Calculation of Solvent Shifts on Electronic g-Tensors with the Conductor-Like Screening Model (COSMO) and Its Self-Consistent Generalization to Real Solvents (Direct COSMO-RS)

Spin-Spin Coupling Constant Based on Reference Interaction Site Model Self-Consistent Field with Constrained Spatial Electron Density

A method for computing spin-spin coupling constants (SSCCs) using the reference interaction site model self-consistent field with constrained spatial electron density (RISM-SCF-cSED) is proposed for the first time. Describing solvents using integral equation theory allows us to reflect solvent effects at atomic resolution in SSCCs while accounting for thermal fluctuations at a low computational cost. Applying the method to water, 1,1-difluoroethylene, and 1-methylaminomethylene-2-naphthalenone revealed that the solvent shift was evaluated to a greater extent than in the continuum solvent model. The origin of this phenomenon was analyzed in terms of the physical mechanisms underlying SSCCs.

Development of a multi-step screening procedure for redox active molecules in organic radical polymer anodes and as redox flow anolytes

Benzo[d]-X-zolyl-pyridinyl (XO, S, NH) radicals represent a promising class of redox-active molecules for organic batteries. We present a multistep screening procedure to identify the most promising radical candidates. Experimental investigations and highly correlated wave function-based calculations are performed to determine benchmark redox potentials. Based on these, the accuracies of different methods (semi-empirical, density functional theory, wave function-based), solvent models, dispersion corrections, and basis sets are evaluated. The developed screening procedure consists of three steps: First, a conformer search is performed with CREST. The molecules are selected based on the redox potentials calculated using GFN2-xTB. Second, HOMO energies calculated with reparametrized B3LYP-D3(BJ) and the def2-SVP basis set are used as selection criteria. The final molecules are selected based on the redox potentials calculated from Gibbs energies using BP86-D3(BJ)/def2-TZVP. With this multistep screening approach, promising molecules can be suggested for synthesis, and structure-property relationships can be derived.

Copper-catalysed electrophilic carboamination of terminal alkynes with benzyne looked at through the computational lens

A detailed computational mechanistic study of the copper-catalysed three-component-type electrophilic carboamination of terminal alkynes with benzyne and an archetypal O-benzoylhydroxylamine electrophile is presented. Probing various plausible pathways for relevant elementary steps and scrutinising performance degradation pathways, with the aid of a reliable computational protocol applied to a realistic catalyst model combined with kinetic analysis, identified the pathways preferably traversed in productive catalysis. It entails rapid alkynylcupration of in situ generated benzyne to deliver the arylcopper nucleophile that undergoes amination with the O-benzoylhydroxylamine electrophile to afford copper benzoate. Umpolung-enabled electrophilic amination favours a multistep SN2-type oxidative addition/N-C bond-forming reductive elimination sequence involving a short-lived formal {P^P}CuIII carboxylate amido aryl intermediate. SN2-type displacement of the benzoate leaving group at the arylcopper nucleophile, which represents the catalyst resting state, is predicted to be the turnover limiting step. Alkynolysis transforms copper benzoate back to catalytically competent alkynylcopper. The computational probe of a wider range of substrates reveals that only severely ring-strained C6-arynes, C6-cycloalkynes and electron-deficient cyclopropenes featuring a highly reactive C≡C linkage could replace benzyne. Moreover, strict control of stationary benzyne concentration is indispensable for electrophilic carboamination to ever become achievable.

Hydrothiolation of Triisopropylsilyl Acetylene Sulfur Pentafluoride - Charting the Chemical Space of β-SF5 Vinyl Sulfides

Recently, we suggested liquid and high-boiling TIPS-CC-SF5 (TASP) as a versatile reagent to access so far elusive SF5-containing building blocks by less specialized laboratories under bench-top conditions. The synthesis of non-aromatic SF5 building blocks generally requires on-site fluorination or pentafluorosulfanylation steps employing toxic and/or gaseous reagents. Herein, we underline the versatility of this reagent by reporting a benign bench-top protocol for the synthesis of Z-configured β-pentafluorosulfanylated vinyl sulfides in good to excellent yields (up to 99 %) with exclusive (Z)-diasteroselectivity and broad functional group tolerance. This method exploits an in-situ protodesilylation-hydrothiolation sequence. This so far uncharted class of compounds was characterized by means of NMR-spectroscopy as well as SC-XRD. Furthermore, we suggest the reaction to proceed via a kinetically controlled closed-shell reaction pathway, corroborated by in-silico experiments.

Hydroamination of Triisopropylsilyl Acetylene Sulfur Pentafluoride - a Bench-top Route to Pentafluorosulfanylated Enamines

Synthetic access to a variety of aliphatic and vinylic pentafluorosulfanylated building blocks remains a major challenge in contemporary organofluorine chemistry hampering its investigation in the context of medicinal chemistry, agrochemistry and functional materials. Herein, we report a bench-top protocol to access the virtually unknown class of α-SF5 -enamines under mild reaction conditions in good to excellent yields (up to 95 %). This reaction combines the protodesilylation of the commercially available precursor TASP with the in situ hydroamination of HC≡C-SF5 . The on-site use of highly toxic gases or corrosive reagents is avoided, making access to this motif applicable to a wide chemical audience. The excellent E-diastereoselectivity of this two-step cascade reaction is suggested to be the result of the convergence of the fast Z-/E- isomerization of a vinyl anion as well as the isomerization of the iminium ion. The remarkable thermal stability of these SF5 -enamines encourages further studies of their synthetic utility.

