A Theoretical Study on Hydrogen‐Bonded Complex of Proflavine Cation and Water: The Site‐dependent Feature of Hydrogen Bond Strengthening and Weakening

The intermolecular hydrogen‐bonds between proflavine cation (PC) and water molecules are investigated by density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) methods. The ground‐state geometry optimizations, electronic excitation energies and corresponding oscillation strengths of the low‐lying electronically excited states for the isolated proflavine cation, the hydrogen‐bonded PC–H2O dimer and PC–(H2O)2 trimer are calculated. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds at the central site of proflavine molecule are found to be stronger than the peripheral site. The hydrogen bond N–H???O for the hydrogen‐bonded dimer are indicated to be weakened in the excited states, since the excitation energy is increased slightly comparing to the monomer. Hydrogen bonds of PC–(H2O)2 trimer with the same type as the dimer are strengthened in the excited state, which is demonstrated by the decrease of the excited energies. Thus, hydrogen bond strengthening and weakening are observed to reveal site dependent feature in proflavine molecule. Furthermore, the hydrogen bond at central site induces the blue‐shift of the absorption spectrum, while the ones at peripheral site induce red‐shift. Hydrogen bonds with the same type at peripheral and central sites of proflavine molecule provide different effects on the photochemical and photophysical properties of proflavine.     

Redox‐Controlled Hydrogen Bonding: Turning a Superbase into a Strong Hydrogen‐Bond Donor

Herein the synthesis, structures and properties of hydrogen‐bonded aggregates involving redox‐active guanidine superbases are reported. Reversible hydrogen bonding is switched on by oxidation of the hydrogen‐donor unit, and leads to formation of aggregates in which the hydrogen‐bond donor unit is sandwiched by two hydrogen‐bond acceptor units. Further oxidation (of the acceptor units) leads again to deaggregation. Aggregate formation is associated with a distinct color change, and the electronic situation could be described as a frozen stage on the way to hydrogen transfer. A further increase in the basicity of the hydrogen‐bond acceptor leads to deprotonation reactions.     

Comparative Study of Halogen‐ and Hydrogen‐Bond Interactions between Benzene Derivatives and Dimethyl Sulfoxide

The halogen bond, similar to the hydrogen bond, is an important noncovalent interaction and plays important roles in diverse chemistry‐related fields. Herein, bromine‐ and iodine‐based halogen‐bonding interactions between two benzene derivatives (C₆F₅Br and C₆F₅I) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are investigated by using IR and NMR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The results are compared with those of interactions between C₆F₅Cl/C₆F₅H and DMSO. First, the interaction energy of the hydrogen bond is stronger than those of bromine‐ and chlorine‐based halogen bonds, but weaker than iodine‐based halogen bond. Second, attractive energies depend on 1/rⁿ, in which n is between three and four for both hydrogen and halogen bonds, whereas all repulsive energies are found to depend on 1/r^8.5. Third, the directionality of halogen bonds is greater than that of the hydrogen bond. The bromine‐ and iodine‐based halogen bonds are strict in this regard and the chlorine‐based halogen bond only slightly deviates from 180°. The directional order is iodine‐based halogen bond>bromine‐based halogen bond>chlorine‐based halogen bond>hydrogen bond. Fourth, upon the formation of hydrogen and halogen bonds, charge transfers from DMSO to the hydrogen‐ and halogen‐bond donors. The CH₃ group contributes positively to stabilization of the complexes.     

Theoretical Investigation of the Coupling between Hydrogen‐Atom Transfer and Stacking Interaction in Adenine–Thymine Dimers

Three different dimers of the adenine–thymine (A‐T) base pair are studied to point out the changes of important properties (structure, atomic charge, energy and so on) induced by coupling between the movement of the atoms in the hydrogen bonds and the stacking interaction. The comparison of these results with those for the A‐T monomer system explains the role of the stacking interaction in the hydrogen‐atom transfer in this biologically important base pair. The results support the idea that this coupling depends on the exact dimer considered and is different for the N? N and N? O hydrogen bonds. In particular, the correlation between the hydrogen transfer and the stacking interaction is more relevant for the N? N bridge than for the N? O one. Also, the two different mechanisms of two‐hydrogen transfer (step by step and concerted) can be modified by the stacking interaction between the base pairs.     

