Hydrogen Tunneling Exhibiting Unexpectedly Small Primary Kinetic Isotope Effects.

Probing quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) in chemical reactions is crucial to understanding and developing new transformations. Primary H/D kinetic isotopic effects (KIEs) beyond the semiclassical maximum values of 7-10 (room temperature) are commonly used to assess substantial QMT contributions in one-step hydrogen transfer reactions, because of the much greater QMT probability of protium vs. deuterium. Nevertheless, we report here the discovery of a reaction model occurring exclusively by H-atom QMT with residual primary H/D KIEs. 2-Hydroxyphenylnitrene, generated in N2 matrix, was found to isomerize to an imino-ketone via sequential (domino) QMT involving anti to syn OH-rotamerization (rate determining step) and [1,4]-H shift reactions. These sequential QMT transformations were also observed in the OD-deuterated sample, and unexpected primary H/D KIEs between 3 and 4 were measured at 3 to 20 K. Analogous residual primary H/D KIEs were found in the anti to syn OH-rotamerization QMT of 2-cyanophenol in a N2 matrix. Evidence strongly indicates that these intriguing isotope-insensitive QMT reactivities arise due to the solvation effects of the N2 matrix medium, putatively through coupling with the moving H/D tunneling particle. Should a similar scenario be extrapolated to conventional solution conditions, then QMT may have been overlooked in many chemical reactions.

Dynamics of Polymer Membrane Swelling in Aqueous Suspension of Amino-Acids with Different Isotopic Composition; Photoluminescence Spectroscopy Experiments.

In photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments, the interaction mode of the polymer membrane Nafion with various amino-acids was studied. The experiments were performed with physiological NaCl solutions prepared in an ordinary water (the deuterium content is 157 ± 1 ppm) and also in deuterium-depleted water (the deuterium content is ≤1 ppm). These studies were motivated by the fact that when Nafion swells in ordinary water, the polymer fibers are effectively "unwound" into the liquid bulk, while in the case of deuterium-depleted water, the unwinding effect is missing. In addition, polymer fibers, unwound into the liquid bulk, are similar to the extracellular matrix (glycocalyx) on the cell membrane surface. It is of interest to clarify the role of unwound fibers in the interaction of amino-acids with the polymer membrane surface. It turned out that the interaction of amino-acids with the membrane surface gives rise to the effects of quenching luminescence from the luminescence centers. We first observed various dynamic regimes arising upon swelling the Nafion membrane in amino-acid suspension with various isotopic content, including triggering effects, which is similar to the processes in the logical gates of computers.

Lack of the 'long-distance' dynamical co-operative interactions due to low symmetry of hydrogen-bonded malonic acid aggregates in molecular crystals.

The paper explains the relationship between the energy of hydrogen bonds and the distance between associated carboxyl groups of malonic acid (MA) molecules by means of infrared spectroscopic studies of crystals of its four isotopic varieties [CH2(COOH)2, h4-MA; CH2(COOD)2, d2c-MA; CD2(COOH)2, d2m-MA; CD2(COOD)2, d4-MA]. The effects associated with impact on the isotopic dilution and changes in the temperature of spectrum registration on the fine structures of the νO-H and νO-D bands were analyzed. MA molecular crystals are characterized by a tendency to spontaneous H/D isotopic exchange both within centrosymmetric hydrogen bond cycles and methylene groups. The mono- and polycrystalline spectra obtained in the infrared range of isotopically neat and isotopically diluted by deuterons do not indicate the occurrence of anomalous temperature evolution in the course of lowering their registration temperature to 77 K. Theoretical calculations did not give clear confirmation of the nature of the phenomena analyzed.

Evidence for Genuine Bimetallic Frustrated Lewis Pair Activation of Dihydrogen with Gold(I)/Platinum(0) Systems.

A joint experimental/computational effort to elucidate the mechanism of dihydrogen activation by a gold(I)/platinum(0) metal-only frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) is described herein. The drastic effects on H2 activation derived from subtle ligand modifications have also been investigated. The importance of the balance between bimetallic adduct formation and complete frustration has been interrogated, providing for the first time evidence for genuine metal-only FLP reactivity in solution. The origin of a strong inverse kinetic isotopic effect has also been clarified, offering further support for the proposed bimetallic FLP-type cleavage of dihydrogen.

Long-lived 15 N Hyperpolarization and Rapid Relaxation as a Potential Basis for Repeated First Pass Perfusion Imaging - Marked Effects of Deuteration and Temperature.

