Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Vibrational Circular Dichroism Assisted Elucidation of the Solution-State Supramolecular Speciation in Racemic and Enantiopure Ketoprofen.

The molecular structure and solution-state molecular interactions in the popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ketoprofen, are extensively studied with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the chemical behavior of its solution state and its connection to its nucleation pathway and crystallization outcome. Using as reference solid-state X-ray structures of enantiomeric and racemic forms of ketoprofen, a set of self-assembly models underpinned by density functional theory calculations has been considered for the analysis of spectroscopic data, infrared (IR) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), obtained for solutions of the samples as a function of composition and solvent. From our results it can be concluded that, contrary to the general belief for generic carboxylic acids, there are no cyclic dimeric structures of ketoprofen present in solution, but rather linear arrays made up of two (in high polar or diluted media) or more units (in low polar or low dilution media).

The synergy of different solid-state techniques to elucidate the supramolecular assembly of two 1H-benzotriazole polymorphs.

1H-Benzotriazole crystallizes as two different polymorphs, namely 4aα and 4aβ. One polymorph is chiral and it resolves spontaneously as conglomerates. The other polymorph crystallizes in a centrosymmetric space group and it is therefore achiral.

Conformational aspects of polymorphs and phases of 2-propyl-1-benzimidazole.

This paper reports on the polymorphism of 2-propyl-1-benzimidazole (2PrBzIm) induced by temperature change. Upon heating, an irreversible reconstructive-type phase transition at = 384 K from the ordered form (222) to a new polymorph, form (), was observed. The structural transformation between forms and involves significant changes in the crystal packing, as well as a key conformational variation around the propyl chain of the molecule.

A vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) methodology for the measurement of enantiomeric excess in chiral compounds in the solid phase and for the complementary use of NMR and VCD techniques in solution: the camphor case.

For the first time, the success of a methodology for the determination of enantiomeric excess (% ee) in chiral solid samples by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy is reported. We have used camphor to determine the % ee in a blind sample constituted by a mixture of its two enantiomers as a test for the validity of our approach. IR and VCD spectra of different enantiomeric mixtures of R/S-camphor in Nujol mulls were recorded and linear regressions of VCD intensities (ΔAbs.

Structure Determination, Conformational Flexibility, Internal Dynamics, and Chiral Analysis of Pulegone and Its Complex with Water.

In the current work we present a detailed analysis of the chiral molecule pulegone, which is a constituent of essential oils, using broadband rotational spectroscopy. Two conformers are observed under the cold conditions of a molecular jet. We report an accurate experimentally determined structure for the lowest energy conformer.

The Curious Case of 2-Propyl-1H-benzimidazole in the Solid State: An Experimental and Theoretical Study.

2-Propyl-1H-benzimidazole (2PrBzIm) is a small molecule, commercially available, which displays a curious behavior in the solid state. 2PrBzIm, although devoid of chirality by fast rotation about a single bond of the propyl group in solution, crystallizes as a conglomerate showing chiroptical properties. An exhaustive analysis of its crystal structure and a wide range of experiments monitored by vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy eliminated all possibilities of an artifact.

Supramolecular organization of perfluorinated 1H-indazoles in the solid state using X-ray crystallography, SSNMR and sensitive (VCD) and non sensitive (MIR, FIR and Raman) to chirality vibrational spectroscopies.

1H-Indazole derivatives exhibit a remarkable property since some of them form chiral supramolecular structures starting from achiral monomers. The present work deals with the study of three perfluorinated 1H-indazoles that resolve spontaneously as conglomerates. These conglomerates can contain either a pure enantiomer (one helix) or a mixture of both enantiomers (both helices) with an enantiomeric excess (e.

Conformational Flexibility of Limonene Oxide Studied By Microwave Spectroscopy.

Monoterpenoids are biogenic volatile organic compounds that play a major role in atmospheric chemistry by participating in the formation of aerosols. In this work, the monoterpenoid (R)-(+)-limonene oxide (C H O) was characterized in the gas phase by Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy in a supersonic jet. Five conformers of limonene oxide, four equatorial and one axial considering the configuration of the isopropenyl group, were unambiguously identified from analysis of the rotational spectrum.

Solvent Effects on the Monomer/Hydrogen-Bonded Dimer Equilibrium in Carboxylic Acids: (+)-(S)-Ketopinic Acid as a Case Study.

The hydrogen-bond-assisted self-association process of a chiral semirigid carboxylic acid, namely, (+)-(S)-ketopinic acid, has been studied. The multiconformational monomer/dimer equilibrium has been evaluated by means of a concentration-dependent FTIR study that enabled the experimental equilibrium constants of the dimer formation reaction (Kdim ) to be determined in two solvents of different polarity. In CDCl3 , dimeric forms predominate, even in diluted solutions (KdimCF =5.

