Solvent properties governing protein partitioning in polymer/polymer aqueous two-phase systems

Distribution coefficients of various proteins were measured in aqueous Dextran-Ficoll, Dextran-PES, and Ficoll-PES two-phase systems, containing 0.15M NaCl in 0.01 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4. The acquired data were combined with data for the same proteins in different systems reported previously and known solvatochromic solvent properties of the systems to characterize the protein-solvent interactions. The relative susceptibilities of proteins to solvent dipolarity/polarizability, solvent hydrogen bond acidity, solvent hydrogen bond basicity, and solvent ability to participate in ion-ion and ion-dipole interactions were characterized. These parameters, which are representative of solute-solvent interactions, adequately described the partitioning of the proteins in each system. It was found that the relative susceptibilities of proteins to solvent dipolarity/polarizability are interrelated with their relative susceptibilities to solvent hydrogen bond acidity and solvent hydrogen bond basicity similarly to those established previously for small nonionic organic compounds.     

Development of surface-SFED models for polar solvents

We developed surface grid-based solvation free energy density (Surface-SFED) models for 36 commonly used polar solvents. The parametrization was performed with a large and diverse set of experimental solvation free energies mainly consisting of combinations of polar solvent and multipolar solute. Therefore, the contribution of hydrogen bonds was dominant in the model. In order to increase the accuracy of the model, an elaborate version of a previous hydrogen bond acidity and basicity prediction model was introduced. We present two parametrizations for use with experimentally determined (Surface-SFED/HB(exp)) and empirical (Surface-SFED/HB(cal)) hydrogen bond acidity and basicity values. Our computational results agreed well with experimental results, and inaccuracy of empirical hydrogen bond acidity and basicity values was the main source of error in Surface-SFED/HB(cal). The mean absolute errors of Surface-SFED/HB(exp) and Surface-SFED/HB(cal) were 0.49 and 0.54 kcal/mol, respectively.     

Catalytic degradation of lignin model compounds in acidic imidazolium based ionic liquids: Hammett acidity and anion effects

Ionic liquids based on the 1-methylimidazolium cation with chloride, bromide, hydrogen sulfate, and tetrafluoroborate counterions along with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate were employed to degrade two lignin model compounds, guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether and veratrylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether. The acidity of each ionic liquid was approximated using 3-nitroaniline as an indicator to measure the Hammett acidity (H₀). While all of the tested ionic liquids were strongly acidic (H₀ between 1.48 and 2.08), the relative acidity did not correlate with the ability of the ionic liquid to catalyze β-O-4 ether bond hydrolysis. The reactivity of the model compounds in the ionic liquids is dependent not only on the acidity, but also on the nature of the ions and their interaction with the model compounds.     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study on the absorption spectrum of Coumarin 102 and its hydrogen‐bonded complexes

The effect of both solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding (HB) on the electronic transition energy of Coumarin 102 (C102) has been examined using the time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Solvent effect on both geometry and electronic transition energy is evaluated using the polarizable continuum model (PCM). A linear relation of the absorption maximum of C102 with the solvent polarity function Δf is found using the TDDFT‐PCM method for all solvents except dimethyl sulfoxide. The solvent polarity and the type B HB between the carbonyl oxygen and solvent hydrogen atom make the absorption wavelength redshift, whereas the type A HB between the amino nitrogen atom and solvent hydrogen atom has an opposite effect on the absorption wavelength. The calculated absorption wavelengths of C102 with two type B HB between the carbonyl oxygen and solvent hydrogen atom are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. The solvatochromism of C102 is analyzed in terms of the Kamlet–Taft equation and the parameters s and a are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011.     

