Polymorphism ofN,N′′-Diacetylbiuret Studied by Solid-State13C and15N NMR Spectroscopy, DFT Calculations, and X-ray Diffraction

Libration of phenyl groups detected by VT-SSNMR: Comparison with X-ray crystallography

The X-ray crystal structure of 2-benzyl-1H-benzimidazole, 2BnBzIm, was determined at 293 K showing no dynamic phenomena (disorder) of any class. On the other hand, some ¹³ C NMR signals were absent in the CPMAS spectrum (100 MHz, 300 K). We decided to carry out variable-temperature SSNMR and discovered that the missing signals are ortho and meta carbons of the phenyl ring of the benzyl group. Line-shape analysis and the Eyring equation were used to determine the barrier, which was compared with the calculated DFT for the gas phase that it is much lower.

Monitoring the biomolecular interactions and the activity of Zn-containing enzymes involved in conformational diseases: experimental methods for therapeutic purposes

Zinc metalloproteases (ZnMPs) participate in diverse biological reactions, encompassing the synthesis and degradation of all the major metabolites in living organisms. In particular, ZnMPs have been recognized to play a very important role in controlling the concentration level of several peptides and/or proteins whose homeostasis has to be finely regulated for the correct physiology of cells. Dyshomeostasis of aggregation-prone proteins causes pathological conditions and the development of several different diseases. For this reason, in recent years, many analytical approaches have been applied for studying the interaction between ZnMPs and their substrates/inhibitors and how environmental factors can affect enzyme activities. In this scenario, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometric (MS), and optical methods occupy a very important role in elucidating different aspects of the ZnMPs-substrates/inhibitors interaction, ranging from identification of cleavage sites to quantitation of kinetic parameters and inhibition constants. Here, an overview of all the main achievements in the application of different experimental approaches with special attention to MS methods to the investigation of ZnMPs-substrates/inhibitors interaction is given. A general MS experimental protocol which has been proved to be useful to study such interactions is also described.

DFT Calculations of 51V Solid-State NMR Parameters of Vanadium(V) Model Complexes

Two cis-dioxovanadium(V) complexes and three monooxovanadium(V) complexes with different coordination numbers and ligand spheres, serving as model complexes for vanadium haloperoxidases, were studied by 51V solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The most important 51V solid-state NMR parameters (quadrupolar coupling constant C Q , asymmetry of the EFG tensor η Q , isotropic chemical shift δ iso , chemical shift anisotropy δ σ , asymmetry of the CSA tensor η σ and the Euler angles α, β and γ) describing the quadrupolar and chemical shift anisotropy interactions were determined theoretically with DFT methods employing the B3LYP functional and experimentally using genetic fitting algorithms. Calculations of δ iso values were treated with different referencing values of VOCl3 computed with different-sized basis sets using the “counterpoise method”. The calculated C Q values were discussed in terms of the quadrupolar moment Q. Absolute tensor orientations of CSA and EFG tensors were computed by DFT. These orientations were found to correlate to structural features of the model complexes.

(51)V solid-state NMR investigations and DFT studies of model compounds for vanadium haloperoxidases

Three cis-dioxovanadium(V) complexes with similar N-salicylidenehydrazide ligands modeling hydrogen bonding interactions of vanadate relevant for vanadium haloperoxidases are studied by (51)V solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Their parameters describing the quadrupolar and chemical shift anisotropy interactions (quadrupolar coupling constant C(Q), asymmetry of the quadrupolar tensor eta(Q), isotropic chemical shift delta(iso), chemical shift anisotropy delta(sigma), asymmetry of the chemical shift tensor eta(sigma) and the Euler angles alpha, beta and gamma) are determined both experimentally and theoretically using DFT methods. A comparative study of different methods to determine the NMR parameters by numerical simulation of the spectra is presented. Detailed theoretical investigations on the DFT level using various basis sets and structural models show that by useful choice of the methodology, the calculated parameters agree to the experimental ones in a very good manner.