Conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model Research Articles

Improving Generalized Born Models by Exploiting Connections to Polarizable Continuum Models. I. An Improved Effective Coulomb Operator.

We investigate the generalized Born (GB) implicit solvation model in comparison with polarizable continuum models (PCMs). We show that the GB model is intimately connected to the conductor-like PCM (C-PCM), a method that is accurate for high-dielectric solvents but less so for weakly polar and nonpolar solvents. The formal connection between C-PCM and the GB model suggests that C-PCM calculations place a limit on the accuracy that one should expect from GB models but also demonstrates that comparison of GB and C-PCM calculations directly interrogates the accuracy of the effective Coulomb operator that is used in the pairwise GB energy expression. We introduce a simple alternative to the "canonical" pairwise interaction operator first proposed by Still et al. and show that this alternative reduces the cost of the pairwise GB energy summation by as much as a factor of 3. At the same time, the new operator reduces statistical errors in solvation energies (as compared to C-PCM benchmarks) by 0.3% with respect to the canonical operator that exhibits an error of roughly 1.0%.

THEORETICAL CALCULATION OF pKb VALUES FOR ANILINES AND SULFONAMIDE DRUGS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

In this work, calculations of p K b values have been performed for aniline and its substituted derivatives and sulfonamide drugs by using Gaussian 98 software package. Gas-phase energies were calculated with HF /6-31 G ** and B3LYP /6-31 G ** levels of theory. Free energies of solvation have been computed using the polarizable continuum model (PCM), conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) and the integral equation formalism-polarizable continuum model (IEFPCM) at the same levels which have been used for geometry determination in the gas-phase. The results show that the calculated p K b values using the B3LYP /6-31 G ** are better than those using the corresponding HF /6-31 G **. At first, the correlation equation was found to determine the p K b values of the investigated anilines. Then, this correlation equation was used to calculate the p K b values of the sulfonamide drugs. The results obtained indicate that the PCM model is a suitable solvation model for calculating p K b values in comparison to the other solvation models. For the investigated compounds a good agreement between the experimental and the calculated p K b values was also observed.

Photophysical properties of a hydrazone-based switch: A TDDFT study and comparison

The photophysical properties of a hydrazone-based switch, which can be induced using pH to yield three stable configurations (QPH-E, QPH-Z-H+ and QPH-Z-H22+) and another unstable configuration (QPH-Z). The three stable configuration have been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). A generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional (PBE) and two hybrid-type functional (B3LYP and BH&HLYP) as well as four popular basis sets (6-31G(d,p), SVP, TZVP and DZP) have been selected to calculate the photophysical properties. The solvent effects were in view with the Conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM). Besides, the charge distribution of this switch had been investigated by the pop at the level of the B3YLP/6-31G(d,p) in gas. Results show that the B3LYP functional is more accurate in all simulations.

Redox Energetics of Hypercloso Boron Hydrides BnHn (n = 6–13) and B12X12 (X = F, Cl, OH, and CH3)

The reduction potentials (E°(Red) versus SHE) of hypercloso boron hydrides B(n)H(n) (n = 6-13) and B(12)X(12) (X = F, Cl, OH, and CH(3)) in water have been computed using the Conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM) and the Solvation Model Density (SMD) method for solvation modeling. The B3LYP/aug-cc-pvtz and M06-2X/aug-cc-pvtz as well as G4 level of theory were applied to determine the free energies of the first and second electron attachment (ΔG(E.A.)) to boron clusters. The solvation free energies (ΔG(solv)) greatly depend on the choice of the cavity set (UAKS, Pauling, or SMD) while the dependence on the choice of exchange/correlation functional is modest. The SMD cavity set gives the largest ΔΔG(solv) for B(n)H(n)(0/-) and B(n)H(n)(-/2-) while the UAKS cavity set gives the smallest ΔΔG(solv) value. The E°(Red) of B(n)H(n)(-/2-) (n = 6-12) with the G4/M06-2X(Pauling) (energy/solvation(cavity)) combination agrees within 0.2 V of experimental values. The experimental oxidative stability (E(1/2)) of B(n)X(n)(2-) (X = F, Cl, OH, and CH(3)) is usually located between the values predicted using the B3LYP and M06-2X functionals. The disproportionation free energies (ΔG(dpro)) of 2B(n)H(n)(-) → B(n)H(n) + B(n)H(n)(2-) reveal that the stabilities of B(n)H(n)(-) (n = 6-13) to disproportionation decrease in the order B(8)H(8)(-) > B(9)H(9)(-) > B(11)H(11)(-) > B(10)H(10)(-). The spin densities in B(12)X(12)(-) (X = F, Cl, OH, and CH(3)) tend to delocalize on the boron atoms rather than on the exterior functional groups. The partitioning of ΔG(solv)(B(n)H(n)(2-)) over spheres allows a rationalization of the nonlinear correlation between ΔG(E.A.) and E°(Red) for B(6)H(6)(-/2-), B(11)H(11)(-/2-), and B(13)H(13)(-/2-).