Thiophene Stability in Photodynamic Therapy: A Mathematical Model Approach

Thiophene-containing photosensitizers are gaining recognition for their role in photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the inherent reactivity of the thiophene moiety toward singlet oxygen threatens the stability and efficiency of these photosensitizers. This study presents a novel mathematical model capable of predicting the reactivity of thiophene toward singlet oxygen in PDT, using Conceptual Density Functional Theory (CDFT) and genetic programming. The research combines advanced computational methods, including various DFT techniques and symbolic regression, and is validated with experimental data. The findings underscore the capacity of the model to classify photosensitizers based on their photodynamic efficiency and safety, particularly noting that photosensitizers with a constant rate 1000 times lower than that of unmodified thiophene retain their photodynamic performance without substantial singlet oxygen quenching. Additionally, the research offers insights into the impact of electronic effects on thiophene reactivity. Finally, this study significantly advances thiophene-based photosensitizer design, paving the way for therapeutic agents that achieve a desirable balance between efficiency and safety in PDT.

Machine learning-based correction for spin-orbit coupling effects in NMR chemical shift calculations

As one of the most powerful analytical methods for molecular and solid-state structure elucidation, NMR spectroscopy is an integral part of chemical laboratories associated with a great research interest in its computational simulation. Particularly when heavy atoms are present, a relativistic treatment is essential in the calculations as these influence also the nearby light atoms. In this work, we present a Δ-machine learning method that approximates the contribution to 13C and 1H NMR chemical shifts that stems from spin-orbit (SO) coupling effects. It is built on computed reference data at the spin-orbit zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) DFT level for a set of 6388 structures with 38 740 13C and 64 436 1H NMR chemical shifts. The scope of the methods covers the 17 most important heavy p-block elements that exhibit heavy atom on the light atom (HALA) effects to covalently bound carbon or hydrogen atoms. Evaluated on the test data set, the approach is able to recover roughly 85% of the SO contribution for 13C and 70% for 1H from a scalar-relativistic PBE0/ZORA-def2-TZVP calculation at virtually no extra computational costs. Moreover, the method is transferable to other baseline DFT methods even without retraining the model and performs well for realistic organotin and -lead compounds. Finally, we show that using a combination of the new approach with our previous Δ-ML method for correlation contributions to NMR chemical shifts, the mean absolute NMR shift deviations from non-relativistic DFT calculations to experimental values can be halved.

Development of Novel Redox-Active Organic Materials Based on Benzimidazole, Benzoxazole, and Benzothiazole: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Screening Approach

Sustainability is one of the hot topics of today's research, in particular when it comes to energy-storage systems such as batteries. Redox-active molecules implemented in organic batteries represent a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which partially rely on non-sustainable heavy metal salts. As an alternative, we propose benzothiazole, -oxazole and -imidazole derivatives as redox-active moieties for polymers in organic (radical) batteries. The target molecules were identified by a combination of theoretical and experimental approaches for the investigation of new organic active materials. Herein, we present the synthesis, electrochemical characterization and theoretical investigation of the proposed molecules, which can later be introduced into a polymer backbone and used in organic polymer batteries.

A new oxidative pathway of nitric oxide production from oximes in plants

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential reactive oxygen species and a signal molecule in plants. Although several studies have proposed the occurrence of oxidative NO production, only reductive routes for NO production, such as the nitrate (NO-3) -upper-reductase pathway, have been evidenced to date in land plants. However, plants grown axenically with ammonium as the sole source of nitrogen exhibit contents of nitrite and NO3-, evidencing the existence of a metabolic pathway for oxidative production of NO. We hypothesized that oximes, such as indole-3-acetaldoxime (IAOx), a precursor to indole-3-acetic acid, are intermediate oxidation products in NO synthesis. We detected the production of NO from IAOx and other oximes catalyzed by peroxidase (POD) enzyme using both 4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorescein fluorescence and chemiluminescence. Flavins stimulated the reaction, while superoxide dismutase inhibited it. Interestingly, mouse NO synthase can also use IAOx to produce NO at a lower rate than POD. We provided a full mechanism for POD-dependent NO production from IAOx consistent with the experimental data and supported by density functional theory calculations. We showed that the addition of IAOx to extracts from Medicago truncatula increased the in vitro production of NO, while in vivo supplementation of IAOx and other oximes increased the number of lateral roots, as shown for NO donors, and a more than 10-fold increase in IAOx dehydratase expression. Furthermore, we found that in vivo supplementation of IAOx increased NO production in Arabidopsis thaliana wild-type plants, while prx33-34 mutant plants, defective in POD33-34, had reduced production. Our data show that the release of NO by IAOx, as well as its auxinic effect, explain the superroot phenotype. Collectively, our study reveals that plants produce NO utilizing diverse molecules such as oximes, POD, and flavins, which are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, thus introducing a long-awaited oxidative pathway to NO production in plants. This knowledge has essential implications for understanding signaling in biological systems.

A Chiral Titanocene Complex as Regiodivergent Photoredox Catalyst: Synthetic Scope and Mechanism of Catalyst Generation

We describe a combined synthetic, spectroscopic, and computational study of a chiral titanocene complex as a regiodivergent photoredox catalyst (PRC). With Kagan's complex catCl2 either monoprotected 1,3-diols or 1,4-diols can be obtained in high selectivity from a common epoxide substrate in a regiodivergent epoxide opening depending on which enantiomer of the catalyst is employed. Due to the catalyst-controlled regioselectivity of ring opening and the broader substrate scope, the PRC with catCl2 is also a highly attractive branching point for diversity-oriented synthesis. The photochemical processes of cat(NCS)2, a suitable model for catCl2, were probed by time-correlated single-photon counting. The photoexcited complex displays a thermally activated delayed fluorescence as a result of a singlet-triplet equilibration, S1 ⇄ T1, via intersystem crossing and recrossing. Its triplet state is quenched by electron transfer to the T1 state. Computational and cyclic voltammetry studies highlight the importance of our sulfonamide additive. By bonding to sulfonamide additives, chloride abstraction from [catCl2]- is facilitated, and catalyst deactivation by coordination of the sulfonamide group is circumvented.