A Columnar Liquid‐Crystal Phase Formed by Hydrogen‐Bonded Perylene Bisimide J‐Aggregates

A new perylene bisimide (PBI) dye self‐assembles through hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions into J‐aggregates that in turn self‐organize into liquid‐crystalline (LC) columnar hexagonal domains. The PBI cores are organized with the transition dipole moments parallel to the columnar axis, which is an unprecedented structural organization in π‐conjugated columnar liquid crystals. Middle and wide‐angle X‐ray analyses reveal a helical structure consisting of three self‐assembled hydrogen‐bonded PBI strands that constitute a single column of the columnar hexagonal phase. This remarkable assembly mode for columnar liquid crystals may afford new anisotropic LC materials for applications in photonics.     

Theoretical Study on Hydrogen‐Bond Effects in IR Spectra of High‐ and Low‐Temperature Phases of Nitric Acid Dihydrate

The low‐ and high‐temperature phases (α and β, respectively) of solid nitric acid dihydrate (NAD) are studied in depth by DFT methods. Each phase contains two types of complex structures (H₃O⁺) ? (H₂O), designated A and B, with different hydrogen‐bonding (HB) characteristics. The theoretical study reveals that type A complexes are weakly bound and could be described as (H₃O)⁺ and H₂O aggregates, with decoupled vibrational modes, whereas in type B structures the proton is situated close to the centre of the O ??? O bond and induces strong vibrational coupling. The proton‐transfer mode is predicted at quite different wavenumbers in each complex, which provides an important differentiating spectral feature, together with splitting of some bands in β‐NAD. Theoretical spectra are estimated by using two GGA parameterizations, namely, PBE and BLYP. The potential‐energy surface for each type of HB in NAD is also studied, as is the spectral influence of displacement of the shared H atom along the O? O bond. The results are compared to literature infrared spectra recorded by different techniques, namely, transmission and reflection–absorption, with both normal and tilted incident radiation. This work provides a thorough assignment of the observed spectra, and predictions for some spectra not yet available. The usefulness of high‐level theoretical calculations as performed herein to discriminate between two phases of a solid crystal is thus evidenced.     

肾上腺素与二甲亚砜氢键作用的理论研究

The hydrogen bond is one of the most important intermolecular interactions playing an important role in intermolecular recognition processes essential to most biological systems. Adrenaline is an important catecholamine neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. Dimethyl sulphoxide can carry with it drugs across membranes. The geometries of adrenaline and six stable 1 : 1 complexes formed between adrenaline and dimethyl sulphoxide were optimized by Berny method at PM3 level and thus were optimized by density functional theory（B3LYP method）at the 6-31G,6-31G*,and 6-31+G* level respectively to obtain accurate structures. Single-point energies of all optimized molecular geometries were calculated to discuss the energies and structural parameters between reactants and products. All the binding energies have been corrected by the zero point vibrational energies（ZPVE）at varied basis set levels from 6-31G to 6-31 + G*. The results indicated that stronger hydrogen-bonded complexes were formed by molecular interaction between adrenaline and dimethyl sulphoxide. The calculation results can be better used to explain some experimental phenomena.     

Theoretical Study of the Interplay between Lithium Bond and Hydrogen Bond in Complexes Involved with HLi and HCN

The lithium‐ and hydrogen‐bonded complex of HLi? NCH? NCH is studied with ab initio calculations. The optimized structure, vibrational frequencies, and binding energy are calculated at the MP2 level with 6‐311++G(2d,2p) basis set. The interplay between lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding in the complex is investigated with these properties. The effect of lithium bonding on the properties of hydrogen bonding is larger than that of hydrogen bonding on the properties of lithium bonding. In the trimer, the binding energies are increased by about 19 % and 61 % for the lithium and hydrogen bonds, respectively. A big cooperative energy (?5.50 kcal mol^?1) is observed in the complex. Both the charge transfer and induction effect due to the electrostatic interaction are responsible for the cooperativity in the trimer. The effect of HCN chain length on the lithium bonding has been considered. The natural bond orbital and atoms in molecules analyses indicate that the electrostatic force plays a main role in the lithium bonding. A many‐body interaction analysis has also been performed for HLi? (NCH)_N (N=2–5) systems.     

