More Like this

1. Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectra of cesiated complexes of the aliphatic amino acids: Challenges for conformational-space calculations by density functional theory

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2024.117201  

   Armentrout, P.B. ; Steele, Ryan P. ; Stevenson, Brandon C. ; Jones, Roland M. ; Martens, Jonathan ; Berden, Giel ; Oomens, Jos ( April 2024 , International Journal of Mass Spectrometry)

   Cesiated complexes of the aliphatic amino acids (Gly, Ala, hAla, Val, Leu, and Ile) were examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy utilizing light from a free-electron laser (FEL). To identify structures, the experimental spectra were compared to linear spectra calculated at the B3LYP-GD3BJ/def2-TZVP level of theory. Relative energies at 0 and 298 K for various possible conformers of all complexes were calculated at B3LYP, B3LYP-GD3BJ, and MP2(full) levels using the def2-TZVP basis set. Spectral comparison for all complexes indicates that the dominant conformation has the cesium cation binding to the carbonyl and hydroxyl oxygens, [CO,OH]. This conclusion contrasts with previous work for Cs+(Gly), which suggested that the [CO] binding motif was prevalent. This dichotomy is explored theoretically in detail using coupled-cluster calculations with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations, CCSD(T), as well as advanced density functional theory (DFT) approaches. The comparisons show that the [CO,OH] – [CO] double-well potential found for most DFT approaches disappears at the higher level of theory with only the [CO,OH] well remaining. An exploration of this effect indicates that electron correlation is critically important and that DFT approaches incorrectly handle the internal hydrogen bonding in these molecules, thereby over-delocalizing the charges on the amino acid ligands. 

   more » « less
2. Infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy of protonated glycine, histidine, lysine, and arginine complexed with 18-crown-6 ether

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cp02265a  

   McNary, Christopher P. ; Nei, Y.-W. ; Maitre, Philippe ; Rodgers, M. T. ; Armentrout, P. B. ( June 2019 , Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Complexes of 18-crown-6 ether (18C6) with four protonated amino acids (AAs) are examined using infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy utilizing light generated by the infrared free electron laser at the Centre Laser Infrarouge d’Orsay (CLIO). The AAs examined in this work include glycine (Gly) and the three basic AAs: histidine (His), lysine (Lys), and arginine (Arg). To identify the (AA)H + (18C6) conformations present in the experimental studies, the measured IRMPD spectra are compared to spectra calculated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. Relative energies of various conformers and isomers are provided by single point energy calculations carried out at the B3LYP, B3P86, M06, and MP2(full) levels using the 6-311+G(2p,2d) basis set. The comparisons between the IRMPD and theoretical IR spectra indicate that 18C6 binds to Gly and His via the protonated backbone amino group, whereas protonated Lys prefers binding via the protonated side-chain amino group. Results for Arg are less definitive with strong evidence for binding to the protonated guanidino side chain (the calculated ground conformer at most levels of theory), but contributions from backbone binding to a zwitterionic structure are likely. 

   more » « less
3. The intrinsic basicity of the phosphate backbone exceeds that of uracil and thymine residues: protonation of the phosphate moiety is preferred over the nucleobase for pdThd and pUrd

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP05521H  

   Wu, R. R. ; Hamlow, L. A. ; He, C. C. ; Nei, Y.-w. ; Berden, G. ; Oomens, J. ; Rodgers, M. T. ( January 2017 , Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   The gas-phase conformations of the protonated forms of thymidine-5′-monophosphate and uridine-5′-monophosphate, [pdThd+H] + and [pUrd+H] + , are investigated by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations. The IRMPD action spectra of [pdThd+H] + and [pUrd+H] + are measured over the IR fingerprint and hydrogen-stretching regions using the FELIX free electron laser and an OPO/OPA laser system. Low-energy conformations of [pdThd+H] + and [pUrd+H] + and their relative stabilities are computed at the MP2(full)/6-311+G(2d,2p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,2p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) levels of theory. Comparisons of the measured IRMPD action spectra and B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) linear IR spectra computed for the low-energy conformers indicate that the dominant conformers of [pdThd+H] + and [pUrd+H] + populated in the experiments are protonated at the phosphate oxo oxygen atom, with a syn nucleobase orientation that is stabilized by strong POH + ⋯O2 and P–OH⋯O4′ hydrogen-bonding interactions, and C2′- endo sugar puckering. Minor abundance of conformers protonated at the O2 carbonyl of the nucleobase residue may also contribute for [pdThd+H] + , but do not appear to be important for [pUrd+H] + . Comparisons to previous IRMPD spectroscopy investigations of the protonated forms of thymidine and uridine, [dThd+H] + and [Urd+H] + , and the deprotonated forms of pdThd and pUrd, [pdThd−H] − and [pUrd−H] − , provide insight into the effects of the phosphate moiety and protonation on the conformational features of the nucleobase and sugar moieties. Most interestingly, the thymine and uracil nucleobases remain in their canonical forms for [pdThd+H] + and [pUrd+H] + , unlike [dThd+H] + and [Urd+H] + , where protonation occurs on the nucleobases and induces tautomerization of the thymine and uracil residues. 

