Cyclic imides and an open‐chain amide carboxylic acid from the facile reaction of cis‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐carboxylic anhydride with the isomeric monofluoroanilines

The structures of the cyclic imides cis‐2‐(2‐fluorophenyl)‐3a,4,5,6,7,7a‐hexahydroisoindole‐1,3‐dione, C₁₄H₁₄FNO₂, (I), and cis‐2‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐3a,4,5,6,7,7a‐hexahydroisoindoline‐1,3‐dione, C₁₄H₁₄FNO₂, (III), and the open‐chain amide acid rac‐cis‐2‐[(3‐fluorophenyl)carbamoyl]cyclohexane‐1‐carboxylic acid, C₁₄H₁₆FNO₃, (II), are reported. Cyclic imides (I) and (III) are conformationally similar, with comparable ring rotations about the imide N—C_ar bond [the dihedral angles between the benzene ring and the five‐membered isoindole ring are 55.40 (8)° for (I) and 51.83 (7)° for (III)]. There are no formal intermolecular hydrogen bonds involved in the crystal packing of either (I) or (III). With the acid (II), in which the meta‐related F‐atom substituent is rotationally disordered (0.784:0.216), the amide group lies slightly out of the benzene plane [the interplanar dihedral angle is 39.7 (1)°]. Intermolecular amide–carboxyl N—H...O hydrogen‐bonding interactions between centrosymmetrically related molecules form stacks extending down b, and these are linked across c by carboxyl–amide O—H...O hydrogen bonds, giving two‐dimensional layered structures which lie in the (011) plane. The structures reported here represent examples of compounds analogous to the phthalimides or phthalanilic acids and have little precedence in the crystallographic literature.     

Three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded structures in the hydrated proton‐transfer salts of isonipecotamide with the dicarboxylic oxalic and adipic acid homologues

The structures of the 1:1 hydrated proton‐transfer compounds of isonipecotamide (piperidine‐4‐carboxamide) with oxalic acid, 4‐carbamoylpiperidinium hydrogen oxalate dihydrate, C₆H₁₃N₂O⁺·C₂HO₄⁻·2H₂O, (I), and with adipic acid, bis(4‐carbamoylpiperidinium) adipate dihydrate, 2C₆H₁₃N₂O⁺·C₆H₈O₄²⁻·2H₂O, (II), are three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded constructs involving several different types of enlarged water‐bridged cyclic associations. In the structure of (I), the oxalate monoanions give head‐to‐tail carboxylic acid O—H...O_carboxyl hydrogen‐bonding interactions, forming C(5) chain substructures which extend along a. The isonipecotamide cations also give parallel chain substructures through amide N—H...O hydrogen bonds, the chains being linked across b and down c by alternating water bridges involving both carboxyl and amide O‐atom acceptors and amide and piperidinium N—H...O_carboxyl hydrogen bonds, generating cyclic R₄³(10) and R₃²(11) motifs. In the structure of (II), the asymmetric unit comprises a piperidinium cation, half an adipate dianion, which lies across a crystallographic inversion centre, and a solvent water molecule. In the crystal structure, the two inversion‐related cations are interlinked through the two water molecules, which act as acceptors in dual amide N—H...O_water hydrogen bonds, to give a cyclic R₄²(8) association which is conjoined with an R₄⁴(12) motif. Further N—H...O_water, water O—H...O_amide and piperidinium N—H...O_carboxyl hydrogen bonds give the overall three‐dimensional structure. The structures reported here further demonstrate the utility of the isonipecotamide cation as a synthon for the generation of stable hydrogen‐bonded structures. The presence of solvent water molecules in these structures is largely responsible for the non‐occurrence of the common hydrogen‐bonded amide–amide dimer, promoting instead various expanded cyclic hydrogen‐bonding motifs.     