Group 13 salphen compounds (In, Ga and Al): a comparison of their structural features and activities as catalysts for cyclic carbonate synthesis

Many complexes based on group 13 elements have been successfully applied as catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂ and to date these have provided some of the most active catalysts developed. It is notable that most reports have focused on the use of aluminium-based compounds likely because of the well-established Lewis acidity of this element and its cost. In comparison, relatively little attention has been paid to the development of catalysts based on the heavier group 13 elements, despite their known Lewis acidic properties. This study describes the synthesis of aluminium, gallium and indium compounds supported by a readily prepared salphen ligand and explores both their comparative structures and also their potential as catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates. In addition, the halide ligand which forms a key part of the compound has been systematically varied and the effect of this change on the structure and catalytic activity is also discussed. It is demonstrated that the indium compounds are actually, and unexpectedly, the most active for cyclic carbonate synthesis, despite their lower Lewis acidity when compared to their aluminium congeners. The experimental observations from this work are fully supported by a Density Functional Theory (DFT) study, which provides important insights into the reasons as to why the indium catalyst with bromide, [InBr(salphen)], is most active.

Multifunctional Organocatalysts - Singly-Linked and Macrocyclic Bisphosphoric Acids for Asymmetric Phase-Transfer and Brønsted-Acid Catalysis

The linking of phosphoric acids via covalent or mechanical bonds has proven to be a successful strategy for the design of novel organocatalysts. Here, we present the first systematic investigation of singly-linked and macrocyclic bisphosphoric acids, including their synthesis and their application in phase-transfer and Brønsted acid catalysis. We found that the novel bisphosphoric acids show dramatically increased enantioselectivities in comparison to their monophosphoric acid analogues. However, the nature, length and number of linkers has a profound influence on the enantioselectivities. In the asymmetric dearomative fluorination via phase-transfer catalysis, bisphosphoric acids with a single, rigid bisalkyne-linker give the best results with moderate to good enantiomeric excesses. In contrast, bisphosphoric acids with flexible linkers give excellent enantioselectivities in the transfer-hydrogenation of quinolines via cooperative Brønsted acid catalysis. In the latter case, sufficiently long linkers are needed for high stereoselectivities, as found experimentally and supported by DFT calculations.

Unusually Large Effects of Charge-assisted C-H⋅⋅⋅F Hydrogen Bonds to Anionic Fluorine in Organic Solvents: Computational Study of 19 F NMR Shifts versus Thermochemistry

A comparison of computed ¹⁹ F NMR chemical shifts and experiment provides evidence for large specific solvent effects for fluoride-type anions interacting with the σ*(C-H) orbitals in organic solvents like MeCN or CH₂ Cl₂ . We show this for systems ranging from the fluoride ion and the bifluoride ion [FHF]^- to polyhalogen anions [ClF_x ]^- . Discrepancies between computed and experimental shifts when using continuum solvent models like COSMO or force-field-based descriptions like the 3D-RISM-SCF model show specific orbital interactions that require a quantum-mechanical treatment of the solvent molecules. This is confirmed by orbital analyses of the shielding constants, while less negatively charged fluorine atoms (e. g., in [EF₄ ]^- ) do not require such quantum-mechanical treatments to achieve reasonable accuracy. The larger ¹⁹ F solvent shift of fluoride in MeCN compared to water is due to the larger coordination number in the former. These observations are due to unusually strong charge-assisted C-H⋅⋅⋅F^- hydrogen bonds, which manifest beyond some threshold negative natural charge on fluorine of ca. < -0.6 e. The interactions are accompanied by sizable free energies of solvation, in the order F^- ≫[FHF]^- >[ClF₂ ]^- >[ClF₄ ]^- . COSMO-RS solvation free energies tend to moderately underestimate those from the micro-solvated cluster treatment. Red-shifted and intense vibrational C-H stretching bands, potentially accessible in bulk solution, are further spectroscopic finger prints.

Completing the Picture: Determination of 13C Hyperfine Coupling Constants of Flavin Semiquinone Radicals by Photochemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Spectroscopy

We investigate the electronic structure of flavin semiquinone radicals in terms of their 13C hyperfine coupling constants. Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) spectroscopy was used to study both the neutral and anionic radical species of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) in bulk aqueous solution. Apart from universally 13C-labeled FMN, partially labeled isotopologues are used to increase sensitivity for nuclei exhibiting very small hyperfine couplings and to cope with spectral overlap. In addition, experimental findings are supported by quantum chemical calculations, and implications for the spin density distribution in free flavin radicals are discussed.

