Redox control of the P450cam catalytic cycle: effects of Y96F active site mutation and binding of a non-natural substrate

Spectroelectrochemistry measurements are used to demonstrate that active site mutation and binding of an non-natural substrate to P450cam (CYP101) reduces the shift in the redox potential caused by substrate-binding, and thereby results in slower catalytic turnover rate relative to wild-type enzyme with the natural camphor substrate.     

Curvy-steps approach to constraint-free extended-Lagrangian ab initio molecular dynamics, using atom-centered basis functions: convergence toward Born-Oppenheimer trajectories

A dynamical extension of the "curvy-steps" approach to linear-scaling self-consistent field calculations is presented, which yields an extended-Lagrangian formulation of ab initio molecular dynamics. An exponential parametrization of the one-electron density matrix, expressed in terms of atom-centered Gaussian basis functions, facilitates propagation along the manifold of density matrices in a geometrically correct fashion that automatically enforces idempotency constraints. The extended Lagrangian itself is constraint free, thus neither density matrix purification nor expensive, iterative solution for Lagrange multipliers is required. Propagation is highly efficient, and time steps compare favorably to those used in Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. The behavior of the method, especially with regard to the maintenance of adiabatic decoupling of nuclei and electrons, is examined for a sequence of diatomic molecules, and comparison is made to trajectories propagated on the converged Born-Oppenheimer surface. Certain claims to the contrary notwithstanding, our results demonstrate that vibrational frequencies may depend on the value of the fictitious mass parameter, even in an atom-centered basis. Light-atom stretching frequencies can be significantly redshifted, even when the nuclear and electronic energy scales are well separated. With a sufficiently small fictitious mass and a short time step, accurate frequencies can be obtained; we characterize appropriate values of these parameters for a wide range of vibrational frequencies.     

Structure activity relationship by NMR and by computer: a comparative study

There has recently been considerable interest in using NMR spectroscopy to identify ligand binding sites of macromolecules. In particular, a modular approach has been put forward by Fesik et al. (Shuker, S. B.; Hajduk, P. J.; Meadows, R. P.; Fesik, S. W. Science 1996, 274, 1531-1534) in which small ligands that bind to a particular target are identified in a first round of screening and subsequently linked together to form ligands of higher affinity. Similar strategies have also been proposed for in silico drug design, where the binding sites of small chemical groups are identified, and complete ligands are subsequently assembled from different groups that have favorable interactions with the macromolecular target. In this paper, we compare experimental and computational results on a selected target (FKBP12). The binding sites of three small ligands ((2S)1-acetylprolinemethylester, 1-formylpiperidine, 1-piperidinecarboxamide) in FKBP12 were identified independently by NMR and by computational methods. The subsequent comparison of the experimental and computational data showed that the computational method identified and ranked favorably ligand positions that satisfy the experimental NOE constraints.     

γ‐HIO3 – a Metastable,Centrosymmetric Polymorph of Iodic Acid

From solutions of chromium(III) perchlorate and periodic acid, single crystals of γ‐HIO₃ were obtained and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and thermal analysis. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system, space group Pbca (a = 563.92, b = 611.10, c = 1507.16 pm). The structure is built up by dimers (HIO₃)₂, which are formed by hydrogen bonds. The crystals are metastable and transform into the stable modification, α‐HIO₃, within a couple of weeks.     

On the stability and decomposition of η6-(2-lithiochlorobenzene)tricarbonylchromium(0)

The decomposition of η⁶-(2-lithiochlorobenzene)tricarbonylchromium(0) (I) was found to follow first order kinetics with k_dec  5.1 x 10^-3 min^-1 at 0°C, the half life of I being 136 min at 0°C. While this dependence strongly suggests intermediacy of η⁶-(benzyne)tricarbonylchromium, trapping experiments were successful in only low yield.     

Ionization energies of cesium and cesium oxide clusters

The vertical ionization potentials of 7 cesium and 86 oxidized cesium clusters were determined using the technique of photoionization mass spectrometry. The spectra were obtained using a tunablecw dye laser for clusters in a mass range 1 to 2024 amu. The vertical ionization potentials (IP) are presented as a function of size and composition. The ionization energies of cesium clusters, Cs_n, decrease with cluster size. Unusually low IP were observed for the enneamer, Cs₉, and for the cesium monoxide Cs₁₁ O. With increasing oxidation of the cesium metal clusters the IP decreases (suboxides) reaches a minimum at Cs(Cs₂O)_n and then increases (superoxides).     