Three leflunomide metabolite analogs

The title compounds, 1‐cyano‐2‐hydroxy‐N‐[4‐(methylsulfon­yl)phenyl]but‐2‐en­amide, C₁₂H₁₂N₂O₄S, PHI492, 1‐cyano‐2‐hydroxy‐N‐[3‐(methyl­sulfonyl)­phenyl]­but‐2‐en­amide, C₁₂H₁₂­N₂O₄S, PHI493, and N‐[3‐bromo‐4‐(trifluoro­methoxy)­phenyl]‐1‐cyano‐2‐hydroxybut‐2‐en­amide, C₁₂H₈Br­F₃N₂O₃, PHI495, are potent inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). The molecular structures of these compounds are similar and they display similar hydrogen‐bonding networks and crystal packing. Examination of the crystal‐packing interaction in the three compounds reveals an alternating direction of adjacent mol­ecules in the crystalline lattice due to intermolecular cyano–amide hydrogen bonding. PHI492, a positional isomer of PHI493, does not form intermolecular O—H?O hydrogen bonds between mol­ecules and crystallizes in a space group different from that of PHI493 and PHI495. The aromatic ring and the amide group of each mol­ecule form a conjugated π‐system which ensures planarity, with further stabilization gained from intramolecular O—H?O hydrogen bonds.     

Iodinated ortho‐Carboranes as Versatile Building Blocks to Design Intermolecular Interactions in Crystal Lattices

The crystal structures of numerous iodinated ortho‐carboranes have been studied, which has revealed the diversity of intermolecular interactions that these substances can adopt in the solid state. The nature—mostly as it relates to hydrogen and/or halogen bonds—and relative strength of such interactions can be adjusted by selectively introducing substituents onto the cluster, thus enabling the rational design of crystal lattices. In this work we present the newly determined crystal structures of the following iodinated ortho‐carboranes: 9‐I‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₁₁, 4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12‐I₈‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₄, 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12‐I₁₀‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₂, 1‐Me‐8,9,10,12‐I₄‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₇, 1,2‐Me₂‐8,9,10,12‐I₄‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₆, and 1,2‐Ph₂‐8,9,10,12‐I₄‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₆. Their 3D supramolecular organization has been thoroughly investigated and compared to similar previously published crystal structures. Such a systematic survey has allowed us to draw some general trends. C_c? H???I? B hydrogen bonds (C_c= cluster carbon atoms) appear to be significant in the growth of the crystal lattices of these compounds, given the acidity of hydrogen atoms bonded to C_c, and the polarization of B? I bonds. These hydrogen bonds can be disrupted by selectively blocking the positions next to C_c, that is, B(3) and B(6), with bulky substituents that prevent iodine atoms from approaching as hydrogen acceptors. Halogen bonds of the type B? I???I? B are frequently observed in most cases, thus suggesting that these interactions could be attractive in boron clusters. In addition, different substituents can be grafted onto the ortho‐carborane surface, thereby providing further possibilities for homomeric or heteromeric molecular assembly.     

Stabilising Peptoid Helices Using Non‐Chiral Fluoroalkyl Monomers

Stability towards protease degradation combined with modular synthesis has made peptoids of considerable interest in the fields of chemical biology, medicine, and biomaterials. Given their tertiary amide backbone, peptoids lack the capacity to hydrogen‐bond, and as such, controlling secondary structure can be challenging. The incorporation of bulky, charged, or chiral aromatic monomers can be used to control conformation but such building blocks limit applications in many areas. Through NMR and X‐ray analysis we demonstrate that non‐chiral neutral fluoroalkyl monomers can be used to influence the K_cis/trans equilibria of peptoid amide bonds in model systems. The cis‐isomer preference displayed is highly unprecedented given that neither chirality nor charge is used to control the peptoid amide conformation. The application of our fluoroalkyl monomers in the design of a series of linear peptoid oligomers that exhibit stable helical structures is also reported.     

2‐Acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐(methoxy­amino)acetamides: functionalized amino acid anticonvulsants

In the crystal structure of 2‐acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐(methoxy­amino)acetamide (3L), C₁₂H₁₇N₃O₃, the 2‐acetyl­amino­acetamide moiety has a linearly extended conformation, with an inter­planar angle between the two amide groups of 157.3 (1)°. In 2‐acetamido‐N‐benz­yl‐2‐[meth­oxy(meth­yl)­amino]­acetamide (3N), C₁₃H₁₉N₃O₃, the planes of the two amide groups inter­sect at an angle of 126.4 (4)°, resulting in a chain that is slightly more bent. The replacement of the methoxy­amino H atom of 3L with a methyl group to form 3N and concomitant loss of hydrogen bonding results in some positional/thermal disorder in the meth­oxy­(methyl)­amino group. In both structures, in addition to classical N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, there are also weak non‐standard C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bonds and packing inter­actions result in planar hydro­philic and hydro­phobic areas perpendicular to the c axis in 3L and parallel to the ab plane in the N‐meth­yl derivative. Stereochemical comparisons with phenytoin have identified two O atoms and a phenyl group as mol­ecular features likely to be responsible for the anticon­vulsant activities of these compounds.     

