Acidity of Isomorphic Substituted Zeolites with B, Al and Ga Revisited.

Isomorphic substitution of zeolites with B, Al and Ga is a widely used approach in catalysis. The experimentally reported trend of their acidities decreases in the order: Al>Ga>B. However, a consistent explanation is still lacking in the literature. To bring more understanding of this trend, density functional theory computations were conducted on several model systems. First, the acidity of small clusters with two (2T) and five (5T) tetrahedral sites was analyzed. These systems were then projected onto three large void structures: H-[A]-BEA (52T), H-[A]-FAU (84T) and H-[A]-MOR (112T) with A=B, Al, Ga. Our electron density and Interacting Quantum Atom analyses show that the acidity of Al zeolites originates from the much stronger O-Al bond, which is dominated by the electrostatic attraction. The bridging hydroxyl therefore donates more charge density to the metal, the proton becomes more positive and consequently more acidic. Ga zeolites are more acidic than B zeolites due to the greater covalent nature on the O-Ga bond. The resulting acidity, as seen by ammonia, depends on both the acidic oxygen and the charge distribution of the surrounding oxygens exerted by the substituents.

Nature and Strength of Weak O⋠⋠⋠O Interactions in Nitryl Halide Dimers.

The use of real space functions and molecular graphs has pushed some chemists to wonder: Are interactions between negatively charged oxygen atoms possible? In this contribution we analyze whether there is a real interaction between oxygen atoms in nitryl halide dimers (XNO2 )2 (X=F, Cl, Br and I) and in tetranitromethane and derivatives. Based on ab-initio and density functional theories (DFT) methods, we show these complexes are weakly stabilized. Energy decomposition analyses based on local molecular orbitals (LMOEDA) and interacting quantum atoms (IQA) reveal both dispersion and exchange play a crucial role in the stabilization of these complexes. Electron charge density and IQA analyses indicate that the oxygen atoms are connected by privileged exchange channels. In addition, electrostatic interactions between O and N atoms are also vital for the stabilization of the complexes. Finally, a reasonable explanation is given for the dynamic behavior of nitryl groups in tetranitromethane and derivatives.

The anti-snake activity of Nectandra angustifolia flavonoids on phospholipase A2: In vitro and in silico evaluation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Lauraceae family includes Nectandra angustifolia a species widely used in the folk medicine of South America against various maladies. It is commonly used to treat different types of processes like inflammation, pain, and snakebites. Snakes of the Bothrops genus are responsible for about 97% of the ophidic accidents in northeastern Argentina. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the anti-snake activity of the phytochemicals present in N. angustifolia extracts, identify the compounds, and evaluate their inhibitory effect on phospholipase A2 (PLA2) with in vitro and in silico assays. METHODS: Seasonal variations in the alexiteric potential of aqueous, ethanolic and hexanic extracts were evaluated by inhibition of coagulant, haemolytic, and cytotoxic effects of B. diporus venom. The chemical identity of an enriched fraction obtained by bio-guided fractioning was established by UPLC-MS/MS analysis. Molecular docking studies were carried out to investigate the binding mechanisms of the identified compounds to PLA2 enzyme from snake venom. RESULTS: All the extracts inhibited venom coagulant activity. However, spring ethanolic extract achieved 100% inhibition of haemolytic activity. Bio-guide fractioning led to an enriched fraction (F4) with the highest haemolytic inhibition. Five flavonoids were identified in this fraction; molecular docking and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations indicated the binding mechanisms of the identified compounds. The carbohydrates present in some of the compounds had a critical effect on the interaction with PLA2. CONCLUSION: This study shows, for the first time, which compounds are responsible for the anti-snake activity in Nectandra angustifolia based on in vitro and in silico assays. The results obtained in this work support the traditional use of this species as anti-snake in folk medicine.

Targeting Protein Pockets with Halogen Bonds: The Role of the Halogen Environment.

Protein pockets that form a halogen bond (X-bond) with a halogenated ligand molecule simultaneously form other (mainly hydrophobic) interactions with the halogen atom that can be considered as its "X-bond environment" (XBenv). Most studies in the field have focused on the X-bond, with the properties of the XBenv usually overlooked. In this work, we derived a protocol that evaluates the XBenv strength as a measure of the propensity of a protein pocket to host an X-bond. The charge density-based topological descriptors in combination with machine learning tools were employed to predict formation and strength of the interactions that conform the XBenv as a function of their geometrical parameters. On the basis of these results, we propose that the XBenv can be used as a footprint to judge the chance of a protein pocket to form an X-bond.