   more » « less
4. Experimental and theoretical investigations of infrared multiple photon dissociation spectra of arginine complexes with Zn 2+ and Cd 2+

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c8cp03484b  

   Chalifoux, Aaron M. ; Boles, Georgia C. ; Berden, Giel ; Oomens, Jos ; Armentrout, P. B. ( January 2018 , Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Arginine (Arg) complexes with Zn 2+ and Cd 2+ were examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy using light from a free electron laser. Electrospray ionization generated complexes of deprotonated Arg with Zn 2+ , [Zn(Arg–H)] + , and Arg with CdCl + , CdCl + (Arg). Possible low-energy conformers of these species were found using quantum chemical calculations, and their calculated IR spectra were compared to experimentally measured IRMPD spectra. Calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level for Zn 2+ complexes and B3LYP/def2-TZVP with an SDD effective core potential on cadmium for CdCl + complexes. [Zn(Arg–H)] + was found to adopt a charge-solvated, tridentate [N,CO − ,N ω ′] structure where Zn 2+ binds to the backbone amine, carbonyl oxygen, and side-chain terminal guanidine nitrogen (N ω ′). The CdCl + (Arg) species was suggested to be a mixture of a dominant (∼85%) charge-solvated, tridentate [N,CO,N ω ′] structure where the CdCl + binds to the backbone amine, carbonyl, and side-chain imine (N ω ′) and a minor (∼15%) bidentate [N,CO − ](N ω ′H 2 + ) zwitterionic structure where the metal center binds to the backbone amine and carbonyl oxygen with intramolecular proton migration from the hydroxyl to the N ω ′ guanidine nitrogen (as designated in parenthesis). 

   more » « less
5. Ring Expansion of Alkylidenecarbenes Derived from Lactams, Lactones, and Thiolactones into Strained Heterocyclic Alkynes: A Theoretical Study

   https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24030593  

   Le, Nguyen Nhat ; Just, Josefine ; Pankauski, Jonathan M. ; Rablen, Paul R. ; Thamattoor, Dasan M. ( February 2019 , Molecules)

   Strained cycloalkynes are of considerable interest to theoreticians and experimentalists, and possess much synthetic value as well. Herein, a series of cyclic alkylidenecarbenes—formally obtained by replacing the carbonyl oxygen of four-, five-, and six-membered lactams, lactones, and thiolactones with a divalent carbon—were modeled at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-311+G** and CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//CCSD/6-311+G** levels of theory. The singlet carbenes were found to be more stable than the triplets. The strained heterocyclic alkynes formed by ring expansion of these singlet carbenes were also modeled. Interestingly, the C≡C bonds in the five-membered heterocycles, obtained from the rearrangement of β-lactam- and β-lactone-derived alkylidenecarbenes, displayed lengths intermediate between formal double and triple bonds. Furthermore, 2-(1-azacyclobutylidene)carbene was found to be nearly isoenergetic with its ring-expanded isomer, and 1-oxacyclopent-2-yne was notably higher in energy than its precursor carbene. In all other cases, the cycloalkynes were lower in energy than the corresponding carbenes. The transition states for ring-expansion were always lower for the 1,2-carbon shifts than for 1,2-nitrogen or oxygen shifts, but higher than for the 1,2-sulfur shifts. These predictions should be verifiable using carbenes bearing appropriate isotopic labels. Computed vibrational spectra for the carbenes, and their ring-expanded isomers, are presented and could be of value to matrix isolation experiments. 

   more » « less