Recognition of N‐Alkyl and N‐Aryl Acetamides by N‐Alkyl Ammonium Resorcinarene Chlorides

N‐Alkyl ammonium resorcinarene chlorides are stabilized by an intricate array of intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonds that leads to cavitand‐like structures. Depending on the upper‐rim substituents, self‐inclusion was observed in solution and in the solid state. The self‐inclusion can be disrupted at higher temperatures, whereas in the presence of small guests the self‐included dimers spontaneously reorganize to 1:1 host–guest complexes. These host compounds show an interesting ability to bind a series of N‐alkyl acetamide guests through intermolecular hydrogen bonds involving the carbonyl oxygen (C?O) atoms and the amide (NH) groups of the guests, the chloride anions (Cl^?) and ammonium (NH₂⁺) cations of the hosts, and also through CH ??? π interactions between the hosts and guests. The self‐included and host–guest complexes were studied by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, NMR titration, and mass spectrometry.     

Two derivatives of (N‐phenylthioureidoalkyl)phosphonates

The structures of di­phenyl [3‐methyl‐1‐(3‐phenyl­thio­ureido)­butyl]­phosphonate and di­phenyl [2‐methyl‐1‐(3‐phenyl­thio­ureido)­butyl]­phosphonate, both C₂₄H₂₇N₂O₃PS, are reported. In both compounds, the thio­urea moiety adopts a syn–syn conformation (i.e. the S—C—N—C torsion angles are synperi­planar), which enables N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to be formed between centrosymmetrically related mol­ecules. The geometries around the P atoms can be described as distorted tetrahedral. Some of the functional groups in each structure are disordered. The bulk of the different alkyl substituents between the amide and phosphonate groups influences the molecular conformation and crystal packing. Although the structures of these compounds and two related derivatives appear to be similar, they are not isostructural.     

From α‐carbamoyl‐α‐cyano­oxiranes to 3‐halogenopyruv­amides

The crystal structures of the first stable α‐diol from the α‐halogenopyruv­amide series, 3‐chloro‐2,2‐di­hydroxy‐3‐phenyl­propan­amide, C₉H₁₀­ClNO₃, and three products [3‐(4‐chloro­phenyl)‐2‐cyano‐2,3‐epoxy­propan­amide, C₁₀H₇­ClN₂O₂, 3‐bromo‐2‐cyano‐2‐hydroxy‐3‐p‐tolyl­propan­amide, C₁₁H₁₁Br­N₂O₂, 3‐bromo‐2‐oxo‐3‐p‐tolyl­propan­amide, C₁₀H₁₀­BrNO₂] obtained during the systematic synthesis of α‐halogenopyruv­amides are reported. The crystal structures are dominated by hydrogen bonds involving an amide group. The stability of the geminal diol could be ascribed to hydrogen bonds which involve both hydroxyl groups.     

Structure and packing of aminoxyl and piperidinyl acrylamide monomers

The closely related title compounds, 4‐acrylamido‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl, C₁₂H₂₁N₂O₂, (I), and N‐(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐4‐yl)acrylamide monohydrate, C₁₂H₂₂N₂O·H₂O, (II), are important monomers in the preparation of redox‐active polymers. They comprise an acrylamide group of the usual s‐cis configuration appended to a 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐substituted piperidine‐1‐oxyl radical or a piperidinyl chair, respectively. The adjacent amide and piperidinyl H atoms are approximately trans across the C—N bond. The packing in (I) is dominated by N—H...O hydrogen bonds; these are supported by C—H...O contacts to form an R₂¹(6) ring repeat, a motif which has been observed in other acrylamide structures. In (II), hydrogen bonds are again key to the packing arrangements. In this case, the incorporated solvent water molecule acts as an acceptor through its O atom and as a donor through both H atoms, binding three adjacent piperidinylacrylamide molecules into layers. In both structures, weak C—H...O contacts involving the piperidinyl methyl H atoms and a proximal acrylamide carbonyl O atom extend the structure in the third dimension.     