Measurement and Prediction of Isothermal Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium and Thermodynamic Properties of a Turpentine + Rosin System Using the COSMO-RS Model

The vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of components of a turpentine + rosin system were measured at 313.2 and 333.2 K using headspace gas chromatography. The thermodynamic properties of the turpentine + rosin system such as activity coefficients, total pressure, partial pressure, excess Gibbs energies, and excess enthalpies were calculated using the COSMO-RS model. The results showed that the activity coefficients were greater than 1 for all components of turpentine except for longifolene, indicating a positive deviation from Raoult's law for all components of turpentine except for longifolene. The total pressures were about 1 kPa at 313.2 K and about 3 kPa at 333.2 K. Meanwhile, the excess Gibbs energies G ^E and excess enthalpies H ^E of the system were positive, indicating that the mixing of the components of turpentine and rosin was endothermic. Moreover, the hydrogen bonding interaction energy H ^E(hydrogen bonding) contributed the most for the excess enthalpies H ^E.

Structural Elucidation of an Atropisomeric Entcassiflavan-(4β→8)-Epicatechin Isolated from Dalbergia monetaria L.f. Based on NMR and ECD Calculations in Comparison to Experimental Data

A rare dihydoxyflavan-epicatechin proanthocyanidin, entcassiflavan-(4β→8)-epicatechin, was isolated from Dalbergia monetaria, a plant widely used by traditional people from the Amazon to treat urinary tract infections. The constitution and relative configuration of the compound were elucidated by HR-MS and detailed 1D- and 2D-NMR measurements. By comparing the experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum with the calculated ECD spectra of all 16 possible isomers, the absolute configuration, the interflavan linkage, and the atropisomers could be determined.

Electronic structure of strongly correlated systems: recent developments in multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory and multiconfiguration nonclassical-energy functional theory

Strong electron correlation plays an important role in transition-metal and heavy-metal chemistry, magnetic molecules, bond breaking, biradicals, excited states, and many functional materials, but it provides a significant challenge for modern electronic structure theory. The treatment of strongly correlated systems usually requires a multireference method to adequately describe spin densities and near-degeneracy correlation. However, quantitative computation of dynamic correlation with multireference wave functions is often difficult or impractical. Multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT) provides a way to blend multiconfiguration wave function theory and density functional theory to quantitatively treat both near-degeneracy correlation and dynamic correlation in strongly correlated systems; it is more affordable than multireference perturbation theory, multireference configuration interaction, or multireference coupled cluster theory and more accurate for many properties than Kohn–Sham density functional theory. This perspective article provides a brief introduction to strongly correlated systems and previously reviewed progress on MC-PDFT followed by a discussion of several recent developments and applications of MC-PDFT and related methods, including localized-active-space MC-PDFT, generalized active-space MC-PDFT, density-matrix-renormalization-group MC-PDFT, hybrid MC-PDFT, multistate MC-PDFT, spin–orbit coupling, analytic gradients, and dipole moments. We also review the more recently introduced multiconfiguration nonclassical-energy functional theory (MC-NEFT), which is like MC-PDFT but allows for other ingredients in the nonclassical-energy functional. We discuss two new kinds of MC-NEFT methods, namely multiconfiguration density coherence functional theory and machine-learned functionals.

This feature article overviews recent work on active spaces, matrix product reference states, treatment of quasidegeneracy, hybrid theory, density-coherence functionals, machine-learned functionals, spin–orbit coupling, gradients, and dipole moments.

Solid-state photochromic arylazopyrazole based transition metal complexes

A new class of photoactive and chelating ligands L1-3 have been designed and synthesized by incorporating arylazo-3,5-dimethylpyrazole units in the ligand frameworks. Significantly they are designed in such a way...

Ligand Protonation at Carbon, not Nitrogen, during H2 Production with Amine-Rich Iron Electrocatalysts

We present monometallic H₂ production electrocatalysts containing electron-rich triamine-cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands coordinated to iron. After selective CO extrusion from the iron tricarbonyl precursors, electrocatalysis is observed via cyclic voltammetry in the presence of an exogenous acid. Contrary to the fact that amines in the secondary coordination sphere are often protonated during electrocatalysis, comprehensive quantum-chemical calculations indicate that the amines likely do not function as proton relays; instead, endo-Cp ring protonation is most favorable after 1e^- reduction. This unusual mechanistic pathway emphasizes the need to consider a broad domain of H⁺/e^- addition products by synergistically combining experimental and theoretical resources.

Designing of Efficient Bifunctional ORR/OER Pt Single-Atom Catalysts Based on O-Terminated MXenes by First-Principles Calculations

MXenes have been used as substrate materials for single-atom catalysts (SACs) due to their unique two-dimensional (2D) structure, high surface area, and high electronic conductivity. Oxygen is the primary terminating group of MXenes; however, all of the reported Pt SACs till now are fabricated with F-terminated MXenes. According to the first-principles calculations of this work, the failure of using O-terminated MXenes as substrates is due to the low charge density around Pt and C, which weakens the catalytic activity of Pt. By adjusting the electronic structure of M2C using a second submetal with a lower work function than M, 18 potential bifunctional Pt SACs are constructed based on O-terminated bimetal MXenes. After further consideration of some important practical application factors such as overpotential, solvation effect, and reaction barriers, only four of them, i.e., Cr2Nb2C3O2-VO-Pt, Cr2Ta2C3O2-VO-Pt, Cr2NbC2O2-VO-Pt, and Cr2TaC2O2-VO-Pt, are screened as bifunctional oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction (ORR/OER) catalysts. All of these screened SACs are originated from Cr-based MXenes, implying the significance of Cr-based MXenes in designing bifunctional Pt SACs.