Ab initio studies on acidity and tautomeric equilibrium constants of some benzoxa-, benzothia-, benzoselena-zolinone derivatives

This paper presents ab initio procedure to calculate aqueous-phase acid dissociation constants (pKa) values, accurately. In this work, dissociation and tautomeric equilibrium constants (KT) of some benzoxa-, benzothia-, benzoselena-zolinone derivatives were studied theoretically. For this purpose, Gibbs free energy values for neutral and deprotonated forms of investigated compounds were calculated at gas and aqueous phase by using Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) calculation methods. For both calculation methods it was found that 6-311G(d) basis set is the most convenient method. Solvent effects are taken into account by means of conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM). It was shown that, theoretically calculated pKa values are in good agreement with the existing experimental pKa values, which are determined from capillary electrophoresis, potentiometric titration and UV–visible spectrophotometric measurements. Calculated pKa values also revealed that the DFT method (R2=0.92) gave much closed results to experimental values in comparison to Hartree–Fock method (R2=0.86). Due to the all investigated compounds have keto-enol tautomerism, KT and pKT values were calculated without need to form model compounds. Theoretically calculated KT values indicated that, keto forms are predominant for all the investigated compounds.

Prototropic tautomerism and microsolvation in antitumor drug imexon: a DFT study

Density functional theory method, at the B3LYP/6–311+G(d, p) level has been used to explore the geometries, relative energies, and electronic properties of all hypothetically possible prototropic tautomers of imexon. The specific interactions of the tautomeric forms of imexon with one and two solvating water molecules have been investigated. The relative stability order of the complexes remains unchanged upon interaction with one water molecule. The addition of a second water molecule, however, stabilizes the oxo-amino form more than the oxo-imino structure. The bulk water environment has been simulated by a combination of microhydration and the conductor-like polarizable continuum model. The energy profile corresponding to the prototopic tautomerisms connecting oxo-imino form with oxo-amino, hydroxyl-amino, and one rare tautomer has been studied. We found that the tautomerism activation barriers are high enough as to conclude that only the oxo-imino tautomer should be found in the gas phase. Our results present clear evidence that microhydration with one and two solvating water molecules considerably lower these barriers by a concerted multiple proton transfer mechanism.

Mechanisms and kinetics of thiotepa and tepa hydrolysis: DFT study

N,N',N″-triethylenethiophosphoramide (Thiotepa) and its oxo analogue (Tepa) as the major metabolite are trifunctional alkylating agents with a broad spectrum of antitumor activity. In vivo and vitro studies show alkylation of DNA by Thiotepa and Tepa can follow two pathways, but it remains unclear which pathway represents the precise mechanism of action. In pathway 1, these agents are capable of forming cross-links with DNA molecules via two different mechanisms. In the first mechanism, the ring opening reaction is initiated by protonating the aziridine, which then becomes the primary target of nucleophilic attack by the N7-Guanine. The second one is a direct nucleophilic ring opening of aziridyl group. Thiotepa and Tepa in pathway 2, act as a cell penetrating carrier for aziridine, which is released via hydrolysis. The released aziridine can form a cross-link with N7-Guanine. In this study, we calculated the activation free energy and kinetic rate constant for hydrolysis of these agents and explored interaction of aziridine with Guanine to predict the most probable mechanism by applying density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP method. In addition, solvent effect was introduced using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) in water, THF and diethylether. Hyperconjugation stabilization factors that have an effect on stability of generated transition state were investigated by natural bond order (NBO) analysis. Furthermore, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis was performed to extract the bond critical points (BCP) properties, because the electron densities can be considered as a good description of the strength of different types of interactions.