Synthesis of oxa-bridged analogues of farnesyltransferase inhibitor RPR 115135

Two synthetic routes to new oxygen-bridged analogues of farnesyltransferase inhibitors are described that follow either a [3 + 2]/[4 + 2] or a [4 + 2]/[3 + 2] sequence of reactions. The first approach has been achieved by reacting the in situ generated phenylisobenzofuran (PIBF) 4 with pyrroline 5a and has led stereoselectively to racemic 18, which was transformed in a few steps into the target molecule 2. The second pathway relies on a key intermediate 6, obtained either by condensation of PIBF with methyl acrylate, followed by a deprotonation/selenation and an oxidation/elimination sequence, or by cycloaddition between PIBF and alpha-phenylselenoacrylate 11, followed by the same oxidation/elimination sequence. The reaction of 6 with amino dipole 7 gives diastereoselective access to pyrrolidine 25, a precursor of the second target 3, an epimer of 2.     

Bortrifluorid-katalysierte Umsetzungen von 3-Amino-2H-azirinen mit Aminosäure-estern und Aminen

Boron-Trifluoride-Catalyzed Reactions of 3-Amino-2H-azirines with Amino-acid Esters and Amines After activation by protonation or complexation with BF₃, 3-amino-2H-azirines 1 react with the amino group of α-amino-acid esters 3 to give 3,6-dihydro-5-aminopyrazin-2(1H)-ones 4 by ring enlargement (Scheme 2, Table 1). The configuration of 3 is retained in the products 4 . With unsymmetrically substituted 1 (R¹ ≠ R²), two diastereoisomers of 4 (cis and trans) are formed in a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1. With β-amino-acid esters 5 and 7 , only openchain α-amino-imidamides 6 and 8 , respectively, are formed, but none of the seven-membered heterocycle (Scheme 3). Primary amines also react with BF₃-complexed 1 to yield α-amino-imidamides of type 9 (Scheme 4, Table 2). Compound 9b is characterized chemically by its transformation into crystalline derivatives 10 and 12 with 4-nitrobenzoyl chloride and phenyl isothiocyanate, respectively (Scheme 5). The structure of 12 is established by X-ray crystallography. Mechanisms for the reaction of activated 1 with amino groups are proposed in Schemes 6 and 7.     

Porphyrins

The extended Hückel model is applied to porphyrin systems with metals Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and to the diprotic acid. A single method for choosing parameters is detailed. The model is used to discuss magnetic state, coupling of ring and metal, electronic transitions, and the effect of non-planarity.

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Zusammenfassung Die erweiterte Hückel Theorie wird auf das Porphyrin-System mit den Metallen. Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu und Zn sowie auf die zweifach protonierte Säure angewendet. Die Parameter werden dabei einheitlich gewählt. Anhand dieses Modells werden magnetische Eigenschaften, Kopplung zwischen Ring und Metall, Elektronenübergänge und der Einfluß der Abweichung von planarer Anordnung diskutiert.

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Résumé Le modèle étendu de Hückel est appliqué aux complexes du porphyrine avec les métaux Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu et Zn, et à l'acide diprotonique. On présente en détail une méthode unifiée pour obtenir les paramètres. L'état magnétique, le couplage cycle-métal, les transitions électroniques et l'effet de la non-planeïté sont discutés à l'aide de ce modèle.

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National Institutes of Health Pre-Doctoral Fellow.     

N4-Benzoylspermidine from Oncinotis tenuiloba: Analytical differentiation of the three isomeric N-benzoylspermidines

During the examination of extracts from Oncinotis tenuiloba STAPF a new polyamine, N⁴-benzoylsperimidine ( 8 ), was isolated. For unambiguous structure elucidation, it was transformed into the diacetyl derivative 13 , and the three possible N-benzoyl-substituted isomers of spermidine 5, 8 , and 11 together with their peracetylated derivatives 12–14 , respectively, were synthesized and identified.