Molecular orbital studies on the conformation of GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)

In distinction to Extended Hückel Theory which predicts as the most stable conformation of free zwitterionic GABA a totally extended form, PCILO and SCF ab initio studies show that the intrinsically preferred conformation of the isolated molecule is a highly folded one, resulting from strong interactions between the two charged ends. Computations are also carried out for hydrated GABA in the supermolecule approach allowing moreover for the flexibility of binding of some of the water molecules of the first hydration shell. They predict the coexistence in solution of a large number of conformations showing different degrees of folding (or extension), a result confirmed by recent NMR studies. This and a number of similar results show that we have to adapt our thinking on the role of conformations in pharmacological activity to this situation, which was frequently obscured by the more abundant results of X-ray crystallography yielding a single conformation.     

Conformational Heterogeneity of a Tripeptide in the Solid State and in Solution: Characterization of a γ-Turn Containing Incipient Hairpin in Solution

A terminally blocked tripeptide Boc--Ala-Aib--Ala-OMe 1 with noncoded amino acids forms a novel type of hairpin structure containing a -turn instead of a conventional -turn in the central loop region in solution. This new type structural motif was characterized by NMR and restraint molecular dynamics simulation study. In the solid state peptide 1 adopts an extended backbone conformation and self-assembles to form supramolecular -sheet.     

Synthesis and sorption properties of new hybrid chelating sorbents with β-alanine functional groups

A series of -aminopropylsilylated sorbents was obtained from different oxide supports (silica gels, silica fillers, macroporous glasses, alumina) and by the direct synthesis (hydrolytic polycondensation of tetraalkoxysilanes with -aminopropyltriethoxysilane). The highest degree of immobilization was achieved for silicas, while the most convenient solvent was methanol. Sorbents with -alanine functional groups were obtained by the subsequent reaction with acrylic acid. The degree of -carboxyethylation was 1.3–1.9, and the highest content of functional groups (v_COOH = 3.23 mmol g^–1) was achieved for carboxyethylated xero gel synthesized by the copolycondensation of tetraethoxysilane with -aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The sorbents containing -alanine possess a higher selectivity of Cu²⁺ ion sorption than the initial -aminopropylsilylated sorbents.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2620–2625, December, 2004.     

NMR Investigations of the Inclusion of Thyroxine and Derivatives in Natural Cyclodextrins

Thyroxine T4 and its derivatives (T3, T2) are very sparingly soluble in aqueous solutions even in the form of salts. In the presence of or -cyclodextrins and in buffered basic solution, their solubilities are increased by inclusion in the cavity. The inclusion of these hormones in cyclodextrins was investigated by 1H-NMR in order to derive the influence of the number and position of the iodine atoms, and of the ionization state of the phenol group on the inclusion geometries.     

Influence of cyclodextrins on nitrosation of drugs

The World Health Organization issued a nitrosation procedure (NAP Test) which allows to carry out nitrosation under standard conditions. It has proved that the in vitro reaction rates of the fast nitrosatable drugs piperazine, cimetidine and ethambutol are not influenced by -, - and -cyclodextrin. On the contrary, -, -cyclodextrin and heptakis-2,6-di-O-methyl--cyclodextrin enhance the nitrosation of the slower nitrosatable 1-ephedrine and fencamfamine significantly. This possible reaction must be considered if nitrosatable drugs are formulated with cyclodextrins to be administered to human beings.     

Theoretical studies on the conformation of saccharides

Conformations of 2-methoxytetrahydropyran as a model for the six-membered ring in aldopyranosides have been calculated by the PCILO method using the algorithm of the conjugated gradient to optimize the geometry. The calculated geometry of the fourteen basic forms of 2-methoxytetrahydropyran was found to be in agreement with the available data obtained by X-ray diffraction of pyranosides. The results indicate differences in the geometry of 2-methoxytetrahydropyran resulting from the change of the axial vs. equatorial position of the methoxyl group. These changes are particularly meaningful in the values of bond angles and they are in agreement with the anomeric and exoanomeric effects. The experimentally found differences in the energies of an axial (⁴ C ₁) and equatorial (¹ C ₄) conformer, G = 2.9–3.7 kJ/mol, and the dipole moment, = 1.20 ± 0.05 D (1D = 3.33 10^–30mAs) agree well with the calculated values E = 3.18 kJ/mol and <> = 1.18 D which, in turn, suggest that the axial conformer is preferred over the equatorial one by a ratio a:e = 78:22.     