Hyperconjugative and Electrostatic Interactions as Anomeric Triggers in Archetypical 1,4-Dioxane Derivatives.

The anomeric effect accounts for the greater thermodynamic stability of axially arranged six-membered heterocycles holding an electronegative substituent at the C1 position. Within a frame of no general consensus, two different theories are typically claimed to justify this effect mostly based on either hyperconjugative or electrostatic factors. Here we report a theoretical-experimental study of the role of both as anomeric triggers in two archetypical 1,4-dioxane derivatives, using a suitable combination of spectroscopic (IR and vibrational circular dichroism) and computational techniques for the analysis of the solvation environment effect in their anomeric choices.

DFT study of the hydrolysis reaction in atranes and ocanes: the influence of transannular bonding.

Thermochemical kinetics of hydrolysis reactions of compounds with transannular intramolecular M…N bonds, i.e., atranes RM(OCH2CH2)3N and ocanes R2M(OCH2CH2)2NH (M = Si, Ge; R = F, Cl, Me), is studied at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ theoretical level.

Understanding the Aldo-Enediolate Tautomerism of Glycolaldehyde in Basic Aqueous Solutions.

The biochemically important interconversion process between aldoses and ketoses is assumed to take place via 1,2-enediol or 1,2-enediolate intermediates, but such intermediates have never been isolated. The current work was undertaken in an attempt to detect the presence of the 1,2-enediol structure of glycolaldehyde in alkaline medium, actually a 1,2-enediolate, and to try to clarify the scarce data existing about both the formation of deprotonated enediol and the aldo-enediolate equilibrium. The Raman spectra of neutral and basic solutions were recorded as a function of time for eleven days.

Vibrational circular dichroism and theoretical study of the conformational equilibrium in (-)-S-nicotine.

We report an extensive study of the molecular and electronic structure of (-)-S-nicotine, to deduce the phenomenon that controls its conformational equilibrium and to solve its solution-state conformer population. Density functional theory, ab initio, and molecular mechanics calculations were used together with vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. Calculations and experiments in solution show that the structure and the conformational energy profile of (-)-S-nicotine are not strongly dependent on the medium, thus suggesting that the conformational equilibrium is dominated by hyperconjugative interactions rather than repulsive electronic effects.

Study of the chelating properties of Ge(OH)2 functionality as metal binding group for Zn2+ cation in simplified protease-like environments: a DFT analysis.

The development of protease's inhibitors is an active field of research in the pharmaceutical industry. As concerns the design of new inhibitors, the theoretical study of the binding patterns and energies of known metal binding groups (MBGs) toward Zn(2+) using quantum-chemical calculations may offer a better understanding of their interaction models and may be useful for the improvement and design of novel ZBGs. Here the properties of gem-Ge(OH)(2)-based compounds as ZBG were assessed theoretically using DFT calculations.

Deducing the molecular properties of zwitterionic, protonated, deprotonated, and double-deprotonated forms of L-cysteine from vibrational spectroscopy (IR, Raman, VCD) and quantum chemical calculations.

The behavior of L-cysteine (C3H7NO2S, (2R)-2-amino-3-sulfanylpropanoic acid) in water at different pH values was analyzed both experimentally and theoretically. The behavior was studied at pH values of 5.21 (at this pH, L-cysteine is a zwitterionic species), 1.

Quartic canonical force field in curvilinear internal coordinates for XY3 (D3h) molecules. The case of the BH3 molecule.

Using the canonical force field theory, expressions of quadratic, cubic, and quartic canonical force constants are obtained for XY3 (D3h) molecules in curvilinear redundant coordinates, i.e., simple valence internal coordinates (VICs), in terms of force constants in normal coordinates and in independent symmetry coordinates.

An assessment of DFT methods for predicting the thermochemistry of ion-molecule reactions of group 14 elements (Si, Ge, Sn).

Experimental mass-spectrometry data on thermochemistry of methide transfer reactions (CH₃)₃M(+) + M'(CH₃)₄ ↔ M(CH₃)₄ + (CH₃)₃M'(+) (M, M' = Si, Ge or Sn) and the formation energy of the [(CH₃)₃Si-CH₃-Si(CH₃)₃](+) complex are used as benchmarks for DFT methods (B3LYP, BMK, M06L, and ωB97XD). G2 and G3 theory methods are also used for the prediction of thermochemical data. BMK, M06L, and ωB97XD methods give the best fit to experimental data (close to chemical accuracy) as well as to G2 and G3 results, while B3LYP demonstrates poor performance.

