Unveiling structural features, chemical reactivity, and bioactivity of a newly synthesized purine derivative through crystallography and computational approaches

Abstract

We introduce the synthesis and characterization of a novel purine derivative, 2-amino-6‑chloro-N,N-diphenyl-7H-purine-7-carboxamide. X-ray crystallography was utilized to elucidate its molecular and crystal structure. A comprehensive crystal packing analysis uncovered a network of diverse intermolecular interactions, including classical and unconventional hydrogen bonding. Remarkably, a unique halogen···π (C—Cl···π(ring)) interaction was identified and theoretically analyzed within a multi-approach quantum mechanics (QM) framework, revealing its lone-pair⋯π (n→π*) nature. Furthermore, insights into the electronic and chemical reactivity properties are provided by means of Conceptual Density Functional Theory (CDFT) at wB97X-D/aug-cc-pVTZ level. The compound's drug-likeness, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology profiles are assessed using ADMETlab 2.0. Finally, molecular docking simulations were conducted to evaluate its bioactivity as a potential cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor. This study significantly advances our understanding of purine structure and reactivity, offering valuable insights for the development of targeted purine-based COX-2 inhibitors and anticancer therapeutics.