hydrogen bonding capability (acetone, 2-butanone, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol and acetonitrile) leads to the formation of co-crystals in which the solvent molecules are incorporated together with TTCA in the crystal structure. Structure determination by single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that these co-crystals can be classified into different groups depending upon the topological arrangement of the TTCA molecules in the crystal structure. Thus, three different types of single-tape arrangements of TTCA molecules and one type of double-tape arrangement of TTCA molecules are identified. In all co-crystals, hydrogen-bonding interactions are formed through the involvement of N-H bonds of TTCA molecules in these tapes and the other molecule in the co-crystal. Detailed rationalisation of the structural properties of these co-crystals is presented.     

Ab initio studies of structural features not easily amenable to experiment: Part 7. Molecular structure and conformational analysis of urea and carbamic acid

The geometries of four conformations of urea (one planar, three non-planar) and of the cis- and trans-forms of carbamic acid were determined by unconstrained ab initio geometry relaxation on the 4-21G level. The structural effects of multiple bonding, internal hydrogen bonding and anomeric orbital interactions are discussed. The results confirm the strong dependence of the primary molecular structure of a system on its conformational state and document the inaccuracy of the existing so called “standard geometries” for organic molecules.     

鸟嘌呤与氨基酸残基体系的极化力场

发展了应用于鸟嘌呤G和氨基酸残基体系的浮动电荷力场, 该力场明确定义了孤对电子和键的电荷和位置, 通过电荷随着环境的浮动来体现极化效应; 通过氢键拟合函数k_HB描绘了氢键键能. 应用量子化学方法, 对G与氨基酸残基体系从氢键、 几何结构及电荷分布3个方面展开计算及分析, 并以其为基准, 确定参数发展了适用于G与氨基酸残基氢键体系的ABEEMσπ PFF. 采用3种不同力场模拟目标分子的结构和性质. 模拟结果表明, 发展的ABEEMσπ PFF与量子化学方法具有最好的一致性, 可用于模拟生物大分子体系.     

Double Hydrogen‐Bonding pH‐Sensitive Hydrogels Retaining High‐Strengths Over a Wide pH Range

Traditional pH‐sensitive hydrogels inevitably suffer strength deterioration while the responsive weak acid or base groups are in the ionized state. In this study, we report on a facile approach to fabricate a novel pH‐sensitive high‐strength hydrogel from copolymerization of two hydrogen‐bonding motif‐containing monomers, 3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid and 2‐vinyl‐4,6‐diamino‐1,3,5‐triazine with a crosslinker N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide through hydrophilic optimization of the comonomer oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate. The double hydrogen bonding hydrogel exhibits both high tensile and compressive strengths over a broad pH range due to the unique ability to maintain at least one type of hydrogen‐bonding crosslink over the whole course of pH change.     

Magnetic properties of some aromatic compounds

The effect of hydrogen bonds on the anisotropy of the diamagnetic susceptibility of 2-amino-3-methyl-benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-3-methylbenzoic acid and o-aminobenzoic acid has been studied. From measured values of the crystal susceptibilities and molecular orientations, the principal molecular susceptibilities have been calculated. The observed anisotropics are interpreted in the light of the hydrogen bonding of these molecules.     

细胞色素c突变体的共振拉曼光谱研究

采用共振拉曼光谱技术研究了细胞色素c一次突变体（WT）及其突变体Y67F和N52I在低频区的光谱特征。结果表明，以苯丙氨酸替代WT中酪氨酸残基Tyr67并没有明显影响血红素丙氨酸侧基周围多肽氨基酸残基的构象，而异亮氨酸对天冬酰胺残基Asn52的取代则较大程度地改变了蛋白质内部水分子与周围氨基酸残基间的氢键作用和多肽空腔的疏水性，进而使氨基酸残基和血素的构象相应发生调变。两种取代都导致形成血红素周围空腔的多肽氨基酸残基构象的变化。     

Synthesis and conformational analysis of new troponyl aromatic amino acid

Synthetic peptides are in huge demand in expansion of potential peptide mimics, which may have improved or comparable function as natural one. With these concerns, phenyl bearing aromatic amino acids and peptides has extensively explored, because phenyl residue has high probability in forming stable secondary structure, owing to the presence of an extra stabilizing factor as π–π non-covalent interactions. Apart from phenyl bearing benzenoid aromatic amino acids, a few non-benzenoid aromatic derivatives such as tropolone and related compounds are also occurred in nature, but troponyl containing amino acids and peptides are very poorly understood. Tropolonyl derivatives also contain carbonyl functional group, which may play an important role to provide stable conformation in peptide. Herein we report the synthesis, and conformational analysis of rationally designed new unnatural δ-amino acid, troponyl aminoethylglycine (Tr-aeg), which contains troponyl residue as side chain in flexible aminoethylglycine (aeg) amino acid backbone. We also demonstrate the role of troponyl carbonyl of Tr-aeg residue in hydrogen bonding with adjacent amide NH of their hybrid di/tri-peptides with NMR methods and DFT calculations. In future, Tr-aeg amino acid would be a potential building block in development of promisable peptide mimics.     

Directed H-bonding inhibition in molecular recognition: an NMR case study of the H-bonding of a dicarboxylic acid with a new mixed diamide receptor having one adjacent pyridine-N-oxide

The inhibition of hydrogen bond formation in the recognition of adipic acid by a new diamide receptor 1 having a pyridine-N-oxide and a simple pyridine ring adjacent to the amide moieties is observed. NMR studies show binding by the pyridine amide group in 1, which demonstrates the discrimination in hydrogen bonding between the carboxyls and an amide adjacent to pyridine versus another adjacent to the pyridine N-oxide. This specific inhibition of hydrogen bonding to a carboxyl group by the two different amides in 1 is corroborated by the NMR binding studies of 1 with propionic acid.