Theoretical studies on the chemical decomposition of 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine: DFT study and Monte Carlo simulation

The decomposition mechanism of 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine has been studied by the use of computational techniques. Optimized structures for all of the stationary points in the gas phase were investigated at B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. Single-point energies were determined employing the ab initio MP2 method in conjunction with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Five possible pathways, paths 1–5, were evaluated. In each pathway, the direct (A-paths 1–5) and water-assisted (B-paths 1–5) processes were considered. Meanwhile, the local microhydration model with the direct participation of three water molecules around the reaction centers was adopted to mimic the system for the water-assisted decomposition mechanisms above, where one water molecule is the nucleophilic reactant and the other two are the auxiliary molecules located on each side of the nucleophilic water. The results in the gas phase exhibit that the energy barriers of the water-assisted pathways based on the local microhydration model decrease dramatically by about 15–20 kcal/mol as compared with those of the direct pathways because of the contribution of the auxiliary water molecules. In addition, bulk solvent effects of water were determined by means of the self-consistent reaction field based on the conductor-like polarized continuum model and Monte Carlo simulation with free energy perturbation (MC-FEP) technique, respectively. Our computational results indicate that B-path 3 in the decomposition reaction of 5-azadC is the most favorable, where the calculated rate constant (1.68 × 10−3 min−1) using the MC-FEP method is within the range of the experimentally determined values [(5.89 ± 0.54) × 10−3 min−1 by UV and (1.46 ± 0.08) × 10−3 min−1 by NMR].

The effect of zinc ion on the absorption and emission spectra of glutathione derivative: Predication by ab initio and DFT methods

Relying on the reaction of o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) with glutathione (GSH) to form a highly fluorescence derivative GSH–OPA has been widely used to measure reduced glutathione. In order to better understand spectra property of the GSH–OPA and the effect of zinc ion on it, the ground and the lowest singlet excited state properties, the electronic absorption and emission spectra are predicted by ab initio and DFT methods. The absorption spectra are simulated using time dependent DFT method (TD-DFT) whereas the emission spectra are approximated by optimizing the lowest singlet excited state by HF/CI-Singles and then subsequently using this geometry for the TD-DFT calculations. The solvent effects on transition energies have been described within the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM). The calculated transition energies (absorption and emission) are in agreement with available experimental information.

Four novel ketocoumarin-based chromophores: Synthesis, photoluminescent behaviors and theoretical studies

Abstract Four novel coumarin derivatives were synthesized and characterized via MS, 1 H NMR, FT-IR, and UV–vis absorption spectra. The fluorescence behaviors of the compounds in DFM solutions were observed. The compounds exhibited strong blue and green emissions under ultraviolet light excitation. Calculations performed using a combined time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and conductor-like polarizable continuum model (C-PCM) reproduced the π → π * type absorption bands of the four compounds. Resonance frequency calculations were also performed to study the IR spectra of the compounds. The calculated results are in good accordance with the experimental values.

A theoretical investigation of the relative stability of hydrated glycine and methylcarbamic acid—from water clusters to interstellar ices

We have theoretically investigated how the low-energy conformers of the neutral and the zwitterionic forms of glycine as well as methylcarbamic acid are stabilized by the presence water. The MP2/6-311++G(d,p) method was utilized to conduct calculations on glycine and methylcarbamic acid in both isolated clusters and in clusters embedded in the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (C-PCM), where the clusters explicitly contain between one and ten water molecules. The neutral forms of glycine and methylcarbamic acid were found to have similar hydration energies, whereas the neutral methylcarbamic acid was determined to be approximately 32 kJ mol(-1) more stable than the neutral glycine in the isolated clusters and 30 kJ mol(-1) more stable in the C-PCM embedded clusters. Both the number and strength of the hydrogen bonding interactions between water and the zwitterions drive the stability. This lowers the relative energy of the glycine zwitterion from 50 kJ mol(-1) above neutral glycine, when there are two water molecules in the clusters to 11 kJ mol(-1) below for the clusters containing ten water molecules. For the methylcarbamic acid clusters with two water molecules, the zwitterion is 51 kJ mol(-1) higher in energy than the neutral form, but it remains 13 kJ mol(-1) above the neutral methylcarbamic acid in the clusters containing ten water molecules. When the bulk water environment is simulated by the C-PCM calculations, we find both the methylcarbamic acid and glycine zwitterionic forms have similar energies at 20 kJ mol(-1) above the neutral methylcarbamic acid energy and 10 kJ mol(-1) lower than the neutral glycine energy. Although neither methylcarbamic acid nor glycine have been detected in the interstellar medium yet, our findings indicate that methylcarbamic acid is the more stable product from methylamine and carbon dioxide reactions in a water ice. This suggests that methylcarbamic acid likely plays a role in the intermediate steps if glycine is formed in the interstellar medium.