Deuteration of the exchangeable hydrogens of [15 N2 ]urea was found to prolong the T1 of the 15 N sites to more than 3 min at physiological temperatures. This significant increase in the lifetime of the hyperpolarized state of [15 N2 ]urea, compared to [13 C]urea - a pre-clinically proven perfusion agent, makes [15 N2 ]urea a promising perfusion agent. The molecular parameters that may lead to this profound effect were assessed by investigating small molecules with different molecular structures containing 15 N sites bound to labile protons and determining the hyperpolarized 15 N T1 in H2 O and D2 O. Dissolution in D2 O led to marked prolongation for all of the selected sites. In whole human blood, the T1 of [15 N2 ]urea was shortened. We present a general strategy for exploiting the markedly longer T1 outside the body and the quick decay in blood for performing multiple hyperpolarized perfusion measurements with a single hyperpolarized dose. Improved storage of the generated [15 N2 ]urea polarization prior to the contact with the blood is demonstrated using higher temperatures due to further T1 prolongation.

The nature of hydrogen-bonding interactions in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs revealed by polarized IR spectroscopy.

The influence of hydrogen-bonding interactions in the solid phase on the IR spectroscopic pattern of the νOH band of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was studied experimentally by IR spectroscopy with the use of polarized light at two temperatures (293K and 77K) and in isotopic dilution. The neat and deuterated crystals of (S)-naproxen ((S)-NPX), (R)-flurbiprofen ((R)-FBP), (RS)-flurbiprofen ((RS)-FBP) and (RS)-ketoprofen ((RS)-KTP) were obtained by melt crystallization between the two squeezed CaF2 plates. The vibrational spectra of selected α-aryl propionic acid derivatives (2APAs) reflected the characteristics of their hydrogen-bond networks, i.e., 2APAs were characterized by the chain ((S)-NPX, (R)-FBP) and by dimeric ((RS)-FBP, (RS)-KTP) arrangement of hydrogen bonds in the crystal lattice. Spectroscopic results showed that the interchain (through-space) exciton coupling, between two laterally-spaced hydrogen bonds, dominates in the crystals of four NSAIDs. The same exciton coupled hydrogen bonds were also responsible for the H/D isotopic recognition mechanism in the crystalline spectra of deuterated 2APAs. The presented spectral results may help to predict the hydrogen bond motifs in the crystalline NSAIDs, which structures are not yet known, based on their IR spectra of hydrogen bond in the crystals.

Can heavy isotopes increase lifespan? Studies of relative abundance in various organisms reveal chemical perspectives on aging.

Stable heavy isotopes co-exist with their lighter counterparts in all elements commonly found in biology. These heavy isotopes represent a low natural abundance in isotopic composition but impose great retardation effects in chemical reactions because of kinetic isotopic effects (KIEs). Previous isotope analyses have recorded pervasive enrichment or depletion of heavy isotopes in various organisms, strongly supporting the capability of biological systems to distinguish different isotopes. This capability has recently been found to lead to general decline of heavy isotopes in metabolites during yeast aging. Conversely, supplementing heavy isotopes in growth medium promotes longevity. Whether this observation prevails in other organisms is not known, but it potentially bears promise in promoting human longevity.

H/D isotopic recognition and temperature effects in IR spectra of hydrogen-bonded cyclic dimers in crystals: 3-methylcinnamic acid and 4-phenylbutyric acid.

In the present work, the experimental and theoretical study of the nature of the inter-hydrogen bond interactions in two different carboxylic acids, 3-methylcinnamic acid (3MCA) and 4-phenylbutyric acid (4PBA), were reported. The polarized IR spectra of 3MCA and 4PBA crystals were recorded at the frequency ranges of the νO-H and νO-D bands. The spectral properties of 3MCA and 4PBA interpreted with the aid of the calculations based on the "strong-coupling" model. The differences in the spectral properties of the two different dimeric systems in the crystals provide a valuable information about the existence of a direct relationship between the crystal spectral properties in IR and the electronic structure of the molecular systems. In 3MCA crystals strong vibrational exciton interactions favor a "tail-to-head" (TH)-type Davydov coupling widespread via the π-electrons, whereas in 4PBA crystals a weak "through-space" (SS) exciton coupling is responsible for a "side-to-side"-type coupling. The relative contribution of each individual exciton coupling mechanism in IR spectra generation strongly depends on temperature and molecular electronic structure. The H/D isotopic recognition effect, depending on a non-random distribution of protons and deuterons in the crystal hydrogen bridges, was also analyzed.

Temperature, H/D isotopic and Davydov-splitting effects in the polarized IR spectra of hydrogen bond chain systems: 1,2,4-Triazole and 3-methyl-2-oxindole crystals.