Conformational preference and chiroptical response of carbohydrates D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose in aqueous and solid phases.

This work targets the structural preferences of D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose in water solution and solid phase. A theoretical DFT (B3LYP and M06-2X) and MP2 study has been undertaken considering the five possible configurations (open-chain, α-furanose, β-furanose, α-pyranose, and β-pyranose) of these two carbohydrates with a comparison of the solvent treatment using only a continuum solvation model (PCM) and the PCM plus one explicit water molecule. In addition, experimental vibrational studies using both nonchiroptical (IR-Raman) and chiroptical (VCD) techniques have been carried out.

Stabilizing factors of the molecular structure in silicon-based peptidomimetics in gas-phase and water solution. Assessment of the correlation between different descriptors of hydrogen bond strength.

The use of DFT (B3LYP and M06L) and ab initio (MP2) computational methods allowed us to perform a thorough conformational study of N-[dihydroxy (methyl)silyl]methylformamide (DHSF) and 3-[dihydroxy (methyl) silyl] propanamide (DHSP), that could be considered simplified models of the environment of the silanediol group in silicon gem-diols that have proven efficiency as protease inhibitors. We have found a total of 13 molecular conformations that represent minima in the potential energy surfaces of DHSF (six conformers) and DHSP (seven conformers). The key feature in their molecular structure is the occurrence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl and aminocarbonyl groups.

Chiral recognition of amino acid enantiomers by a crown ether: chiroptical IR-VCD response and computational study.

We report on a combined experimental and computational study of the chiral recognition of the amino acid serine in protonated form (L/D-SerH(+)), by the crown ether (all-S)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid (S-18c6H4). Infrared and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopies (IR-VCD) are employed to characterize the chiroptical response of the complexes formed by S-18c6H4 with the L-SerH(+) and D-SerH(+) enantiomers in dried thin films obtained from aqueous solutions. The study focuses on vibrational modes directly related to the intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the crown ether derivative and serine, responsible for crown-serine binding, namely, the C═O and C-O stretching modes, and on the C-O-H bending mode, which yield intense IR and VCD signals in the range of wavenumbers 900-2000 cm(-1).

Quantum chemical study of silanediols as metal binding groups for metalloprotease inhibitors.

DFT (B3LYP and M06L) as well as ab initio (MP2) methods with Dunning cc-pVnZ (n=2,3) basis sets are employed for the study of the binding ability of the new class of protease inhibitors, i.e., silanediols, in comparison to the well-known and well-studied class of inhibitors with hydroxamic functionality (HAM).

Study of the photoinduced supramolecular chirality in columnar liquid crystals by infrared and VCD spectroscopies.

IR and VCD spectroscopies are employed to clarify the molecular origins of supramolecular chirality in azobenzene-containing columnar liquid crystals. The different columnar mesomorphic assemblies, Colr and Colh, of an achiral and a chiral propeller-like hydrogen-bonded complex, respectively, are used for this study. The mesomorphic behavior of the achiral complex is studied here for the first time, and the structural parameters of its Colr mesophase are determined by X-ray diffraction.

Effect of substituents and hydrogen bonding on barrier heights in dehydration reactions of carbon and silicon geminal diols.

Activation barrier heights for the dehydration reaction of geminal carbinols and silanediols R'R″X(OH)(2) (X = C, Si) were estimated at the B3LYP and MP2 levels of theory employing Dunning's correlation-consistent triple-zeta basis sets. It was shown that the barrier height for carbon derivatives steadily decreases upon substitution by R groups, usually termed as electron-donating, such as alkyl and amino groups. Substitution by electron-withdrawing groups leads, however, only to small changes in barrier heights compared to that of methanediol.

IR-Raman-VCD study of R-(+)-pulegone: influence of the solvent.

R-(+)-Pulegone is a natural monoterpene obtained from the essential oils of a variety of plants. It is used in flavouring agents, perfumery and aromatherapy. In this work, a study of the molecular structure and the infrared and Raman spectra of this chemical is presented.

Rotational strength sign and normal modes description: A theoretical and experimental comparative study in bicyclic terpenes.

A comparative study of the Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) patterns in three bicyclic terpenes with related molecular structures, (+)-(R)-α-pinene, (-)-(S)-β-pinene, and (-)-(S)-verbenone, is carried out. The study is done in the light of normal mode descriptions from a previous vibrational analysis. Although normal modes corresponding to identical molecular moieties shown the same description, rotational strength does not follow the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog descriptor-related sign in some cases, i.