Encapsulation‐Induced Remarkable Stability of a Hydrogen‐Bonded Heterocapsule

Remarkably enhanced stability of the self‐assembled hydrogen‐bonded heterocapsule 1?2 by the encapsulation of 1,4‐bis(1‐propynyl)benzene 3 a was found with K_a=1.14×10⁹ M ^?1 in CDCl₃ and K_a2=1.59×10⁸ M ^?2 in CD₃OD/CDCl₃ (10 % v/v) at 298 K. The formation of 3 a @( 1?2 ) was enthalpically driven (ΔH°<0 and ΔS°<0) and there was a unique inflection point in the correlation between ΔH° versus ΔS° as a function of polar solvent content. The ab initio calculations revealed that favorable guest–capsule dispersion and electrostatic interactions between the acetylenic parts (triple bonds) of 3 a and the aromatic inner space of 1?2 , as well as less structural deformation of 1?2 upon encapsulation of 3 a , play important roles in the remarkable stability of 3 a @( 1?2 ).     

Hydrogen‐Bond Free Energy of Local Biological Water

Here, we propose an experimental methodology based on femtosecond‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to measure the hydrogen (H)‐bond free energy of water at protein surfaces under isothermal conditions. A demonstration was conducted by installing a non‐canonical isostere of tryptophan (7‐azatryptophan) at the surface of a coiled‐coil protein to exploit the photoinduced proton transfer of its chromophoric moiety, 7‐azaindole. The H‐bond free energy of this biological water was evaluated by comparing the rates of proton transfer, sensitive to the hydration environment, at the protein surface and in bulk water, and it was found to be higher than that of bulk water by 0.4 kcal mol^?1. The free‐energy difference is dominated by the entropic cost in the H‐bond network among water molecules at the hydrophilic and charged protein surface. Our study opens a door to accessing the energetics and dynamics of local biological water to give insight into its roles in protein structure and function.     

Hydrogen‐Bond and Supramolecular‐Contact Mediated Fluorescence Enhancement of Electrochromic Azomethines

An electronic push–pull fluorophore consisting of an intrinsically fluorescent central fluorene capped with two diaminophenyl groups was prepared. An aminothiophene was conjugated to the two flanking diphenylamines through a fluorescent quenching azomethine bond. X‐ray crystallographic analysis confirmed that the fluorophore formed multiple intermolecular supramolecular bonds. It formed two hydrogen bonds involving a terminal amine, resulting in an antiparallel supramolecular dimer. Hydrogen bonding was also confirmed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopic analyses, and further validated theoretically by DFT calculations. Intrinsic fluorescence quenching modes could be reduced by intermolecular supramolecular contacts. These contacts could be engaged at high concentrations and in thin films, resulting in fluorescence enhancement. The fluorescence of the fluorophore could also be restored to an intensity similar to its azomethine‐free counterpart with the addition of water in >50 % v/v in tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and acetonitrile. The fluorophore also exhibited reversible oxidation and its color could be switched between yellow and blue when oxidized. Reversible electrochemically mediated fluorescence turn‐off on turn‐on was also possible.     

Molecular Bases for Anesthetic Agents: Halothane as a Halogen‐ and Hydrogen‐Bond Donor

Although instrumental for optimizing their pharmacological activity, a molecular understanding of the preferential interactions given by volatile anesthetics is quite poor. This paper confirms the ability of halothane to work as a hydrogen‐bond (HB) donor and gives the first experimental proof that halothane also works as a halogen‐bond (HaB) donor in the solid state and in solution. A halothane/hexamethylphosphortriamide co‐crystal is described and its single‐crystal X‐ray structure shows short HaBs between bromine, or chlorine, and the phosphoryl oxygen. New UV/Vis absorption bands appear upon addition of diazabicyclooctane and tetra(n‐butyl)ammonium iodide to halothane solutions, indicating that nitrogen atoms and anions may mediate the HaB‐driven binding processes involving halothane as well. The ability of halothane to work as a bidentate/tridentate tecton by acting as a HaB and HB donor gives an atomic rationale for the eudismic ratio shown by this agent.