Resolving distance variations by single-molecule FRET and EPR spectroscopy using rotamer libraries

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy are complementary techniques for quantifying distances in the nanometer range. Both approaches are commonly employed for probing the conformations and conformational changes of biological macromolecules based on site-directed fluorescent or paramagnetic labeling. FRET can be applied in solution at ambient temperature and thus provides direct access to dynamics, especially if used at the single-molecule level, whereas EPR requires immobilization or work at cryogenic temperatures but provides data that can be more reliably used to extract distance distributions. However, a combined analysis of the complementary data from the two techniques has been complicated by the lack of a common modeling framework. Here, we demonstrate a systematic analysis approach based on rotamer libraries for both FRET and EPR labels to predict distance distributions between two labels from a structural model. Dynamics of the fluorophores within these distance distributions are taken into account by diffusional averaging, which improves the agreement with experiment. Benchmarking this methodology with a series of surface-exposed pairs of sites in a structured protein domain reveals that the lowest resolved distance differences can be as small as ∼0.25 nm for both techniques, with quantitative agreement between experimental and simulated transfer efficiencies within a range of ±0.045. Rotamer library analysis thus establishes a coherent way of treating experimental data from EPR and FRET and provides a basis for integrative structural modeling, including studies of conformational distributions and dynamics of biological macromolecules using both techniques.

The Impact of Ligand Field Symmetry on Molecular Qubit Coherence

Developing quantum bits (qubits) exhibiting room temperature electron spin coherence is a key goal of molecular quantum information science. At high temperatures, coherence is often limited by electron spin relaxation, measured by T₁. Here we develop a simple and powerful model for predicting relative T₁ relaxation times in transition metal complexes from dynamic ligand field principles. By considering the excited state origins of ground state spin-phonon coupling, we derive group theory selection rules governing which vibrational symmetries can induce decoherence. Thermal weighting of the coupling terms produces surprisingly good predictions of experimental T₁ trends as a function of temperature and explains previously confounding features in spin-lattice relaxation data. We use this model to evaluate experimental relaxation rates across S = 1/2 transition metal qubit candidates with diverse structures, gaining new insights into the interplay between spin-phonon coupling and molecular symmetry. This methodology elucidates the specific vibrational modes giving rise to decoherence, providing insight into the origin of room temperature coherence in transition metal complexes. We discuss the outlook of symmetry-based modeling and design strategies for understanding molecular coherence.

A Joint Venture of Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics, Coupled Cluster Electronic Structure Methods, and Liquid-State Theory to Compute Accurate Isotropic Hyperfine Constants of Nitroxide Probes in Water

The isotropic hyperfine coupling constant (HFCC, Aiso) of a pH-sensitive spin probe in a solution, HMI (2,2,3,4,5,5-hexamethylimidazolidin-1-oxyl, C9H19N2O) in water, is computed using an ensemble of state-of-the-art computational techniques and is gauged against X-band continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurement spectra at room temperature. Fundamentally, the investigation aims to delineate the cutting edge of current first-principles-based calculations of EPR parameters in aqueous solutions based on using rigorous statistical mechanics combined with correlated electronic structure techniques. In particular, the impact of solvation is described by exploiting fully atomistic, RISM integral equation, and implicit solvation approaches as offered by ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) of the periodic bulk solution (using the spin-polarized revPBE0-D3 hybrid functional), embedded cluster reference interaction site model integral equation theory (EC-RISM), and polarizable continuum embedding (using CPCM) of microsolvated complexes, respectively. HFCCs are obtained from efficient coupled cluster calculations (using open-shell DLPNO-CCSD theory) as well as from hybrid density functional theory (using revPBE0-D3). Re-solvation of "vertically desolvated" spin probe configuration snapshots by EC-RISM embedding is shown to provide significantly improved results compared to CPCM since only the former captures the inherent structural heterogeneity of the solvent close to the spin probe. The average values of the Aiso parameter obtained based on configurational statistics using explicit water within AIMD and from EC-RISM solvation are found to be satisfactorily close. Using either such explicit or RISM solvation in conjunction with DLPNO-CCSD calculations of the HFCCs provides an average Aiso parameter for HMI in aqueous solution at 300 K and 1 bar that is in good agreement with the experimentally determined one. The developed computational strategy is general in the sense that it can be readily applied to other spin probes of similar molecular complexity, to aqueous solutions beyond ambient conditions, as well as to other solvents in the longer run.

Ethereal Hydroperoxides: Powerful Reagents for S-Oxygenation of Bridging Thiophenolate Functions

S-Oxygenation of thiophenolate bridges by ethereal hydroperoxides was studied. [Ni^II₂L^S(PhCO₂)]⁺ (1), where L^S = macrocyclic aminethiolate supporting ligand, is S-oxygenated readily in a mixed methanol/acetonitrile solution with ether/dioxygen at room temperature in the presence of daylight. The reactions were found to depend strongly on the choice of the ether. Uptake of two O atoms occurs in dioxane to give a mixed thiolate/sulfinate complex [Ni^II₂L^SO₂(PhCO₂)]⁺ (2) containing the rare five-membered Ni(μ_1,1-S)(μ_1,2-OS)Ni core. In tetrahydrofuran, four O atoms are taken up by 1 to generate the bis(sulfinate) species [Ni^II₂L^SO₄(PhCO₂)]⁺ (3). A mono-S-oxygenated sulfenate intermediate can be detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The oxygenation reactions proceed in high yields without complex disintegration and invariably provide μ_1,2-bridging sulfinates as established by spectroscopy (IR and UV/vis), X-ray crystallography, and accompanying density functional theory calculations. The oxygenation of the S atoms has a strong impact on the electronic structures of the nickel complexes. The monosulfinate complex 2 has an S = 2 ground state resulting from moderate ferromagnetic exchange coupling interactions (J = +15.7 cm^-1; H = -2JS₁S₂), while an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction in 3 shows the presence of a ground state with spin S = 0 (J = -0.56 cm^-1).