Impact of Covalent Modifications on the Hydrogen Bond Strengths in Diaminotriazine Supramolecules.

Melamine (M) is a popular triamine triazine compound in the field of supramolecular materials. In this work, we have computationally investigated how substituents can be exploited to improve the binding strength of M supramolecules. Two types of covalent modifications were studied: the substitution of an H atom within an amine group -NHR, and the replacement of the whole -NH2 group (R=H, F, CH3 and COCH3 ). Through our dispersion-corrected density functional theory computations, we explain which covalent modification will show the best self-assembling capabilities, and why the binding energy is enhanced. Our charge density and molecular orbital analyses indicate that the best substituents are those that generate a charge accumulation on the endocyclic N atom, providing an improvement of the electrostatic attraction. At the same time the substituent assists the main N-H⋅⋅⋅N hydrogen bonds by interacting with the amino group of the other monomer. We also show how the selected group notably boosts the strength of hexameric rosettes. This research, therefore, provides molecular tools for the rational design of emerging materials based on uneven hydrogen-bonded arrangements.

Understanding the Chloride Affinity of Barbiturates for Anion Receptor Design.

Due to their potential binding sites, barbituric acid (BA) and its derivatives have been used in metal coordination chemistry. Yet their abilities to recognize anions remain unexplored. In this work, we were able to identify four structural features of barbiturates that are responsible for a certain anion affinity. The set of coordination interactions can be finely tuned with covalent decorations at the methylene group. DFT-D computations at the BLYP-D3(BJ)/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory show that the C-H bond is as effective as the N-H bond to coordinate chloride. An analysis of the electron charge density at the C-H⋅⋅⋅Cl- and N-H⋅⋅⋅Cl- bond critical points elucidates their similarities in covalent character. Our results reveal that the special acidity of the C-H bond shows up when the methylene group moves out of the ring plane and it is mainly governed by the orbital interaction energy. The amide and carboxyl groups are the best choices to coordinate the ion when they act together with the C-H bond. We finally show how can we use this information to rationally improve the recognition capability of a small cage-like complex that is able to coordinate NaCl.

Conformational and electronic study of dopamine interacting with the D2 dopamine receptor.

We report an exhaustive conformational and electronic study on dopamine (DA) interacting with the D2 dopamine receptor (D2 DR). For the first time, the complete surface of the conformational potential energy of the complex DA/D2 DR is reported. Such a surface was obtained through the use of QM/MM calculations. A detailed study of the molecular interactions that stabilize and destabilize the different molecular complexes was carried out using two techniques: Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules computations and nuclear magnetic shielding constants calculations. A comparative study of the behavior of DA in the gas phase, aqueous solution, and in the active site of D2 DR has allowed us to evaluate the degree of deformation suffered by the ligand and, therefore, analyze how rustic are the lock-key model and the induced fit theory in this case. Our results allow us to propose one of the conformations obtained as the "biologically relevant" conformation of DA when it is interacting with the D2 DR.

Combining Charge Density Analysis with Machine Learning Tools To Investigate the Cruzain Inhibition Mechanism.

Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellate protozoan parasite, is responsible for Chagas disease. The parasite major cysteine protease, cruzain (Cz), plays a vital role at every stage of its life cycle and the active-site region of the enzyme, similar to those of other members of the papain superfamily, is well characterized. Taking advantage of structural information available in public databases about Cz bound to known covalent inhibitors, along with their corresponding activity annotations, in this work, we performed a deep analysis of the molecular interactions at the Cz binding cleft, in order to investigate the enzyme inhibition mechanism. Our toolbox for performing this study consisted of the charge density topological analysis of the complexes to extract the molecular interactions and machine learning classification models to relate the interactions with biological activity. More precisely, such a combination was useful for the classification of molecular interactions as "active-like" or "inactive-like" according to whether they are prevalent in the most active or less active complexes, respectively. Further analysis of interactions with the help of unsupervised learning tools also allowed the understanding of how these interactions come into play together to trigger the enzyme into a particular conformational state. Most active inhibitors induce some conformational changes within the enzyme that lead to an overall better fit of the inhibitor into the binding cleft. Curiously, some of these conformational changes can be considered as a hallmark of the substrate recognition event, which means that most active inhibitors are likely recognized by the enzyme as if they were its own substrate so that the catalytic machinery is arranged as if it is about to break the substrate scissile bond. Overall, these results contribute to a better understanding of the enzyme inhibition mechanism. Moreover, the information about main interactions extracted through this work is already being used in our lab to guide docking solutions in ongoing prospective virtual screening campaigns to search for novel noncovalent cruzain inhibitors.