A theoretical kinetic model of the temperature and pH dependent dimerization of orthosilicic acid in aqueous solution

The first steps in a pH- and temperature-dependent theoretical kinetic model of silicate polymerization and dissolution are examined in this work with a combined ab initio and transition state theory based study of the dimerization of H(4)SiO(4). The role of solvation has been of primary concern in this work, and its influence on theoretical activation energies and pre-exponential factors has been thoroughly benchmarked. Relatively inexpensive MP2/6-31+G(d)//HF/6-31+G(d) calculations of octahydrate clusters, with conductor-like polarizable continuum model corrections obtained in the MP2-level single-point calculations, have been shown to lead to a good description of the limited experimentally determined energetics of dimerization for most elementary reactions. Pre-exponential factors computed from this level of theory are found to be relatively insensitive to the level of theory utilized for geometry optimizations, the number of explicit waters, hindered rotor corrections, and variational effects arising from the minimization of rate constants. Within this framework, a kinetic model of the chemistry of H(4)SiO(4) and H(3)SiO(4)(-), forming H(6)Si(2)O(7) and H(5)Si(2)O(7)(-), has been compiled. Numerical simulations over pH = 3-12 show that a number of pH- and temperature dependent trends in reaction rates and positions of equilibrium are well described with this simple dimerization model. More specifically to the dimerization process, we obtain dimerization constants, log K(dim), of 1.85 and -7.15 for the formation of H(6)Si(2)O(7) and H(5)Si(2)O(7)(-) respectively, which compare well with experimentally determined values of 1.2 and -8.5, respectively.

Dissolution Thermochemistry of Alkali Metal Dianion Salts (M2X1, M = Li+, Na+, and K+with X = CO32–, SO42–, C8H82–, and B12H122–)

The dissolution Gibbs free energies (ΔG°(diss)) of salts (M(2)X(1)) have been calculated by density functional theory (DFT) with Conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM) solvation modeling. The absolute solvation free energies of the alkali metal cations (ΔG(solv)(M(+))) come from the literature, which coincide well with half reduction potential versus SHE data. For solvation free energies of dianions (ΔG(solv)(X(2-))), four different DFT functionals (B3LYP, PBE, BVP86, and M05-2X) were applied with three different sets of atomic radii (UFF, UAKS, and Pauling). Lattice free energies (ΔG(latt)) of salts were determined by three different approaches: (1) volumetric, (2) a cohesive Gibbs free energy (ΔG(coh)) plus gaseous dissociation free energy (ΔG(gas)), and (3) the Born-Haber cycle. The G4 level of theory, electron propagator theory, and stabilization by dielectric medium were used to calculate the second electron affinity to form the dianions CO(3)(2-) and SO(4)(2-). Only the M05-2X/Pauling combination with the three different methods for estimating ΔG(latt) yields the expected negative dissolution free energies (ΔG°(diss)) of M(2)SO(4). Salts with large dianions like M(2)C(8)H(8) and M(2)B(12)H(12) reveal the limitation of using static radii in the volumetric estimation of lattice energies. The value of ΔE(coh) was very dependent on the DFT functional used.