o-Semiquinone radical anion isolated as an amorphous porous solid

The use of metal cations is a commonly applied strategy to create S > 1/2 stable molecular systems containing semiquinone radicals. Persistent mono-semiquinonato complexes of diamagnetic metal ions (S = 1/2) have been hitherto less common and mostly limited to the complexes of heavy metal ions. In this work, a mono-semiquinonato complex of aluminum, derived from 1,2-dihydroxybenzene, is obtained using a surprisingly short and uncomplicated procedure. The isolated product is an amorphous and porous solid that exhibits very good stability under ambient conditions. To characterise its molecular and electronic structure, 9.7, 34 and 406 GHz EPR spectroscopy was used in concert with computational techniques (DFT and DLPNO-CCSD). It was revealed that the radical complex is composed of two chemically equivalent aluminum cations and two catechol-like ligands with the unpaired electron uniformly distributed between the two organic molecules. The good stability and porous structure make this complex applicable in heterogeneous aerobic reactions.

Modern Theoretical Approaches to Modeling the Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer: An Overview

The excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) phenomenon is nowadays widely acknowledged to play a crucial role in many photobiological and photochemical processes. It is an extremely fast transformation, often taking place at sub-100 fs timescales. While its experimental characterization can be highly challenging, a rich manifold of theoretical approaches at different levels is nowadays available to support and guide experimental investigations. In this perspective, we summarize the state-of-the-art quantum-chemical methods, as well as molecular- and quantum-dynamics tools successfully applied in ESIPT process studies, focusing on a critical comparison of their specific properties.

Photoinduced Ligand Exchange Dynamics of a Polypyridyl Ruthenium Complex in Aqueous Solution

The understanding of photoinduced ligand exchange mechanisms in polypyridyl ruthenium(II) complexes operating in aqueous solution is of crucial importance to rationalize their photoreactivity. Herein, we demonstrate that a synergetic use of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and static calculations, both conducted at the DFT level, can provide a full understanding of photosubstitution mechanisms of a monodentate ligand by a solvent water molecule in archetypal ruthenium complexes in explicit water. The simulations show that the photoinduced loss of a monodentate ligand generates an unreactive 16-electron species in a hitherto undescribed pentacoordinated triplet excited state that converts, via an easily accessible crossing point, to a reactive 16-electron singlet ground state, which combines with a solvent water molecule to yield the experimentally observed aqua complex in less than 10 ps. This work paves the way for the rational design of novel photoactive metal complexes relevant for biological applications.

Analysis of Non-innocence of Phosphaquinodimethane Ligands when Charge and Aromaticity Come into Play

Several phosphaquinodimethanes and their M(CO)5 complexes (M=Cr, Mo, W) and model derivatives have been theoretically investigated regarding the quest of non-innocence. Computed structural and electronic properties of the P-Me/NH2 substituted phosphaquinodimethanes and tungsten complexes revealed an interesting non-innocent ligand behaviour for the radical anion complexes with distonic ion character and a strong rearomatization of the middle phenyl ring. The latter was further probed taking also geometric aromaticity (HOMA) and quinoid distortion parameters (HOMQc) into account, as well as NICS(1). Furthermore, the effect of the P-substitution was investigated for real (or plausible) complexes and their free ligands focusing on the resulting aromaticity at the middle phenyl ring and vertical one-electron redox processes. The best picture of ligand engagement in redox changes was provided by representing NICS(1) values versus HOMA and the new geometric distortion parameter HOMQc8.

Performance of the DLPNO-CCSD and recent DFT methods in the calculation of isotropic and dipolar contributions to 14N hyperfine coupling constants of nitroxide radicals

In the present study, the performance of a set of density functionals: BP86, PBE, OLYP, BEEF, PBEpow, TPSS, SCAN, PBEGXPBE, M06L, MN15L, B3LYP, PBE0, mPW1PW, B97, BHandHLYP, mPW1PW, B98, TPSS0, PBE1KCIS, SCAN0, M06, M06-2X, MN15, CAM-B3LYP, ωB97x, B2PLYP, and the B3LYP/N07D and PBE/N07D schemes in the calculation of the ¹⁴N anisotropic hyperfine coupling (HFC) constants of a set of 23 nitroxide radicals is evaluated. The results are compared with those obtained with the DLPNO-CCSD method and experimental HFC values. Harmonic contribution to the ¹⁴N HFC vibrational correction was calculated at the revPBE0/def2-TZVPP level and included in the evaluation. With the vibrational correction, the DLPNO-CCSD method yielded HFC values in good agreement with the experiment (mean absolute deviation (MAD) = 0.3 G for the dipole-dipole contribution and MAD = 0.8 G for the contact coupling contribution). The best DFT results are obtained using the M06 functional with MAD = 0.2 G for the dipole-dipole contribution and MAD = 0.7 G for the contact coupling contribution. In general, vibrational correction significantly improved most DFT functionals' performance but did not change its overall ranking.