The spectral properties of two different hydrogen-bonded crystalline systems, 1,2,4-triazole and 3-methyl-2-oxindole, containing molecular chains in their lattices, were examined by polarized IR spectroscopy, aided by the calculations utilizing the "strong-coupling" model. The experimental and theoretical approaches have shown that the individual crystal spectral properties in IR remain in a close relation with the electronic structure of the individual molecular systems. A vibronic coupling mechanism involving the hydrogen bond protons and the electrons occupying the π-electronic orbitals in the molecules determines the way in which the vibrational exciton coupling between the hydrogen bonds in the crystals occurs. For the associating systems, which molecules contain large delocalized π-electronic systems coupled directly with H-bonds, strong exciton interactions involving the vibrationally excited hydrogen bonds in the chains prefer a "tail-to-head"-type Davydov-coupling widespread via the π-electrons. A weak through-space exciton coupling involves two closely-spaced hydrogen bonds belonging to two different adjacent chains in the case, when large π-electronic systems in the molecules are absent. The relative contribution of each exciton coupling mechanism in the chain system spectra generation is temperature-dependent. The two competing individual Davydov-coupling mechanism are responsible for the appearance in the polarized spectra of temperature-dependent Davydov-splitting effects differentiating the spectral properties of the two crystalline systems. The H/D isotopic ''self-organization'' phenomenon, depending on a non-random distribution of protons and deuterons in the crystal hydrogen bridges was also analyzed.

Optimización de paquete computacional para el cálculo de estructura núcleo-electrónica: apmo / Opimization of ssoftware package for studies of quantum nuclear effect: apmo / Otimiação do proograma computacional ara o cálculo da estrutura elettrônica e não eletrônica: apmo

En este trabajo se presenta una versión rediseñada y optimizada del programa APMO (Any Particle Molecular Orbital). APMO es una implementación computacional del método del orbital molecular nuclear y electrónico (OMNE) en niveles de teoría Hartree-Fock (HF) y de perturbaciones de muchos cuerpos de segundo orden (MP2). En el método OMNE, tanto los núcleos atómicos como electrones se representan como funciones de onda. Este método permite un estudio directo de fenómenos en los que se presentan efectos cuánticos nucleares: efectos isotópicos, deslocalización nuclear, transferencia de protones, entre otros. La optimización realizada logró una marcada disminución en los tiempos de un cálculo global y permitió el uso de funciones de base electrónicas y nucleares con altos momentos angulares. Como ejemplo de las nuevas posibilidades del programa se presenta un estudio del efecto isotópico en complejos monohidratados y dihidratados de cobre (I) y cinc (II). En estos sistemas se encontró que la sustitución de protio por deuterio debilita el enlace oxígeno-metal.

This paper describes the optimization of the overall calculation scheme and the implementations of an efficient system for calculate molecular integrals in the APMO software package (Any Particle Molecular Orbital). APMO is an implementation of the nuclear and electronic molecular orbital (NEMO) method at Hatree-Fock (HF) and MP2 levels of theory. In this method, both nuclei and electrons are represented as wave functions, which allow the study of phenomena where nuclear quantum effects are important, such as isotope effects, hydrogen bonding, proton transfer, and others. This optimization reached a marked decrease in global and molecular integrals calculation times and enabled the use ofbasis functions with angular momenta higher than d and allowed the calculation of systems with more than eight atoms. This paper also presents the application of the NEMO method to the study of the isotope effect on mono and dihydrated complexes of copper (I) and zinc (II). For these systems, we found that the substitution of a proton with a deuteron nucleus weakens the metal-oxygen bond.

Este artigo descreve a otimização do sistema no cálculo global e a implementação de um sistema eficiente para calcular integrais moleculares no programa computacional APMO (Any Particle Molecular Orbital). APMO é uma implementação do método dos orbitais moleculares nucleares e eletrónicos (OMNE) no nível da teoria Hartree-Fock (HF) e o MP2. Neste método, tanto núcleos como elétrons apresentam-se como funções de onda permitirem o estudo dos fenômenos nucleares onde os efeitos quânticos são importantes, tais como efeitos de isótopos, pontes de hidrogênio, transferência de prótons, e outros. Com a otimização realizada, diminuiu o tempo do cálculo global e de integrais molecular; além disso, permitiu a utilização de funções de base com o momento angular superior a d eo cálculo de sistemas com mais de oito átomos. Este trabalho apresenta também a aplicação do método e NEMO para o estudo do efeito isotópico em mono-complexos e di-complexos de cobre (I) e zinco (II). Para estes sistemas, descobrimos que a substituição de um próton com um núcleo deuteron enfraquece o vínculo de oxigênio-metal.