Production of Lypoglycoprotein Micelles with Arglabine Antitumor Preparation

The possible production of a new medicinal form of the antitumor preparation arglabine was studied by including it in lipoglycoprotein micelles isolated from wheat grains     

Kinetics and mechanism of reaction of cis-α,β-dinitrostilbene with morpholine

Reaction of cis-,-dinitrostilbene (substrate) with morpholine (reagent) in n-hexane leads to cis--nitro--morpholinostilbene (end product). The process is of first order with respect to the substrate and second order with respect to the reagent. Possible reaction mechanisms are analyzed, and it is established that the following are most probable on the basis of kinetic patterns and stereochemistry: development of a charge transfer complex having a hydrogen bond between the substrate nitro group and reagent amino group; reaction of the complex with a second reagent molecule and formation of a carbanion (this stage determines the overall reaction rate); and detachment of a nitrite ion from the nitrocarbanion and its protonation to form the end product.N. N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117977 Moscow. A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Heteroorganic Compound, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117813 Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 78–83, January, 1992.     

Coupling of Methanol and Isobutanol to Ethers over γ-Alumina Catalyst. Kinetic Studies

The kinetic of methanol (MeOH) and isobutanol (iBuOH) coupling to ethers has been studied. Catalytic tests were carried out in the gas phase in a fixed-bed flow microreactor, in the temperature range of 463-533 K, under atmospheric pressure, using -Al₂O₃ as the catalyst. The quasi-homogeneous model for the process was assumed. The reaction rates were described by simple kinetics.     

Isocamphanyl-γ-butyrolacton,ein neuer Sandelholzriechstoff

The synthesis of a new compound with a sanddalwood odour is described. The synthesis of the lactone1 has been designed by molecular considerations: a bicyclus with a side chain containing 5–7 carbon atoms and an oxygene containing osmophoric group. One route to synthesize1 leads from the ketone3 via theMannich base4 to the -ketonitrile6 which after hydrolysis to the -keto acid7 and reduction of the latter cyclises spontaneously to1. A shorter route starts from the -bromoketone13 which could be transformed by malonic ester synthesis into7. Other synthetic routes, e.g. cyanoethylation to the homologous -lactone16 aldol condensation, alkylation, carboxymethylation and carboxyethylation of3 failed as well as the preparation of the oxazoline protected 3-bromopropionic acid for aGrignard synthesis with3. 1 exhibits a sweet, warm odour, of sandalwood with an interesting note of cedarwood.

Teil der Diplomarbeit vonSchindler, K., Universität Wien, 1979.     

Semiempirical calculations on cyclodextrins

In order to obtain information on the different reactivities of the hydroxyl groups of the glucopyranose units or the inclusion complex formation mechanism, the charge distributions and the geometrical constraints must be determined. Geometry optimizations, employing the AM1 semiempirical method, have been performed for -D-glucopyranose, –,–, and -cyclodextrins. The data obtained were compared with X-ray diffraction data of the cyclodextrins.Dedicated to Professor József Szejtli.     

Theoretical Insights into the Formation, Structure, and Energetics of Some Cyclodextrin Complexes