Impact of confinement in multimolecular inclusion compounds of melamine and cyanuric acid.

Supramolecular cavities can be found in clathrates and self-assembling capsules. In these computational experiments, we studied the effect of folding planar hydrogen-bonded supramolecules of melamine (M) and cyanuric acid (CA) into stable cage-like quartets. Based on dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations at the ωB97XD/6-311++G(d,p) level, we show the flexibility of M and CA molecules to form free confined spaces. Our bonding analysis indicates that only CA can form a cage, which is more stable than its planar systems. We then studied the capacity of the complexes to host ionic and neutral monoatomic species like Na+, Cl- and Ar. The encapsulation energies range from -2 to -65 kcal mol-1. A detailed energy decomposition analysis (EDA) supports the fact that the triazine ring of CA is superior to the M one for capturing chloride ions. In addition, the EDA and the topology of the electron density, by means of the Atoms in Molecules (AIM) theory and electrostatic potential maps, reveal the nature of the host-guest interactions in the confined space. The CA cluster appears to be the best multimolecular inclusion compound because it can host the three species and keep its cage structure, and therefore it could also act as a dual receptor of the ionic pair Na+Cl-. We think these findings could inspire the design of new heteromolecular inclusion compounds based on triazines and hydrogen bonds.

Flap-site Fragment Restores Back Wild-type Behaviour in Resistant Form of HIV Protease.

HIV-1 protease (HIV-PR) performs a vital step in the virus life cycle which makes it an excellent target for drug therapy. However, due to the error-prone of HIV reverse transcriptase, mutations in HIV-PR often occur, inducing drug-resistance to inhibitors. Some HIV-PR mutations can make the flaps of the enzyme more flexible thus increasing the flaps opening rate and inhibitor releasing. It has been shown that by targeting novel binding sites on HIV-PR with small molecules, it is possible to alter the equilibrium of flap conformational states. A previous fragment-based crystallographic screen have found two novel binding sites for small fragments in the inhibited, closed form of HIV-PR, termed flap and exo sites. While these experiments were performed in wild type HIV-PR, it still remains to be proven whether these small fragments can stabilize the closed conformation of flaps in resistant forms of the enzyme. Here we performed Molecular Dynamics simulations of wild type and mutant form of HIV-PR bound to inhibitor TL-3. Simulations show that on going from wild type to 6X mutant the equilibrium shifts from closed to semi-open conformation of flaps. However, when fragment Br6 is placed at flap site of mutant form, the enzyme is restored back to closed conformation. This finding supports the hypothesis that allosteric inhibitors, together with active site inhibitors could increase the number of point mutations necessary for appreciable clinical resistance to AIDS therapy.

Multicenter (FX)n/NH3 Halogen Bonds (X = Cl, Br and n = 1-5). QTAIM Descriptors of the Strength of the X∙∙∙N Interaction.

In the present work an in depth deep electronic study of multicenter XBs (FX)n/NH3 (X = Cl, Br and n = 1-5) is conducted. The ways in which X∙∙∙X lateral contacts affect the electrostatic or covalent nature of the X∙∙∙N interactions are explored at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level and in the framework of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM). Calculations show that relatively strong XBs have been found with interaction energies lying between -41 and -90 kJ mol-1 for chlorine complexes, and between -56 and -113 kJ mol-1 for bromine complexes. QTAIM parameters reveal that in these complexes: (i) local (kinetics and potential) energy densities measure the ability that the system has to concentrate electron charge density at the intermolecular X∙∙∙N region; (ii) the delocalization indices [δ(A,B)] and the exchange contribution [VEX(X,N)] of the interacting quantum atoms (IQA) scheme, could constitute a quantitative measure of the covalence of these molecular interactions; (iii) both classical electrostatic and quantum exchange show high values, indicating that strong ionic and covalent contributions are not mutually exclusive.

Simultaneous Occurrence of Quadruple Lewis Acid-Base Interactions between Selenium Atoms in Selenocarbonyl Dimers.