Aminolysis reaction of calix [ 4 ] arene esters and crystal structures and conformational behaviors of calix[4]arene amides

We first make use of aminolysis of calix[4]arene esters to synthesize calix[4]arene amides. When the two ethyl esters of the calix[4]arene esters are aminolysized, the 1, 3-amide derivative is formed selectively. The crystal structures of the calix-[4]arene with two butyl amide (3b) and four butyl amide moieties (4b) were determined. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds make 4b form two-dimensional net work insolid state. The 1H NMR spectra prove that 3b is of a pinched cone conformation, while 4b and tetraheptylamide-calix[4]arene (6b) take fast interconversion between two C2v isomers in solution and appear an apparent cone conformation at room temperature. As decreasing temperature, the interconversion rate decreases gradually and, finally, the interconversion process is frozen at Tc = -10℃, which makes both conformations of 4b and 6b the pinched cone structures. The hydrogen bond improves the interconversion barrier, and the large different values of the potential barrier between 6b and 4b (or 6b) may     

Cation–Cation Pairing by NCH⋅⋅⋅O Hydrogen Bonds

The pairing of ions of opposite charge is a fundamental principle in chemistry, and is widely applied in synthesis and catalysis. In contrast, cation–cation association remains an elusive concept, lacking in supporting experimental evidence. While studying the structure and properties of 4‐oxopiperidinium salts [OC₅H₈NH₂]X for a series of anions X^? of decreasing basicity, we observed a gradual self‐association of the cations, concluding in the formation of an isolated dicationic pair. In 4‐oxopiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide, the cations are linked by N? H???O?C hydrogen bonds to form chains, flanked by hydrogen bonds to the anions. In the tetra(perfluoro‐tert‐butoxy)aluminate salt, the anions are fully separated from the cations, and the cations associate pairwise by N? C? H???O?C hydrogen bonds. The compounds represent the first genuine examples of self‐association of simple organic cations based merely on hydrogen bonding as evidenced by X‐ray structure analysis, and provide a paradigm for an extension of this class of compounds.     

Supramolecular structures of three isomeric 4‐(methyl­phenylamino)­pyridine‐3‐sulfonamides

The structures of the three title isomers, namely 4‐(2‐methyl­anilino)pyridine‐3‐sulfonamide, (I), 4‐(3‐methyl­anilino)pyridine‐3‐sulfonamide, (II), and 4‐(4‐methyl­anilino)pyridine‐3‐sulfonamide, (III), all C₁₂H₁₃N₃O₂S, differ in their hydrogen‐bonding arrangements. In all three mol­ecules, the conformation of the 4‐amino­pyridine‐3‐sulfon­amide moiety is conserved by an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond and a C—H⋯O inter­action. In the supra­mol­ecular structures of all three isomers, similar C(6) chains are formed via inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to C(4) chains in (I), and to R₂²(8) centrosymmetric dimers in (II) and (III). In each isomer, the overall effect of all hydrogen bonds is to form layer structures.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel biodegradable unsaturated poly(ester amide)s

A series of novel biodegradable unsaturated poly(ester amide)s (UPEAs) were synthesized through the solution polycondensation of two unsaturated monomers, di‐p‐nitrophenyl fumarate and L ‐phenylalanine 2‐butene‐1,4‐diol diester p‐toluene sulfonate, and four other saturated monomers in different combinations. The UPEAs were obtained in fairly good yields with N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMA) as the solvent. The number‐average and weight‐average molecular weights of the UPEAs, measured by gel permeation chromatography, ranged from 10 to 30 kg/mol, they had a rather narrow molecular weight distribution of 1.40. The chemical structures of the novel biodegradable UPEAs were confirmed by both IR and NMR spectra. The UPEAs had higher glass‐transition temperatures than saturated PEAs of similar structures, and their glass‐transition temperatures were affected more by the CC double bond located in the diamide part than by those in the diester part. The solubility of the polymers was poor in water but better in DMA and dimethyl sulfoxide. With the availability of these inherent CC double bonds in the UPEA backbones, these UPEAs have the functionality of CC bonds, such as photochemical reactivity or the ability to react with or be modified by other bioactive or other environmentally sensitive compounds, and this can easily extend their applications to biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1463–1477, 2005     