Structure and interaction between the [BMIM][Ala] alanine anion and the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation in ion pairs

The equilibrium geometries and vibrational frequencies of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation and the alanine anion [BMIM][Ala] are studied using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3PW91/6-311+G(d,p) leve1. The most stable structures of the anion, the cation, and the ion pairs are obtained and characterized, and the geometry parameters of the ion pairs confirm the presence of a hydrogen bonding interaction between the anion and the cation. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis is also performed to analyze the atomic charge distribution and charge transfer in the [BMIM]⁺ cation and [BMIM][Ala] ionic liquids. The results show that there are the electrostatic interaction and multiple hydrogen bond interactions between the cation and the anion of the ionic liquids, and the stability of the ground state of the ion pairs mostly results from the hydrogen bonding between the lone pairs of O atoms in the anion and H in the imidazole cycle of the cation. There are some changes in microstructures and the charge distribution during the formation of the ion pairs.     

Solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin 153 in a protic ionic liquid dimethylethanolammonium formate

The solvent relaxation and orientational dynamics of coumarin 153 (C-153) was investigated in N,N-dimethylethanolammonium formate (DAF) with a variation of temperature. DAF is a protic room-temperature ionic liquid, comprised of nonaromatic cations. Both solvent relaxation and orientational dynamics of C-153 in DAF are linearly well-correlated with the bulk viscosity at different temperatures. We optimized the geometry of DAF using quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory methods. The optimized structure of DAF shows a nonbonded interaction between cation and anion, which suggests that a hydrogen bond is formed between hydrogen atoms attached to the nitrogen atom of the cation with the oxygen atom of the anion in DAF.     

Explicit and implicit solvation of radical ions: the cycloreversion of CPD dimers

The electron transfer catalyzed cycloreversion of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers is the key step in repair of light-induced DNA lesions catalyzed by the enzyme CPD photolyase. The formation of the CPD radical anion was found to be strongly solvent dependent due to a specific hydrogen bond that stabilizes the valence bound state over the dipole bound state of the additional electron. The effect of solvation on the vertical and adiabatic electron affinity of uracil and uracil dimers as well as on the mechanism of the cycloreversion of the uracil dimer radical anion is explored for three model systems that include explicit solvent molecules at the B3LYP/6-311++G^∗∗/B3LYP/6-31+G^∗ level of theory. The second solvation shell is described using the implicit C-PCM solvation model. These calculations indicate an effectively barrierless mechanism. These results are in agreement with the available experimental data for the reaction energies and isotope effects. It is also shown that a single hydrogen bond donor is a sufficient minimal model for the first solvation shell by adequately describing the stabilization of the valence bound state of the radical anion through hydrogen bonding. The relationship of these model systems with the enzymatic reaction catalyzed by DNA photolyase is also discussed.     

Hydrogen bonding and solvent effects on the lowest 1(n, pi*) excitations of triazines in water

Our method for estimating solvent effects on electronic spectra in media with strong solute-solvent interactions is applied here to calculate the absorption and fluorescence solvatochromatic shifts of dilute triazines in water. First, the ab initio CASSCF method is used to estimate the gas-phase electronic excitation properties and state charge distributions; second, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to elucidate liquid structures around the ground and excited state solute; finally, the solvent shift is evaluated based on the gas-phase charge distributions and the explicit solvent structures. For the dilute triazine solutions, simulations predict one linear (different) hydrogen bond attached to each nitrogen atom. Upon the first (1)(n, pi*)electronic excitation one hydrogen bond is completely broken. For the absorption and fluorescence spectra, our calculations demonstrated that the specific solvent-solute interaction, in any electronic state, plays a critical role in the determination of solvent shifts.     

Computational approach to nuclear magnetic resonance in 1-Alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids

A quantum-chemical computational approach to accurately predict the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids has been performed by the gauge-including atomic orbitals method at the B3LYP/6-31++G** level using different simulated ionic liquid environments. The first molecular model chosen to describe the ionic liquid system includes the gas-phase optimized structures of ion pairs and separated ions of a series of imidazolium salts containing methyl, butyl, and octyl substituents and PF6-, BF4-, and Br- anions. In addition, a continuum polarizable model of solvation has been applied to predict the effects of the medium polarity on the molecular properties of 1,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (MmimPF6). Furthermore, the specific acidic and basic solute-solvent interactions have been simulated by a discrete solvation model based on molecular clusters formed by MmimPF6 species and a discrete number of water molecules. The computational prediction of the NMR spectra allows a consistent interpretation of the dispersed experimental evidence in the literature. The following are main contributions of this work: (a) Theoretical results state the presence of a chemical equilibrium between ion-pair aggregates and solvent-separated counterions of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium salts which is tuned by the solvent environment; thus, strong specific (acidic and basic) and nonspecific (polarity and polarizability) solvent interactions are predicted favoring the dissociated ionic species. (b) The calculated 1H and 13C NMR properties of these ionic liquids are revealed as highly dependent on the nature of solute-solvent interactions. Thus, the chemical shift of the hydrogen atom in position two of the imidazolium ring is deviated to high values by the specific interactions with water molecules, whereas nonspecific interaction with water (as a solvent) affects, in the opposite direction, this 1H NMR parameter. (c) Last, current calculations support the presence of hydrogen bonding between counterions, suggesting the importance of this interaction in the properties of the solvent in the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids.     

Electron transfer in a radical ion pair: quantum calculations of the solvent reorganization energy

Results are presented for an investigation of intermolecular electron transfer (ET) in solution by means of quantum calculations. The two molecules that are involved in the ET reaction form a solvent-separated radical ion pair. The solvent plays an important role in the ET between the two molecules. In particular, it can give rise to specific solute-solvent interactions with the solutes. An example of specific interactions is the formation of a hydrogen bond between a protic solvent and one of the molecules involved in the ET. We address the study of this system by means of quantum calculations on the solutes immersed in a continuum solvent. However, when the solvent can give rise to hydrogen bond formation with the negatively charged ion after ET, we explicitly consider solvent molecules in the solute cavity, determining the hydrogen bond energetic contribution to the overall interaction energy. Solute-solvent pair distribution functions, showing the different arrangement of solvent molecules before and after ET in the first solvation shell, are reported. We provide results of the solvent reorganization energy from quantum calculations for both the two isolated fragments and the ion pair in solution. Results are in agreement with available experimental data.     

Theoretical study for pyridinium-based ionic liquid 1-ethylpyridinium trifluoroacetate: synthesis mechanism, electronic structure, and catalytic reactivity

By performing density functional theory calculations, we have studied the synthesis mechanism, electronic structure, and catalytic reactivity of a pyridinium-based ionic liquid, 1-ethylpyridinium trifluoroacetate ([epy](+)[CF(3)COO](-)). It is found that the synthesis of the pyridinium salt follows a S(N)2 mechanism. The electronic structural analyses show that multiple H bonds are generally involved in the pyridinium-based ionic liquid, which may play a decisive role for stabilizing the ionic liquid. The cation-anion interaction mainly involves electron transfer between the lone pair of the oxygen atom in the anion and the antibonding orbital of the C*-H bond (C* denotes the carbon atom at the ortho-position of nitrogen atom in the cation). This present work has also given clearly the catalytic mechanism of [epy](+)[CF(3)COO](-) toward to the Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction of acrylonitrile with 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene. Both the cation and anion are shown to play important roles in promoting the D-A reaction. The cation [epy](+), as a Lewis acid, associates the C≡N group by C≡N···H H bond to increase the polarity of the C═C double bond in acrylonitrile, while the anion CF(3)COO(-) links with the methyl group in 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene by C-H···O H bond, which weakens the electron-donating capability of methyl and thereby lowers the energy barrier of the D-A reaction. The present results are expected to provide valuable information for the design and application of pyridinium-based ionic liquids.     