High-level quantum chemical calculations are performed to investigate C=Se⋅⋅⋅Se=C interactions. Bounded structures are found with binding energies between -4 and -7 kJ mol-1 . An energy decomposition analysis shows that dispersion is the more attractive term, and in all cases save one, the electrostatic interaction is attractive despite each selenium atom having a positive σ-hole at the extension of the C=Se bond. The topological analysis of the molecular electrostatic potential and L(r)=-∇2 ρ(r) function, and natural bond orbital analysis reveal that these particular Se⋅⋅⋅Se contacts can be considered to be quadruple Lewis acid-base interactions.

Insights into the self-assembly steps of cyanuric acid toward rosette motifs: a DFT study.

The nature of non-covalent interactions in self-assembling systems is a topic that has aroused great attention in literature. In this field, the 1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trione or cyanuric acid (CA) is one of the most widely used molecules to formulate self-assembled materials or monolayers. In the present work, a variety of molecular aggregates of CA are examined using three different DFT functionals (B3LYP, B3LYP-D3, and ω-B97XD) in the framework of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Herein, a step by step aggregation path is proposed and the origin of cooperative effects is also examined. It is shown that a greater cooperativity is not always associated with a greater binding energy, and the greatest cooperative effect occurs with highly directional hydrogen bonds. The intramolecular charge transfers play a key role in this effect. Graphical abstract The noncovalent interactions in cyanuric acid supramolecules were analyzed. The calculations provide insights into the self-assembly steps from dimers to rosette-like motif. The complexes with collinear hydrogen bonds show positive cooperativity, while in the arrangement with double hydrogen bonds the cooperative effect is essentially zero.

New small-size peptides modulators of the exosite of BACE1 obtained from a structure-based design.

We report here two new small-size peptides acting as modulators of the ß-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) exosite. Ac-YPYFDPL-NH2 and Ac-YPYDIPL-NH2 displayed a moderate but significant inhibitory effect on BACE1. These peptides were obtained from a molecular modeling study. By combining MD simulations with ab initio and DFT calculations, a simple and generally applicable procedure to evaluate the binding energies of small-size peptides interacting with the exosite of the BACE1 is reported here. The structural aspects obtained for the different complexes were analyzed providing a clear picture about the binding interactions of these peptides. These interactions have been investigated within the framework of the density functional theory and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules using a reduced model. Although the approach used here was traditionally applied to the study of noncovalent interactions in small molecules complexes in gas phase, we show, through in this work, that this methodology is also a very powerful tool for the study of biomolecular complexes, providing a very detailed description of the binding event of peptides modulators at the exosite of BACE1.

Evolution of the hydrogen-bonding motif in the melamine-cyanuric acid co-crystal: a topological study.

The melamine (M)/cyanuric acid (CA) supramolecular system is perhaps one of the most exploited in the field of self-assembly because of the high complementarity of the components. However, it is necessary to investigate further the factors involved in the assembly process. In this study, we analyzed a set of 13 M n /CA m clusters (with n , m = 1, 2, 3), taken from crystallographic data, to characterize the nature of the hydrogen bonds involved in the self-assembly of these components as well as to provide greater understanding of the phenomenon. The calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and ω-B97XD (single point) levels of theory, and the interactions were analyzed within the framework of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules and by means of molecular electrostatic potential maps. Our results show that the stablest structure is the rosette-type motif and the aggregation mechanism is governed by a combination of cooperative and anticooperative effects. Our topological results explain the polymorphism in the self-assembly of coadsorbed monolayers of M and CA. Graphical abstract The aggregation steps of the melamine-cyanuric co-crystal is driven by a hydrogen-bonded network which is governed by a complex combination of cooperative and anticooperative effects.

Halogen bonding. The role of the polarizability of the electron-pair donor.

The nature of F-BrX-R interactions (with X = F, Cl, Br, I and R = -H, -F) has been investigated through theoretical calculation of molecular potential electrostatic (MEP), molecular polarizability, atoms in molecules (AIM) analysis and energetic decomposition analysis (EDA). A detailed analysis of the MEPs reveals that considering only the static electrostatic interactions is not sufficient to explain the nature of these interactions. The molecular polarizabilities of X-R molecules suggest that the deformation capacity of the electronic cloud of the lone pairs of the X atom plays an important role in the stability of these complexes. The topological analysis of the L(r) = -»∇(2)ρ(r) function and the detailed analysis of the atomic quadrupole moments reveal that the BrX interactions are electrostatic in nature. The electron acceptor Br atom causes a polarization of the electronic cloud (electronic induction) on the valence shell of the X atom. Finally, the electrostatic forces and charge transfer play an important role not only in the stabilization of the complex, but also in the determination of the molecular geometry of equilibrium. The dispersive and polarization forces do not influence the equilibrium molecular geometry.