Investigation of Steric Influences on Hydrogen‐Bonding Motifs in Cyclic Ureas by Using X‐Ray,Neutron, and Computational Methods

A series of urea‐derived heterocycles, 5N‐substituted hexahydro‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2‐ones, has been prepared and their structures have been determined for the first time. This family of compounds only differ in their substituent at the 5‐position (which is derived from the corresponding primary amine), that is, methyl ( 1 ), ethyl ( 2 ), isopropyl ( 3 ), tert‐butyl ( 4 ), benzyl ( 5 ), N,N‐(diethyl)ethylamine ( 6 ), and 2‐hydroxyethyl ( 7 ). The common heterocyclic core of these molecules is a cyclic urea, which has the potential to form a hydrogen‐bonding tape motif that consists of self‐associative (8) dimers. The results from X‐ray crystallography and, where possible, Laue neutron crystallography show that the hydrogen‐bonding motifs that are observed and the planarity of the hydrogen bonds appear to depend on the steric hindrance at the α‐carbon atom of the N substituent. With the less‐hindered substituents, methyl and ethyl, the anticipated tape motif is observed. When additional methyl groups are added onto the α‐carbon atom, as in the isopropyl and tert‐butyl derivatives, a different 2D hydrogen‐bonding motif is observed. Despite the bulkiness of the substituents, the benzyl and N,N‐(diethyl)ethylamine derivatives have methylene units at the α‐carbon atom and, therefore, display the tape motif. The introduction of a competing hydrogen‐bond donor/acceptor in the 2‐hydroxyethyl derivative disrupts the tape motif, with a hydroxy group interrupting the N? H???O?C interactions. The geometry around the hydrogen‐bearing nitrogen atoms, whether planar or non‐planar, has been confirmed for compounds 2 and 5 by using Laue neutron diffraction and rationalized by using computational methods, thus demonstrating that distortion of O‐C‐N‐H torsion angles occurs to maintain almost‐linear hydrogen‐bonding interactions.     

Hydrogen‐bonding Structures and Energetics of Acrylamide Isomers,Tautomers, and Dimers: An ab initio Study and Spectral Analysis

Hydrogen‐bonding patterns and energetic profiles of acrylamide isomers (syn‐ and skew‐), tautomers (amide and imidic acid forms) and 13 stable dimers have been studied using the second‐order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory with basis sets up to aug‐cc‐pVTZ. Syn‐acrylamide is the most stable monomer with a reaction barrier of 4.15 kcal/mol for the syn–skew isomerization reaction. The direct amide–imidic acid tautomerization reaction is separated by too high a barrier to surpass. The most stable dimer corresponds to the planar double‐hydrogen‐bonded configuration, indicating its crucial role in determining the stability of the formed complex. Moreover, hydrogen bonds have significant effects on the infrared spectral features, which can be consistently explained solely based on the acrylamide dimeric structures and energetics without monomeric and dimeric tautomer forms. The results are useful for studying the stability of the acrylamide clusters in condensed‐phase samples such as those in food chemistry studies.     

Cooperative Binding of Divalent Diamides by N‐Alkyl Ammonium Resorcinarene Chlorides

N‐Alkyl ammonium resorcinarene chlorides, stabilized by an intricate array of hydrogen bonds leading to a cavitand‐like structure, bind amides. The molecular recognition occurs through intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the carbonyl oxygen and the amide hydrogen of the guests and the cation–anion circular hydrogen‐bonded seam of the hosts, as well as through CH ??? π interactions. The N‐alkyl ammonium resorcinarene chlorides cooperatively bind a series of di‐acetamides of varying spacer lengths ranging from three to seven carbons. Titration data fit either a 1:1 or 2:1 binding isotherm depending on the spacer lengths. Considering all the guests possess similar binding motifs, the first binding constants were similar (K₁: 10² M ^?1) for each host. The second binding constant was found to depend on the upper rim substituent of the host and the spacer length of the guests, with the optimum binding observed with the six‐carbon spacer (K₂: 10³ M ^?2). Short spacer lengths increase steric hindrance, whereas longer spacer lengths increase flexibility thus reducing cooperativity. The host with the rigid cyclohexyl upper rim showed stronger binding than the host with flexible benzyl arms. The cooperative binding of these divalent guests was studied in solution through ¹H NMR titration studies and supplemented by diffusion‐ordered spectroscopy (DOSY), X‐ray crystallography, and mass spectrometry.     