Structure and conformation properties of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium halide ionic liquids: a density-functional theory study

The structures and conformational properties of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium halide ionic liquids have been studied with a Becke's 3 Parameter functional method. The interaction mechanisms between the cation and the anion in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (Emim+) halide and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (Bmim+) halide ionic liquids were investigated using 6-31G*, 6-31++G**, and 6-311++G** basis sets. Forty structures of different ion pairs were optimized and geometrical parameters of them have been discussed in details. Halide ions (Cl- or Br-) have been gradually placed in different regions around imidazolium cation and the interaction energies between the anion and the cation have been calculated. Theoretical results indicate that there are four activity regions in the vicinity of the imidazolium cations, in these regions the imidazolium cations and the halide anions formed stable ion pairs. Imidazolium cations can form hydrogen bond interactions with one, two or three but no more than three nearest halide anions. The halide ions are situated in hydrogen bond positions rather than at random.     

Standard pK(a) Scales of Carbon-Centered Indicator Acids in Ionic Liquids: Effect of Media and Structural Implication

Energetics of bond dissociation, especially the R-H bond heterolysis free energy (pK(a)), has played a central role in promoting chemistry to become a rational science. Despite the oceans of acidity studies in the literature, the current knowledge is limited to that in the classical molecular solvents and is unable to be extended to anticipate the acidity changes in ionic media. As the latter is now very popular for replacing volatile organic solvents, it becomes highly desirable to know how the driving force of bond cleavage is varied as the medium composition is switched from neutral molecules to the charged ions. Here we describe a general approach to measure absolute pK(a)'s in pure ionic liquid (IL). The standard conditions warranting accurate measurement were outlined. The pK(a)'s of the selected 18 C-H type indicator acids in four ILs were determined and a convenient indicator platform was constructed for easy expansion of acidity scales. These absolute pK(a)'s make possible, for the first time, direct comparisons of bond energies in IL with those in molecular solvent and in the gas phase and should be able to serve as the standard parameters for calibrating computational methods suitable for the studies in ionic media. The effect of cation and anion in IL in relation to structure was analyzed.     

[EPy][BF4]和[EPy][PF6]离子对的气相及液相阴阳离子相互作用研究

采用从头算HF/6-31G和密度泛函理论B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p)方法, 对乙基吡啶四氟硼酸盐([EPy][BF4])和乙基吡啶六氟磷酸盐([EPy][PF6])的离子对进行了结构优化和频率分析, 并利用自洽反应场(SCRF)的导体极化连续模型(CPCM)考察了离子对液态下的结构及相互作用, 得到了两种离子对的红外光谱及气相、液相下最稳定结构. 由两种离子对的几何参数可知, 阴阳离子通过氢键相互作用, 两种离子液体的红外光谱特征值与实验值比较吻合. 应用自然键轨道(NBO)理论分析了吡啶阳离子及离子对中的原子电荷分布和电荷转移情况, 结果表明两种离子对中阴阳离子间存在静电相互作用和氢键作用. 通过几何参数、相互作用能及NBO分析研究发现, 液相下由于周围电荷的中和作用, 离子对中阴阳离子的相互作用明显降低.     

Excited‐State Hydrogen Bonding Strengthening and Weakening with Intramolecular Charge Transfer in Resorufin‐Water Complexes: A TD‐DFT Study

The geometric structures, infrared spectra and hydrogen bond binding energies of the various hydrogen‐bonded Res^?‐water complexes in states S0 and S1 have been calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) methods, respectively. Based on the changes of the hydrogen bond lengths and binding energies as well as the spectral shifts of the vibrational mode of the hydroxyl groups, it is demonstrated that hydrogen bonds HB‐II, HB‐III and HB‐IV are strengthened while hydrogen bond HB‐I is weakened in the four singly hydrogen‐bonded Res^?‐Water complexes upon photoexcitation. When the four hydrogen bonds are formed simultaneously between one resorufin anion and four water molecules in the Res^?‐4Water complex, all the hydrogen bonds are weakened in both the ground and excited states compared with those in the corresponding singly hydrogen‐bonded Res^?‐Water complexes. Furthermore, in complex Res^?‐4Water, hydrogen bonds HB‐II and HB‐IV are strengthened while hydrogen bonds HB‐I and HB‐III are weakened after the electronic excitation. The hydrogen bond strengthening and weakening in the various hydrogen‐bonded Res^?‐water complexes should be due to the redistribution of the charges among the four heteroatoms (O_1‐3 and N₁) within the resorufin molecule upon the optical excitation.     

