Application of the isoselective relationship to diels-alder reactions

Diels-Alder reactions with “normal” and “reverse” electron demand” obey common isoselective relationships (Figure I).     

Studien zur chemischen Theorie des galvanischen Elementes

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Nanodiscs for INPHARMA NMR Characterization of GPCRs: Ligand Binding to the Human A2A Adenosine Receptor

G-protein-coupled-receptors (GPCRs) are of fundamental importance for signal transduction through cell membranes. This makes them important drug targets, but structure-based drug design (SBDD) is still hampered by the limitations for structure determination of unmodified GPCRs. We show that the interligand NOEs for pharmacophore mapping (INPHARMA) method can provide valuable information on ligand poses inside the binding site of the unmodified human A_2A adenosine receptor reconstituted in nanodiscs. By comparing experimental INPHARMA spectra with back-calculated spectra based on ligand poses obtained from molecular dynamics simulations, a complex structure for A_2AR with the low-affinity ligand 3-pyrrolidin-1-ylquinoxalin-2-amine was determined based on the X-ray structure of ligand ZM-241,358 in complex with a modified A_2AR.     

Evaluation of the field-adapted ADMA approach: absolute and relative energies of crambin and derivatives

A large number of conformations and chemically modified variants of the protein crambin were used to extensively test the field-adapted adjustable density matrix assembler (FA-ADMA) method developed for ab initio quality quantum chemistry computations of proteins and other macromolecules, introduced in an earlier publication. In this method, the fuzzy density matrix fragmentation scheme of the original adjustable density matrix assembler (ADMA) method has been made more efficient by combining it with an approach of using point charges to approximate the effects of additional, distant parts of a given macromolecule in the quantum chemical calculation of each fragment. In this way, smaller parent molecules can be used for fragment generation, while achieving accuracy that can be obtained only with large parent molecules in the original ADMA method. Whereas in both methods the error relative to the Hartree-Fock result can be reduced below any threshold by choosing large enough parent molecules, this can be done more efficiently with the new method. In order to obtain reliable test results for the accuracy obtainable by the new method when compared to conventional Hartree-Fock calculations, we performed a large number of energy calculations for the protein crambin using various conformations available in the Protein Data Bank, various protonation states, and side chain mutations. Additionally, in order to test the performance of the method for protein-solvent interaction studies, the energy changes due to the formation of complexes with ethanol and single and multiple water molecules were investigated.     

Protonated nitro group: structure, energy and conjugation

Structure of protonated nitro compounds was investigated by calculations at the levels MP2(FC)/6-311++G(2d,2p)//MP2(FC)/6-311++G(2d,2p)(nitromethane and reference compounds) or B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)(nitrobenzene and its 18 meta- and para-substituted derivatives). The group NO2H+ reveals many similarities with the isoelectronic group CO2H as the preferred conformation, conformational equilibrium, and stabilization by interaction (resonance) within the group quantified by means of isodesmic reactions. However, there is a difference in the interaction with donor groups (for instance in 4-nitroaniline) that is much stronger with NO2H+ than with CO2H. This interaction may be called resonance and may be described by standard resonance formulas, but these formulas predict only partially the geometry and cannot explain the great interaction energy.     

Structure of weak laminar hydraulic jumps in single layer and two layer fluids

We consider the occurrence of hydraulic jumps in near critical single layer and two layer flows under the assumption that viscous effects are confined to a thin laminar boundary layer adjacent to the solid boundary. In the limit of large Reynolds number this leads to a structure problem formed by the classical triple deck equations supplemented with a novel nonlinear coupling condition which allows for the passage through the critical state. In the case of positive hydraulic jumps this passage is achieved by the local thickening of the boundary layer which acts as a viscous hump. Conversely, the pressure drop at the wall associated with negative hydraulic jumps causes the boundary layer to decrease locally thereby forming a local indentation required for the Froude number to pass through one in this case.     

Are calculated enthalpies of formation sometimes more reliable than experimental? A test on alkyl substituted benzoic acids

Energies of 20 alkyl-substituted benzoic acids were calculated at the levels B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and MP2/6-311+G(d,p)//MP2/6-311+G(d,p); the pertinent enthalpies at 298 K were calculated at the same levels. Comparison with experimental enthalpies of formation Delta(f)H degrees (g)(298) was carried out in terms of isodesmic reactions, that is, in the relative values. Of the four calculated quantities, the DFT enthalpies yielded best correlation with the standard deviation of 2.1 kJ mol(-1), near to the experimental uncertainty; the DFT energies are only slightly worse and the MP2 enthalpies or energies much worse. However, the DFT method overestimated systematically the substituent effects and had to be calibrated. Comparison with the experimental gas-phase acidities was less telling and the fit was worse because both methods overestimated the substituent effects. Extending the base in selected examples did not give better results. Although the systematic deviations are evidently due to the imperfections of the theoretical models, individual big deviations should be attributed to experimental errors or to the abnormal behavior of certain compounds at the experimental conditions. From this point of view, three examples of the so-called long-range effect claimed in the case of different benzoic acid derivatives, always for substituents in the meta position, must be refused as unproven because the experimental energies were not confirmed by calculations.     

15N NMR chemical shifts of ring substituted benzonitriles

15N chemical shifts in an extensive series of para (15) and meta (15) as well as ortho (8) substituted benzonitriles, X-C6H4-CN, were measured in deuteriochloroform solutions, using three different methods of referencing. The standard error of the average chemical shift was less than 0.03 ppm in most cases. The results are discussed for both empirical correlations with substituent parameters and quantum chemical calculations. The 15N chemical shifts calculated at the GIAO/B3LYP/6-31 + G*//B3LYP/6-31 + G* level reproduce the experimental values well, and include nitrogen atoms in the substituent groups (range of 300 ppm with slope 0.98 and R = 0.998, n = 43). The 15N shifts in hydroxybenzonitriles are affected by interaction with the OH group. Therefore, these derivatives are excluded from the correlation analysis. The resultant 15N chemical shift correlates well with substituent constants, both in the simple Hammett or DSP relationships and the 13C substituent-induced chemical shifts of the CN carbon.