Heterocyclic tautomerism: reassignment of two crystal structures of 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one derivatives

The structures of 5‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐2‐[(pyridin‐2‐yl)amino]‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one, C₁₀H₁₁N₃O₂S, (I), and ethyl 4‐[(4‐oxo‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐2‐yl)amino]benzoate, C₁₂H₁₂N₂O₃S, (II), which are identical to the entries with refcodes GACXOZ [Váňa et al. (2009). J. Heterocycl. Chem. 46 , 635–639] and HEGLUC [Behbehani & Ibrahim (2012). Molecules, 17 , 6362–6385], respectively, in the Cambridge Structural Database [Allen (2002). Acta Cryst. B 58 , 380–388], have been redetermined at 130 K. This structural study shows that both investigated compounds exist in their crystal structures as the tautomer with the carbonyl–imine group in the five‐membered heterocyclic ring and an exocyclic amine N atom, rather than the previously reported tautomer with a secondary amide group and an exocyclic imine N atom. The physicochemical and spectroscopic data of the two investigated compounds are the same as those of GACXOZ and HEGLUC, respectively. In the thiazolidin‐4‐one system of (I), the S and chiral C atoms, along with the hydroxyethyl group, are disordered. The thiazolidin‐4‐one fragment takes up two alternative locations in the crystal structure, which allows the molecule to adopt R and S configurations. The occupancy factors of the disordered atoms are 0.883 (2) (for the R configuration) and 0.117 (2) (for the S configuration). In (I), the main factor that determines the crystal packing is a system of hydrogen bonds, involving both strong N—H...N and O—H...O and weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds, linking the molecules into a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bond network. On the other hand, in (II), the molecules are linked via N—H...O hydrogen bonds into chains.     

Transformation of a [4+6] Salicylbisimine Cage to Chemically Robust Amide Cages

In recent years, interest in shape‐persistent organic cage compounds has steadily increased, not least because dynamic covalent bond formation enables such structures to be made in high to excellent yields. One often used type of dynamic bond formation is the generation of an imine bond from an aldehyde and an amine. Although the reversibility of the imine bond formation is advantageous for high yields, it is disadvantageous for the chemical stability of the compounds. Amide bonds are, in contrast to imine bonds much more robust. Shape‐persistent amide cages have so far been made by irreversible amide bond formations in multiple steps, very often accompanied by low yields. Here, we present an approach to shape‐persistent amide cages by exploiting a high‐yielding reversible cage formation in the first step, and a Pinnick oxidation as a key step to access the amide cages in just three steps. These chemically robust amide cages can be further transformed by bromination or nitration to allow post‐functionalization in high yields. The impact of the substituents on the gas sorption behavior was also investigated.     

Density functional theory and topological analysis on the hydrogen bonding interactions in cysteine‐thymine complexes

Hydrogen bonding interactions between amino acids and nucleic acid bases constitute the most important interactions responsible for the specificity of protein binding. In this study, complexes formed by hydrogen bonding interactions between cysteine and thymine have been studied by density functional theory. The relevant geometries, energies, and IR characteristics of hydrogen bonds (H‐bonds) have been systematically investigated. The quantum theory of atoms in molecule and natural bond orbital analysis have also been applied to understand the nature of the hydrogen bonding interactions in complexes. More than 10 kinds of H‐bonds including intra‐ and intermolecular H‐bonds have been found in complexes. Most of intermolecular H‐bonds involve O (or N) atom as H‐acceptor, whereas the H‐bonds involving C or S atom usually are weaker than other ones. Both the strength of H‐bonds and the structural deformation are responsible for the stability of complexes. Because of the serious deformation, the complex involving the strongest H‐bond is not the most stable structures. Relationships between H‐bond length (ΔR_X‐H), frequency shifts (Δv), and the electron density (ρ_b) and its Laplace (?²ρ_b) at bond critical points have also been investigated. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011