Machine learning of free energies in chemical compound space using ensemble representations: Reaching experimental uncertainty for solvation

Free energies govern the behavior of soft and liquid matter, and improving their predictions could have a large impact on the development of drugs, electrolytes, or homogeneous catalysts. Unfortunately, it is challenging to devise an accurate description of effects governing solvation such as hydrogen-bonding, van der Waals interactions, or conformational sampling. We present a Free energy Machine Learning (FML) model applicable throughout chemical compound space and based on a representation that employs Boltzmann averages to account for an approximated sampling of configurational space. Using the FreeSolv database, FML's out-of-sample prediction errors of experimental hydration free energies decay systematically with training set size, and experimental uncertainty (0.6 kcal/mol) is reached after training on 490 molecules (80% of FreeSolv). Corresponding FML model errors are on par with state-of-the art physics based approaches. To generate the input representation for a new query compound, FML requires approximate and short molecular dynamics runs. We showcase its usefulness through analysis of solvation free energies for 116k organic molecules (all force-field compatible molecules in the QM9 database), identifying the most and least solvated systems and rediscovering quasi-linear structure-property relationships in terms of simple descriptors such as hydrogen-bond donors, number of NH or OH groups, number of oxygen atoms in hydrocarbons, and number of heavy atoms. FML's accuracy is maximal when the temperature used for the molecular dynamics simulation to generate averaged input representation samples in training is the same as for the query compounds. The sampling time for the representation converges rapidly with respect to the prediction error.

Variable electronic structure and spin distribution in bis(2,2'-bipyridine)-metal complexes (M = Ru or Os) of 4,5-dioxido- and 4,5-diimido-pyrene

The odd-electron compounds [M(bpy)₂(L¹)](ClO₄) M = Ru ([1](ClO₄)) or Os ([2](ClO₄)), and the even-electron species [M(bpy)₂(H₂L²)](ClO₄)₂, M = Ru ([3](ClO₄)₂) or Os ([4](ClO₄)₂) were obtained from pyrene-4,5-dione, L¹, or 4,5-diaminopyrene, H₄L², and were characterised structurally, electrochemically and spectroscopically. Experimental and computational analysis (TD-DFT) revealed rather different electronic structures and spin distributions of the paramagnetic monocations 1⁺-4⁺. EPR investigations and electronic absorption studies exhibit increasing metal contributions to the singly occupied MO along the series 1⁺ < 3⁺ < 4⁺ < 2⁺, illustrated by g value and long-wavelength absorbance. In addition to variations of the metal (Ru,Os) and the donor atoms (O,NH) the extension of the π system of the semiquinone-type ligand has a large effect on the electronic structure of the paramagnetic cations.

Reaction mechanism of the farnesyl pyrophosphate C-methyltransferase towards the biosynthesis of pre-sodorifen pyrophosphate by Serratia plymuthica 4Rx13

Classical terpenoid biosynthesis involves the cyclization of the linear prenyl pyrophosphate precursors geranyl-, farnesyl-, or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GPP, FPP, GGPP) and their isomers, to produce a huge number of natural compounds. Recently, it was shown for the first time that the biosynthesis of the unique homo-sesquiterpene sodorifen by Serratia plymuthica 4Rx13 involves a methylated and cyclized intermediate as the substrate of the sodorifen synthase. To further support the proposed biosynthetic pathway, we now identified the cyclic prenyl pyrophosphate intermediate pre-sodorifen pyrophosphate (PSPP). Its absolute configuration (6R,7S,9S) was determined by comparison of calculated and experimental CD-spectra of its hydrolysis product and matches with those predicted by semi-empirical quantum calculations of the reaction mechanism. In silico modeling of the reaction mechanism of the FPP C-methyltransferase (FPPMT) revealed a S_N2 mechanism for the methyl transfer followed by a cyclization cascade. The cyclization of FPP to PSPP is guided by a catalytic dyad of H191 and Y39 and involves an unprecedented cyclopropyl intermediate. W46, W306, F56, and L239 form the hydrophobic binding pocket and E42 and H45 complex a magnesium cation that interacts with the diphosphate moiety of FPP. Six additional amino acids turned out to be essential for product formation and the importance of these amino acids was subsequently confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Our results reveal the reaction mechanism involved in methyltransferase-catalyzed cyclization and demonstrate that this coupling of C-methylation and cyclization of FPP by the FPPMT represents an alternative route of terpene biosynthesis that could increase the terpenoid diversity and structural space.

Determination of co-crystal phase purity by mid infrared spectroscopy and multiple curve resolution

Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) was used to determine the phase purity of pharmaceutical co-crystals from mid infrared spectra. An in-silico coformer screening was used to choose one of ten potential coformers. This analysis used quantum chemistry simulation to predict which coformers are thermodynamically inclined to form cocrystals with the model drug, hydrochlorothiazide. The coformer chosen was nicotinamide. An experimental solvent screening by ultrasound assisted slurry co-crystallization was performed to evaluate the capacity of the method to determine phase purity. Afterwards, slurry and slow evaporation co-crystallizations were performed at 10, 25, and 40 °C using 7 solvent systems, and two levels of agitation for the evaporation co-crystallization (on and off). Mid infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) analysis of the products of these co-crystallizations was used to develop an MCR model to determine co-crystal phase purity. The MCR results were compared with a reference co-crystal. Experimental design (DoE) was used to investigate the effect of solvents, temperature, and agitation on the purity of co-crystals produced by slurry and evaporation co-crystallization. DoE revealed that evaporation co-crystallization with agitating at 65 rpm formed co-crystals with greater phase purity. The optimal temperature varied with the solvent used.