To investigate the physicochemical aspects relevant for the formation of various cyclodextrin inclusion complexes and to search for corresponding general structure–complex-stability relationships, stability data of 1 : 1 complexes for 179, 310, and 51 guest molecules with unsubstituted -, -, and -cyclodextrin were collected. Statistical analysis using structure-based parameters such as molecular size, hydrophobicity, rotatable bonds, electronic properties, and the presence or absence of more than 150 various functional or structural moieties were performed. The complexation thermodynamics could be well described within the framework of our recently introduced molecular size-based model for nonassociative liquids. With increasing guest size, 1 : 1 complex stability, as measured by ln K or G⁰, increases linearly up to a size limit characteristic for each CD, and the corresponding slopes and intercepts are in agreement with those predicted by the model. For larger structures, values level off and are scattered around an average value depending on shape, goodness of fit, and possibly lipophilicity and some specific effects (e.g. such as those caused by presence of phenol functionality). The complexation between -cyclodextrin and certain large steroidal guest molecules, especially a brain-targeted estradiol chemical delivery systems (E₂-CDS) that is under clinical development, was investigated in details based on fully relaxed semiempirical AM1 quantum chemical calculations. A deformation index (DI) of the CD ring computed using these fully optimized host-guest geometries could be used to characterize the conformational change of the guest.     

Synthesis of γ-zirconium phosphate by the fluoro-complex method and the intercalation behavior of some α-diimines

The ammonium form of -zirconium phosphate has been synthesized by the direct precipitation method from fluorozirconate solution in the presence of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. The hydrogen form Zr(HPO₄)₂ · 2H₂O, was obtained by acid treatment of the ammonium form -Zirconium phosphate , Zr(HPO₄)₂ · H₂O, with a relatively large particle size resulted from fluorozirconate solution in the presence of concentrated orthophosphoric acid. The intercalation behavior of such -diimines as 2,2-bipyridine (bpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) toward -zirconium phosphate was investigated, and it was found that about 0.2 mol of bpy and 0.5 mol of phen have been incorporated respectively per one mol of the host, with the expansion of interlayer distances. Further incorporation of Cu(H) ions into the interlayer space of these intercalates was possible. The bpy intercalate took up more Cu(II) ions than -zirconium phosphate, indicating that effective pillars are constructed between layers and the ion exchange of Cu(II) ions is facilitated thereby.     

Carbon-beryllium binding in CH2Be

Ab initio molecular orbital theory is used to study carbon-beryllium binding in the lowest singlet and triplet states of CH₂Be. When electron correlation is included, both singlet and triplet states are significantly bound relative to the ground states of CH₂ and Be fragments.     

Synthesis, Properties, and Crystal and Molecular Structures of New Ni(II) Complexes with Sterically Hindered Methoxy-β-iminoketones

This paper describes a procedure for the synthesis of two new volatile complexes, C₂₂H₄₀N₂NiO₄ and C₂₀H₃₆N₂NiO₄, based on sterically hindered methoxy--iminoketones. The compounds were investigated by IR spectroscopy and DTA. Full crystal-chemical analysis has been carried out. The structures are molecular. The complexes have close geometrical characteristics; the distances are Ni–O 1.826 and Ni–N 1.842 ; the O–Ni–N chelate angle is 93.2°. The complexes have an intramolecular hydrogen bond N–H...O, estimated at 2.54 (2.08) . In both structures, the packing of complexes is similar to that in nickel(II) dipivalylmethanate.     

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.     

Spectroscopic and quantum chemical investigation of enol-enol tautomerism of 2-acetyltetronic acid

Vibratonal spectra of 2-acetyltetronic acid (ATA) (3-acetyloxolane-2,4-dione) were investigated in different aggregate states.Ab initio quantum chemical calculations (3-21G basis set) of 2-formyltetronic acid as analogue of ATA and semi empirical calculation of ATA were carried out. The tautomeric forms of ATA can be arranged in the following series with respect to thermodynamic stability (in decresing order):1a,1b,2a,2b.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1043–1048, June, 1995.     

In vitro nitrosation of ephedrine in the presence of cyclodextrins

-, and -cyclodextrin and heptakis-2,6-di-O-methyl--cyclodextrin enhance the nitrosation rate of l-ephedrine if the nitrosation assay procedure (NAP test) is applied. During this reaction with -cyclodextrin a solid inclusion compound of -cyclodextrin andN-nitrosoephedrine precipitates. Solubilities and stabilities of inclusion compounds of the cyclodextrins with ephedrine and nitrosoephedrine, respectively, explain especially the catalytic effects of some cyclodextrins on ephedrine.Part of the PhD thesis of V. Wedelich, Freie Universität Berlin, 1985.