Structural Diversity of Di-Metalized Arginine Evidenced by Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation (IRMPD) Spectroscopy in the Gas Phase

Although metal cations are prevalent in biological media, the species of multi-metal cationized biomolecules have received little attention so far. Studying these complexes in isolated state is important, since it provides intrinsic information about the interaction among them on the molecular level. Our investigation here demonstrates the unexpected structural diversity of such species generated by a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) source in the gas phase. The photodissociation spectroscopic and theoretical study reflects that the co-existing isomers of [Arg+Rb+K−H]+ can have energies ≥95 kJ/mol higher than that of the most stable one. While the result can be rationalized by the great isomerization energy barrier due to the coordination, it strongly reminds us to pay more attention to their structural diversities for multi-metalized fundamental biological molecules, especially for the ones with the ubiquitous alkali metal ions.

Effect of Iodine Filler on Photoisomerization Kinetics of Photo-Switchable Thin Films Based on PEO-BDK-MR

We report the effect of an iodine filler on photoisomerization kinetics of photo-switchable PEO-BDK-MR thin films. The kinetics of photoisomerization and time progression of PEO-BDK-MR/I2 nanocomposite thin films are investigated using UV-Vis, FTIR spectroscopies, and modified mathematical models developed using new analytical methods. Incorporating iodine filler into the PEO-BDK-MR polymeric matrix enhances the isomerization energy barrier and considerably increases the processing time. Our outcomes propose that enhanced photoisomerized and time processed (PEO-BDK-MR)/I2 thin films could be potential candidates for a variety of applications involving molecular solar thermal energy storage media.

A Comparison of the Accuracy of Semi-empirical PM3, PDDG and PM6 methods in Predicting Heats of Formation for Organic Compounds

<p>Gas phase heats of formation (HOF) of 18 kinds of 390 organic compounds were calculated by quantum chemical calculation using semi-empirical PM3, PDDG and PM6 methods. The calculated HOFs were compared with the experimental data to illustrate the accuracy for different kinds of organics. Furthermore, the calculated values were linearly fitted with experimental values using the least square method, and were afterward substituted into the fitted regression equations to obtain the calibrated ones. The results show that, for 10 kinds of the selected organics, PM6 is more accurate, and PDDG is more accurate for 7 kinds of organics, while PM3 is only good for amino acid. As a whole, PM6 predicts the HOFs more accurately, with its weighted total mean average deviation (WTMAD) being 0.4 kJ/mol and 2.4 kJ/mol smaller than those of PM3 and PDDG, respectively. On the other hand, our results show that PDDG is the best to differentiate the isomers, with its mean average deviation (MAD) for isomerization energy being 7.8 kJ/mol and 11.0 kJ/mol smaller than PM6 and PM3, respectively. After the calibration, the values of MADs from the PM3, PDDG and PM6 results for most organics are reduced by 0.1 to 18.2 kJ/mol, with exceptions of the PM3 for amines, PDDG for carboxylic acids, and PM6 for ethers.</p>

Solvation environment effects on the photoisomerization equilibrium of the model tannins catechin and epicatechin as natural sunscreens in aquatic systems

The photoisomerization equilibrium between the model tannins (-)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin in aqueous solution was investigated at the density functional level of theory to gain insights into the action of these compounds as natural sunscreens in aquatic systems. Increasing water temperature, as might be expected on seasonal and diurnal bases, is predicted to shift the equilibrium further in favor of catechin. The isomerization energy between catechin and epicatechin was also considered in a range of polar protic, polar aprotic, apolar protic, and apolar aprotic solvents using the solvation model based on density (SMD) and integral equation formalism polarizable continuum model (IEFPCM). The IEFPCM yielded a modest range in isomerization energies depending on solvent polarity or proticity, whereas a substantial variation was observed with the SMD. The SMD results suggest that the solvation environment around catechin and epicatechin will play a major role on the photoisomerization equilibrium between these two compounds. As the freely dissolved monomer in aquatic systems, the catechin–epicatechin photoisomerization equilibrium will be in the range of 11:1 to 14:1. In the less polar environments of associations with dissolved organic matter or within a larger tannin structural framework, the theoretical modeling efforts indicate that the catechin–epicatechin photoisomerization equilibrium could be as low as 3:1.