DFT and AIM Study of the Protonation of Nitrous Acid and the pKaof Nitrous Acidium Ion

The gas phase and aqueous thermochemistry, NMR chemical shifts, and the topology of chemical bonding of nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrous acidium ion (H(2)ONO(+)) have been investigated by ab initio methods using density functional theory. By the same methods, the dissociation of H(2)ONO(+) to give the nitrosonium ion (NO(+)) and water has also been investigated. We have used Becke's hybrid functional (B3LYP), and geometry optimizations were performed with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. In addition, highly accurate ab initio composite methods (G3 and CBS-Q) were used. Solvation energies were calculated using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model, CPCM, at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory, with the UAKS cavity model. The pK(a) value of H(2)ONO(+) was calculated using two different schemes: the direct method and the proton exchange method. The calculated pK(a) values at different levels of theory range from -9.4 to -15.6, showing that H(2)ONO(+) is a strong acid (i.e., HONO is only a weak base). The equilibrium constant, K(R), for protonation of nitrous acid followed by dissociation to give NO(+) and H(2)O has also been calculated using the same methodologies. The pK(R) value calculated by the G3 and CBS-QB3 methods is in best (and satisfactory) agreement with experimental results, which allows us to narrow down the likely value of the pK(a) of H(2)ONO(+) to about -10, a value appreciably more acidic than literature values.

Analytic energy gradients in combined second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory and conductorlike polarizable continuum model calculation

The analytic energy gradients in combined second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory and conductorlike polarizable continuum model calculations are derived and implemented for spin-restricted closed shell (RMP2), Z-averaged spin-restricted open shell (ZAPT2), and spin-unrestricted open shell (UMP2) cases. Using these methods, the geometries of the S(0) ground state and the T(1) state of three nucleobase pairs (guanine-cytosine, adenine-thymine, and adenine-uracil) in the gas phase and aqueous solution phase are optimized. It is found that in both the gas phase and the aqueous solution phase the hydrogen bonds in the T(1) state pairs are weakened by ~1 kcal/mol as compared to those in the S(0) state pairs.

A DFT STUDY ON THE HYDROLYSIS MECHANISM OF THE NAMI-A-TYPE ANTITUMOR COMPLEX (HL)[trans-RUCl4L(dmso-S)](L=4-amino-1,2,4-triazole)

The hydrolysis process of Ru (III) complex (HL)[trans- RuCl4L(dmso-S)] (L=4-amino-1,2,4-triazole) (1), a potential antitumor complex similar to the well-known antitumor agent (ImH)[trans- RuCl4(dmso-S)(Im)](NAMI-A), was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) with the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM). The structural characteristics and the detailed energy profiles for the hydrolysis processes of this complex were obtained. For the first hydrolysis step, complex 1 with 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole ligand shows much faster aquation than NAMI-A with imidazole ligand and complex 2 with 4H-1,2,4-triazole ligand, and such a calculated result is in good agreement with the experimental one. For the second hydrolysis step, the formation of cis-diaqua products is found to be thermodynamically preferred over the trans isomers. In addition, on the basis of the analysis of electronic characteristics of species in the hydrolysis process, the trend in abilities (A) of hydrolysis products attacked nucleophilicly by pertinent biomolecules is revealed. These theoretical results will help in understanding the action mechanism of this potential Ru (III) drug with pertinent biomolecular targets.

Site specificity of OH α-H abstraction reaction for a β-hairpin peptide: An ab initio study

A β-hairpin peptide (PDB ID 1UAO) was modeled to explore the backbone oxidation of a protein by an OH radical to abstract one α-H atom with ab initio calculation at the B3LYB/6-31G(d) without any constraint. Three glycine residues located at three different sites in 1UAO were used to examine the possible site specificity of this backbone oxidation. The pre- and post-reactive complexes along with their associated transition states were located and verified by the intrinsic reaction coordinate method. The reaction profile of these α-H abstraction reactions was constructed. The effects of the aqueous solution were estimated by the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) model. Rate constants were calculated with transition state theory. The reaction rate of the OH α-H abstraction varies among these three different sites. The differences among these three sites were rationalized in terms of the molecular and electronic structures of the reactive complexes along the reaction pathway. The explicit solvation effect was estimated through the similar abstraction of a zwitterionic glycine with the combination of microsolvation and a CPCM model. Our results indicate that the α-H abstraction at certain sites requires explicit salvation to obtain accurate results. A replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation was performed to demonstrate the structural change due to this type of abstraction.

