The coordination chemistry of 2,8-dithia[9],(2,9)-1,10-phenanthrolinophane (L) towards transition and post-transition metal ions such as Cu(II), Cu(I), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) was studied at the polarized water/1,2-dichloroethane interface by cyclic voltammetry. The dependence of the half-wave transfer potential on the ligand and metal concentrations was used to formulate the stoichiometry, and to evaluate the association constants of the complexes formed between L and Pb(II).

The pure organic liquids nitrobenzene (NB) and 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) have been studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Both solvents are extremely important in various interfacial processes, mainly connected with ion transfer taking place across the interface with water. Thermodynamic (mass density, enthalpy of vaporization, isothermal compressibility, dipole moment) and dynamic (viscosities and self-diffusion coefficients) properties of both liquids have been calculated and are in very good agreement with the experimental data. In the case of NB, several potentials have been tested and the obtained results compared and discussed. In most cases, the OPLS all-atom potential gives results that are in better agreement with available experimental values. Atomic radial distribution functions, dihedral and angle distributions, as well as dipole-orientation correlation functions are used to probe the structure and interactions of the bulk molecules of both organic solvents. These were seen to be very similar in terms of structure and thermodynamics, but quite distinct in terms of dynamic behavior, with NPOE showing a much slower dynamic response than NB. A simulation study of the simple Cl- and K+ ions dissolved in both solvents has been also undertaken, revealing details about the diffusion and solvation mechanisms of these ions. It was found that in both liquids the positive potassium ion is solvated by the negative end of the molecular dipole, whereas the negative chloride ion is solvated by the positive end of the dipole.

In this paper, results obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the water-saturated organic liquids nitrobenzene (NB) and 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) are presented. Both solvents are extremely important in many areas of chemistry, and they are seen as the most promising successors of n-octanol for ion transfer studies at the liquid-liquid interface. Thermodynamic (mass density, enthalpy of vaporization), structural (radial distribution functions) and dynamic (diffusion coefficients) properties of both liquids have been calculated and compared with those obtained from MD simulations of the corresponding pure (water-free) organic liquids. The relatively polar nature of NB allows for an efficient incorporation of water into the organic liquid, minimizing the impact on the solvent structure and dynamics. NPOE exhibits added hydrophobicity due to the presence of along aliphatic chain, and this has an effect on its water solvation properties. Steric effects caused by these chains, together with the much slower dynamic response of the solvent, substantially hinder the motion of water and prevent interactions with other water molecules. The different behaviour of these solvents towards water provides a good means for studying the properties of these liquids at the interface with water.

Activation by human cytochrome P450 1A2 (hCYP1A2) of heterocyclic amines is assumed to trigger of a number of carcinogenic processes. In this work, a group of natural inhibitors of human cytochrome P450 1A2 reported in literature has been theoretically analysed. These consist of flavone hydroxylated derivatives, natural compounds that exist in plants and associated products. Different theoretical/computational tools were used to describe the specific molecular interactions between these compounds and hCYP1A2. Based on this analysis, a method is proposed for helping the selection of specific molecular features that enhance protein-inhibitor interaction. © 2006 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.

The first excited state (S-1) intermolecular potential energy surface for the p-difluorobenzene-Ar van der Waals complex is evaluated using the coupled-cluster method and the augmented correlation consistent polarized valence double-zeta basis set extended with a set of 3s3p2d1f1g midbond functions. In order to calculate the S-1 interaction energies we use the ground state surface evaluated with the same basis set and the coupled-cluster singles and doubles [CCSD] including connected triple excitations [CCSD(T)] model, and interaction and excitation energies evaluated at the CCSD level. The surface minima are characterized by the Ar atom located above and below the p-difluorobenzene center of mass at a distance of 3.4736 angstrom. The corresponding interaction energy is - 435.233 cm(-1). The surface is used in the evaluation of the intermolecular level structure of the complex.

The quaternization reaction between 2-amino-1-methylbenzimidazole and iodomethane was investigated in the gas phase and in liquid acetonitrile. Both experimental and theoretical techniques were used in this study. In the experimental part of this work, accurate second-order rate constants were obtained for this reaction in acetonitrile from conductivity data in the 293-323 K temperature range and at ambient pressure. From two different empirical equations describing the effect of temperature on reaction rates, thermodynamic functions of activation were calculated. In the theoretical part of this work, the mechanism of this reaction was investigated in the gas phase and in acetonitrile. Two different quantum levels(B3LYP/[6-311++G(3df,3pd)/LanL2DZ]// B3LYP/[6-31G(d)/LanL2DZ] and B3LYP/[6-311++G(3df,3pd)/LanL2DZ]//B3LYP/[6-31+G(d)/LanL2DZ]) were used in the calculations, and the acetonitrile environment was modeled using the polarized continuum model (PCM). In addition, an atoms in molecules (AIM) analysis was made aiming to characterize possible hydrogen bonding. The results obtained by both techniques are in excellent agreement and lead to new insight into the mechanism of the reaction under examination. These include the identification and thermodynamic characterization of the relevant stationary species, the rationalization of the mechanistic role played by the solvent and the amine group adjacent to the nucleophile nitrogen atom, the proposal of alternative paths on the modeled potential energy surfaces, and the origin of the marked non-Arrhenius behavior of the kinetic data in solvent acetonitrile. In particular, the AIM analysis confirmed the operation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between reactants and between products, both in the gas phase and in solution. It is also concluded that the unusual solvent effect on this Menshutkin reaction stems from the conjunction of a nucleophile possessing a relatively complex chemical structure with a dipolar aprotic solvent that is protophobic.

Cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) is a subclass of enzymes involved in the biotransformation of heterocyclic amines present in cooked red meat to carcinogenic compounds. Anti-cancer properties have long been associated with flavonoids, and some compounds of this class have been shown to interact directly with CYP1A2. The understanding of this interaction is the purpose of this work. As the number of experimentally tested molecules is limited, two complementary methods in terms of information provided, are proposed for the study of protein-inhibitor interaction as alternatives to a QSAR analysis, using quantum mechanics as well as molecular mechanics.