Double Hole-Lump Interaction between Halogen Atoms.

In this paper a theoretical study has been carried out to investigate the nature of the unusual halogen-halogen contacts in the complexes R-X···X-R (with R = -H, -Cl, -F and X = Cl, Br, I). AIM, NBO, and MEP analyses have been used to characterize X···X interactions. Formation of the unusual X···X interactions leads to a significant increase of electron charge density in the bonding region between the two halogen atoms. The geometry and stability of these complexes is mainly due to electrostatic interactions lump(X1) → hole(X2) and lump(X2) → hole(X1) [or equivalently [VS,min(X1) → VS,max(X2) and VS,min(X2) → VS,max(X1)] and the charge transfers LP(X1) → σ*(R-X2) and LP(X2) → σ*(R-X1). In other words, these findings suggest that the electrostatic interactions and the charge transfer play a substantial role in determining the optimal geometry of these complexes, as in conventional halogen bonds, even though the dispersion term is the most important attractive term for all the complexes studied here, save one.

3-Chlorotyramine Acting as Ligand of the D2 Dopamine Receptor. Molecular Modeling, Synthesis and D2 Receptor Affinity.

We synthesized and tested 3-chlorotyramine as a ligand of the D2 dopamine receptor. This compound displayed a similar affinity by this receptor to that previously reported for dopamine. In order to understand further the experimental results we performed a molecular modeling study of 3-chlorotyramine and structurally related compounds. By combining molecular dynamics simulations with semiempirical (PM6), ab initio and density functional theory calculations, a simple and generally applicable procedure to evaluate the binding energies of these ligands interacting with the D2 dopamine receptors is reported here. These results provided a clear picture of the binding interactions of these compounds from both structural and energetic view points. A reduced model for the binding pocket was used. This approach allowed us to perform more accurate quantum mechanical calculations as well as to obtain a detailed electronic analysis using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) technique. Molecular aspects of the binding interactions between ligands and the D2 dopamine receptor are discussed in detail. A good correlation between the relative binding energies obtained from theoretical calculations and experimental IC50 values was obtained. These results allowed us to predict that 3-chlorotyramine possesses a significant affinity by the D2 -DR. Our theoretical predictions were experimentally corroborated when we synthesized and tested 3-chlorotyramine which displayed a similar affinity by the D2 -DR to that reported for DA.

Physical meaning of the QTAIM topological parameters in hydrogen bonding.

This work examined the local topological parameters of charge density at the hydrogen bond (H-bond) critical points of a set of substituted formamide cyclic dimers and enolic tautomers. The analysis was performed not only on the total electron density of the hydrogen bonded complexes but also on the intermediate electron density differences derived from the Morokuma energy decomposition scheme. Through the connection between these intermediate electron density differences and the corresponding differences in topological parameters, the meaning of topological parameters variation due to hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) becomes evident. Thus, for example, we show in a plausible way that the potential energy density differences at the H-bond critical point properly describe the electrostatics of H-bonding, and local kinetic energy density differences account for the localization/delocalization degree of the electrons at that point. The results also support the idea that the total electronic energy density differences at the H-bond critical point describe the strength of the interaction rather than its covalent character as is commonly considered.

[4 + 3] and [4 + 2] mechanisms of the Diels-Alder reactions of vinylboranes: an analysis of the electron charge density distribution.

The Diels-Alder (DA) reactions of isoprene with vinylborane, dimethylvinylborane and dichlorovinylborane have been studied using density functional theory and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules. We evaluated the topological properties of the transition structures (TSs) and the evolution of such properties along the reaction paths. In accordance with previous studies, our results indicate that the endo TSs of the reaction with vinylborane present high [4 + 3] character, while the exo TSs and all the TSs of the reactions with dimethylvinylborane and dichlorovinylborane have [4 + 2] character. The higher charge concentration between the diene and the dienophile appears to account for the greater stabilization of the [4 + 3] TSs. The [4 + 3] structure turns into the [4 + 2] structure through a conflict mechanism in which the C1 and B atoms compete to become attached to C6. The C6-B interaction, present from early steps of the reaction until beyond the TSs, plays a key role in facilitating the formation of the new σ-bonds. The [4 + 3] and [4 + 2] mechanisms for the DA reactions of boron-substituted dienophiles may be distinguished by analyzing the profile of the ellipticity at the C1-C6 bcp along the course of the reaction.