Regiodivergent C-H and Decarboxylative C-C Alkylation by Ruthenium Catalysis: ortho versus meta Position-Selectivity

Ruthenium(II)biscarboxylate complexes enabled the selective alkylation of C-H and C-C bonds at the ortho- or meta-position. ortho-C-H Alkylations were achieved with 4-, 5- as well as 6-membered halocycloalkanes. Furthermore, the judicious choice of the directing group allowed for a full control of ortho-/meta-selectivities. Detailed mechanistic studies by experiment and computation were performed and provided strong support for an oxidative addition/reductive elimination process for ortho-alkylations, while a homolytic C-X cleavage was operative for the meta-selective transformations.

One Electron Multiple Proton Transfer in Model Organic Donor-Acceptor Systems: Implications for High Frequency EPR

EPR spectroscopy is an important spectroscopic method for identification and characterization of radical species involved in many biological reactions. The tyrosyl radical is one of the most studied amino acid radical intermediates in biology. Often in conjunction with histidine residues, it is involved in many fundamental biological electron and proton transfer processes, such as in the water oxidation in photosystem II. As biological processes are typically extremely complicated and hard to control, molecular bio-mimetic model complexes are often used to clarify the mechanisms of the biological reactions. Here we present theoretical calculations to investigate the sensitivity of magnetic resonance parameters to proton-coupled electron transfer events, as well as conformational substates of the molecular constructs which mimic the tyrosine-histidine (Tyr-His) pairs found in a large variety of proteins. Upon oxidation of the phenol, the Tyr analogue, these complexes can perform not only one-electron one-proton transfer (EPT), but also one-electron two-proton transfers (E2PT). It is shown that in aprotic environment the g_X-components of the electronic g-tensor are extremely sensitive to the first proton transfer from the phenoxyl oxygen to the imidazole nitrogen (EPT product), leading to a significant increase of the g_X-value of up to 0.003, but are not sensitive to the second proton transfer (E2PT product). In the latter case the change of the g_X-value is much smaller (ca. 0.0001), which is too small to be distinguished even by high frequency EPR. The ¹⁴N hyperfine values are also too similar to allow differentiation between the different protonation states in EPT and E2PT. The magnetic resonance parameters were also calculated as a function of the rotation angles around single bonds. It was demonstrated that rotation of the phenoxyl group results in large positive changes (>0.001) in the g_X-values. Analysis of the data reveals that the main source of these changes is related to the strength of the H-bond between phenoxyl oxygen and the proton(s) on N₁ and N₂ positions of the imidazole.

Evaluation of an Efficient 3D-RISM-SCF Implementation as a Tool for Computational Spectroscopy in Solution

The 3D-RISM-SCF solvent-model implementation of Gusarov et al. [ J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 6083-6090] in the Amsterdam density functional program has been improved and extended. In particular, an accurate yet efficient representation of the solute electrostatic potential is provided. The Coulomb-potential fitting of many DFT codes can be used advantageously in this context. The extra effort compared to a point-charge representation is small for a given SCF cycle and compensated by faster SCF convergence. This allows applications to large solutes, as demonstrated by evaluation of the solvatochromism of Reichardt's dye. In general, TDDFT applications to excitation energies in solution stand out and are highlighted. Applications to the ¹⁷O NMR chemical shifts of N-methylformamide in different solvents also demonstrate the distinct advantages of 3D-RISM over continuum solvents. Limitations are observed in this case for water solvent, where the solvent shielding is overestimated. This shortcoming applies also to the ¹⁷O gas-to-liquid shift of water, where we used localized molecular orbital analyses for a deeper understanding. For such cases of extremely strong solute-solvent interactions, couplings between solute and solvent orbitals induced by the magnetic perturbation are relevant. These clearly require a quantum-mechanical treatment of the most closely bound solvent molecules. Except for such extreme cases, 3D-RISM-SCF is very well suited to treat solvent effects on NMR parameters. More serious limitations pertain to the treatment of vibrational spectra, where the absence of the coupling between solute and solvent vibrational modes limits the accuracy of applications of 3D-RISM-SCF. The reported extended, efficient, and numerically accurate 3D-RISM-SCF implementation should provide a useful tool to study chemical and spectroscopic properties of molecules of appreciable size in a realistic solvent environment.

Natural Polyketides Isolated from the Endophytic Fungus Phomopsis sp. CAM212 with a Semisynthetic Derivative Downregulating the ERK/IκBα Signaling Pathways

Three previously undescribed natural products, phomopsinin A - C (1:  - 3: ), together with three known compounds, namely, cis-hydroxymellein (4: ), phomoxanthone A (5: ) and cytochalasin L-696,474 (6: ), were isolated from the solid culture of Phomopsis sp. CAM212, an endophytic fungus obtained from Garcinia xanthochymus. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data, including IR, NMR, and MS. The absolute configurations of 1: and 2: were assigned by comparing their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Acetylation of compound 1: yielded 1A: , a new natural product derivative that was tested together with other isolated compounds on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Cytochalasin L-696,474 (6: ) was found to significantly inhibit nitric oxide production, but was highly cytotoxic to the treated cells, whereas compound 1: slightly inhibited nitric oxide production, which was not significantly different compared to lipopolysaccharide-treated cells. Remarkably, the acetylated derivative of 1: , compound 1A: , significantly inhibited nitric oxide production with an IC₅₀ value of 14.8 µM and no cytotoxic effect on treated cells, thereby showing the importance of the acetyl group in the anti-inflammatory activity of 1A: . The study of the mechanism of action revealed that 1A: decreases the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase 2, and proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 without an effect on IL-1β expression. Moreover, it was found that 1A: exerts its anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells by downregulating the activation of ERK1/2 and by preventing the translocation of nuclear factor κB. Thus, derivatives of phomopsinin A (1: ), such as compound 1A: , could provide new anti-inflammatory leads.