Crystal structure of serotonin picrate, a donor-acceptor complex.

The crystal structure of the red picric acid salt of serotonin was determined by x-ray diffraction methods. The structure consists of parallel hydroxyindole and picrate planes which are intimately stacked with an interplanar separation of 3.3 to 3.4 angstroms. The stacking interaction appears to be of the donor-acceptor (charge-transfer) type, involving specific contacts between picrate nitro groups and atoms of the hydroxyindole moieties. Similar interactions might mediate biological processes involving serotonin.

Conformation and formation tendency of the cyclotetrapeptide cyclo (D-Pro-D-Pro-L-Pro-L-Pro): experimental results and molecular modeling studies.

The title compound represents the smallest member of cyclic proline peptides corresponding to the general formula c(DDLL-Pro4)n with a strictly D,D,L,L double-alternating sequence of the chiral amino acid residues. The cyclopeptides with n greater than or equal to 2 could be synthesized from both DDLL-Pro4 (1) and DLLD-Pro4 (2). The cyclic monomer (n = 1) resulted only from 2, whereas not even a trace could be found by cyclization of 1. The peptide exists in a strongly strained Ci symmetrical conformation (x-ray analysis) with alternating cis and trans peptide bonds (ctct form I). The cis peptide bonds deviate from planarity (omega = 22 degrees); two of the pyrrolidine rings show a "South" conformation (phi = -94 degrees), whereas the other residues exhibit C alpha-endo puckering (phi = -124 degrees). Two of the psi angles surprisingly occur at +41 degrees (anti-cis'), the others are located in the trans' region. A quantitative ring opening occurs with trifluoroacetic acid at room temperature. In solution the existence of an isomeric ctcc sequence (form Ia) is indicated. Dreiding model studies also suggested a favorable conformation with a tctc sequence (form II). Consequently, we performed molecular mechanics calculations, based on the CHARMM force field and semiempirical quantum mechanical AM1 calculations (MOPAC program). Pronounced differences in the backbone parameters were found using these two methods. However, the theoretical studies evidenced the experimentally obtained differences in the cyclization tendencies of the linear precursors.