Antioxidant Potential of Glutathione: A Theoretical Study

All possible X-H (where X can be C, N, O or S) bond dissociation energies (BDEs) of glutathione (γ-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine, GSH) and its fragments have been calculated by first principle methods, and the antioxidant potential of GSH was revealed to be higher than expected in earlier studies. Electron delocalization was found to have an important influence on the antioxidant potential. All structures were optimized and their harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated in the gas phase at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. Solvent effects were taken into account for optimizations at the same level of theory by applying the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM). Hydrogen cleavage from glutathione proved that the G3MP2B3 composite method provides results consistent with the experimental values for bond dissociation enthalpies (DH(298)) of S-H, O-H, C-H, and N-H bonds. In order to replace the G3MP2B3 energies with accurate single point calculations, six density functionals, namely, MPWKCIS, MPWKCIS1K, M06, TPSS1KCIS, TPSSh, and B3LYP, were tested against G3MP2B3 for obtaining accurate bond dissociation energies. The MPWKCIS1K/6-311++G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory provides the best correlation with the G3MP2B3 method for BDEs in both phases, and therefore, it is recommended for similar calculations. Gas phase results showed that the O-H bond was the weakest, while in aqueous phase the N-H bond in the ammonium group proved to have the smallest BDE value in the studied system. In both cases, the cleavage of the X-H bond was followed by decarboxylation which was responsible for the energetic preference of these processes over the S-H dissociation, which was regarded as the most favorable one until now. The calculated BDE values showed that in aqueous phase the most preferred H-abstraction site is at the weakest N-H bond (BDE(aq) = 349.3 kJ mol(-1)) in the glutamine fragment near the α-carbon. In water, the formation of N-centered radicals compared to S-centered ones (BDE(aq) = 351.7 kJ mol(-1)) is more endothermic by 2.54 kJ mol(-1), due to decarboxylation. Hydrogen dissociation energies from the α-carbons are also comparable in energy with those of the thiol hydrogen, within computational error. The higher stability of the radicals--except the S-centered ones--is due to various degrees of electron delocalization. In aqueous phase, four quasi-equivalent stable radical centers (the α-carbons, the N-centered radical of the NH(2) group, and the S-centered radical) were found which provide the antioxidant behavior of glutathione.

Theoretical calculation of the pKa values of some drugs in aqueous solution

AbstractIn this work, calculations of pKa values have been performed on benzoic acid and its para‐substituted derivatives and some drugs by using Gaussian 98 software package. Gas‐phase energies were calculated with HF/6‐31 G** and B3LYP/6‐31 G** levels of theory. Free energies of solvation have been computed using the polarizable continuum model (PCM), conductor‐like PCM (CPCM), and the integral equation formalism‐PCM at the same levels which have been used for geometry determination in the gas‐phase. The results that show the calculated pKa values using the B3LYP are better than those using the corresponding HF. In comparison to the other models, the results obtained indicate that the PCM model is a suitable solvation model for calculating pKa values. For the investigated compounds, a good agreement between the experimental and the calculated pKa values was also observed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011

Hydrolysis Mechanism of the NAMI-A-type Antitumor Complex (HL)[trans-RuCl4L(dmso-S)] (L=1-methyl-1,2,4-triazole)

The hydrolysis process of Ru(III) complex (HL)[trans-RuCl4L(dmso-S)] (L=1-methyl-1,2,4-triazole and dmso-S=S-dimethyl sulfoxide) (1), a potential antitumor complex similar to the well-known antitumor agent (Him)[trans-RuCl4(dmso-S)(im)] (NAMI-A, im=imidazole), was investigated using density functional theory combined with the conductor-like polarizable continuum model approach. The structural characteristics and the detailed energy profiles for the hydrolysis processes of this complex were obtained. For the first hydrolysis step, complex 1 has slightly higher barrier energies than the reported anticancer drug NAMI-A, and the result is in accordance with the experimental evidence indicating larger half-life for complex 1. For the second hydrolysis step, the formation of cis-diaqua species is thermodynamic preferred to that of trans isomers. In addition, on the basis of the analysis of electronic characteristics of species in the hydrolysis process, the trend in nucleophilic attack abilities of hydrolysis products by pertinent biomolecules is revealed and predicted.