Amino acid-based ionic liquids: using XPS to probe the electronic environment via binding energies

Here we report the synthesis and characterisation by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of eight high purity amino acid-based ionic liquids (AAILs), each containing the 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium, [C(8)C(1)Im](+), as a standard reference cation. All expected elements were observed and the electronic environments of these elements identified. A fitting model for the carbon 1s region of the AAILs is reported; the C aliphatic component of the cation was used as an internal reference to obtain a series of accurate and reproducible binding energies. Comparisons are made between XP spectra of the eight AAILs and selected non-functionalised ionic liquids. 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate was also studied as a model of the carboxyl containing amino acid anion. The influence of anionic substituent groups on the measured binding energies of all elements is presented, and communication between anion and cation is investigated. This data is interpreted in terms of hard and soft anions and compared to the Kamlet-Taft hydrogen bond acceptor ability, β, for the ionic liquids. A linear correlation is presented which suggests that the functional side chain, or R group, of the amino acid has little impact upon the electronic environment of the charge-bearing moieties within the anions and cations studied.     

Heats of Mixing of Mixed Solvent Solutions of Alkali Metal Salts of Substituted Benzenesulfonic Acids

The enthalpy change on mixing solutions of methyl-substituted benzenesulfonic acids and their salts, with salts having a common cation or anion, at constant ionic strength in mixtures of 1,4-dioxane with water, were measured at 25°C. The heat effects of mixing solutions having a common anion increase almost linearly with the reciprocal value of the dielectric constant of the solvent. The heat effects of mixing solutions having a common cation, which are all negative in water-rich solutions, become endothermic after a certain value of the dielectric constant is passed. The results are discussed in terms of the solute-solvent structural properties. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Determination of Solubility Parameters of Ionic Liquids and Ionic Liquid/Solvent Mixtures from Intrinsic Viscosity

The total and partial solubility parameters (dispersion, polar and hydrogen‐bonding solubility parameters) of ten ionic liquids were determined. Intrinsic viscosity approaches were used that encompassed a one‐dimensional method (1D‐Method), and two different three‐dimensional methods (3D‐Method1 and 3D‐Method2). The effect of solvent type, the dimethylacetamide (DMA) fraction in the ionic liquid, and dissolution temperature on solubility parameters were also investigated. For all types of effect, both the 1D‐Method and 3D‐Method2 present the same trend in the total solubility parameter. The partial solubility parameters are influenced by the cation and anion of the ionic liquid. Considering the effect on partial solubility parameters of the solvent type in the ionic liquid, it was observed that in both 3D methods, the dispersion and polar parameters of a 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate/solvent (60:40 vol %) mixture tend to increase as the total solubility parameter of the solvent increases.     

Spectrothermodynamic relationship of cationic vs anionic species derived from protonation vs deprotonation of pyrrolo-aza-aromatic bases in homologous series.

Theoretical research on the spectroscopy and protonation energies of ionic species related to the neutral pyrrolo-aza-aromatic bases has been carried out, using Density Functional Theory (DFT) and its time dependent form (TDDFT). In the ionic species the skeleton localized (+) and (-) charge in the protonated and deprotonated species is shown to have a strong perturbation of the pi-electronic states. The lowest electronic S(0) --> S(1) (pi,pi*) transitions are shown to have near-coincidence for each cation and anion for the whole homologous series, in agreement with the Valle-Kasha-Catalán rule previously stated. It is further demonstrated that simultaneous dramatic changes, upon electronic excitation, in acidity and basicity at the pyrrolo- and aza-positions of the molecular skeleton are the driving force for the biprotonic phototransfer processes in these bases. This constitutes confirmation of the proton-transfer rather than H-atom transfer as the reaction mechanism.