Effect Of Deuteration Research Articles

Effect of Isotopic Substitution on Elementary Processes in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Deuterated Amino-Phenyl Acid Dyes on TiO2

We present the first computational study of the effects of isotopic substitution on the operation of dye-sensitized solar cells. Ab initio molecular dynamics is used to study the effect of deuteration on light absorption, dye adsorption dynamics, the averaged over vibrations driving force to injection (∆Gi) and regeneration (∆Gr), as well as on promotion of electron back-donation in dyes NK1 (2E,4E-2-cyano-5-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)penta-2,4-dienoic acid) and NK7 (2E,4E-2-cyano-5-(4-diphenylaminophenyl)penta-2,4-dienoic acid) adsorbed in monodentate molecular and bidentate bridging dissociative configurations on the anatase (101) surface of TiO2. Deuteration causes a red shift of the absorption spectrum of the dye/TiO2 complex by about 5% (dozens of nm), which can noticeably affect the overlap with the solar spectrum in real cells. The dynamics effect on the driving force to injection and recombination (the difference between the averaged and ∆Gi,requil at the equilibrium configuration) is strong, yet there is surprisingly little isotopic effect: the average driving force to injection and to regeneration changes by only about 10 meV upon deuteration. The nuclear dynamics enhance recombination to the dye ground state due to the approach of the electron-donating group to TiO2, yet this effect is similar for deuterated and non-deuterated dyes. We conclude that the nuclear dynamics of the C-H(D) bonds, mostly affected by deuteration, might not be important for the operation of photoelectrochemical cells based on organic dyes. As the expectation value of the ground state energy is higher than its optimum geometry value (by up to 0.1 eV in the present case), nuclear motions will affect dye regeneration by recently proposed redox shuttle-dye combinations operating at low driving forces.

Deuteration effect on the NH/ND stretch band of the jet-cooled 7-azaindole and its tautomeric dimers: Relation between the vibrational relaxation and the ground-state double proton-transfer reaction

Infrared spectra of NH and ND stretch bands of the 7-azaindole (7-AI) dimer and its tautomeric dimer are observed to investigate a deuteration effect on the spectra and also a ground-state double proton-transfer (DPT) reaction. We examined the three isotopic species for each dimers; undeuterated one (NH–NH) and one or two hydrogen atom(s) of the NH groups is deuterated ones (NH–ND and ND–ND, respectively). It is found that the ND stretch band profiles of the NH–ND and ND–ND tautomeric dimers are very similar with each other. This result is very distinct from the result of the comparison of the NH stretch band profiles of the NH–NH and NH–ND dimers in our previous paper. For a further discussion, we examined the deuteration effect in the case of the 7-AI dimer. It is found that band profiles of the NH stretch of the NH–NH and the NH–ND dimers and also the ND stretch of the NH–ND and the ND–ND dimers exhibit similar patterns, respectively. These facts indicates that the vibrational relaxation from the NH/ND stretch level of the dimer basically proceed within a monomer unit. The large deuteration effect of the NH stretch band profile observed previously is found to be characteristic of the tautomeric dimer. This behavior is related to a large anharmonicity of the potential energy surface originating from an existence of the double-proton transfer reaction barrier.

Vibrational Circular Dichroism Spectra of Lysozyme Solutions: Solvent Effects on Thermal Denaturation Processes

Vibrational spectroscopy has been applied to the study of conformational variation of lysozyme during thermal denaturation. An infrared and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) analysis of lysozyme in D2O, D2O/EtOD, and D2O/DMSO at different solvent compositions and pH's was accomplished. Complete deuteration effects on amidic groups were revealed through the analysis of the amide I band of lysozyme dissolved in deuterated water. The comparison of IR absorption and VCD spectra of lysozyme in D2O revealed the higher sensitivity of the VCD technique to the presence of partially or fully deuterated secondary structure of lysozyme. Aggregation was induced by thermalization of lysozyme at different solvent compositions and pH values. Interestingly, IR and VCD showed different sensitivities to reveal intermolecular β-sheet aggregation under thermal denaturation. The VCD intensity enhancement was observed as the aggregate dimension increased, whereas IR was sensitive to the nucleation step of the process. Moreover, chirality of supramolecular species was revealed through the analysis of the VCD sign pattern. For the first time, we demonstrate how aggregates produced under different solvent compositions but similar pH's showed the same VCD sign pattern and consequently the same sense of growth.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Loaded with Surfactant: Low Temperature Magic Angle Spinning 13C and 29Si NMR Enhanced by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

We show that dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be used to enhance NMR signals of 13C and 29Si nuclei located in mesoporous organic/inorganic hybrid materials, at several hundreds of nanometers from stable radicals (TOTAPOL) trapped in the surrounding frozen disordered water. The approach is demonstrated using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN), functionalized with 3-(N-phenylureido)propyl (PUP) groups, filled with the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The DNP-enhanced proton magnetization is transported into the mesopores via 1H–1H spin diffusion and transferred to rare spins by cross-polarization, yielding signal enhancements eon/off of around 8. When the CTAB molecules are extracted, so that the radicals can enter the mesopores, the enhancements increase to eon/off ≈ 30 for both nuclei. A quantitative analysis of the signal enhancements in MSN with and without surfactant is based on a one-dimensional proton spin diffusion model. The effect of solvent deuteration is also investigated.

Incorporation of deuterium oxide in MCF-7 cells to shed further mechanistic insights into benzo[a]pyrene-induced low-dose effects discriminated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

This study evaluated the potential of deuteration to enhance the mechanistic information obtainable by biospectroscopy techniques in biological-cell models. These techniques were previously demonstrated to identify low-dose effects (≤nM) induced by test agents; this is of critical interest in terms of developing novel approaches to monitor environmentally-induced cell alterations. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was coupled with multivariate analysis to characterize a low-dose (10(-10) M) compared to a high-dose (10(-6) M) exposure of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in oestrogen-responsive MCF-7 cells; these results were used as a positive control for spectroscopic detection of B[a]P-induced effects. Deuterium oxide (D2O) was then applied as part of a fixative solution and/or at low levels incorporated into growth medium prior to ATR-FTIR spectrochemical analysis. The application of D2O as an alternative solvent in spectroscopy is widespread, but D2O has never before been applied to biospectroscopic analysis of in vitro toxicology assays. This allowed comparison between deuterated- and typically-derived IR spectra, facilitating significant insights into the effects of deuteration, and suggested that the addition of D2O to biospectroscopy assays could improve understanding of low-dose effects.

Effects of Nuclear Vibrations on the Energetics of Polythiophene: Quantized Energy Molecular Dynamics

The effects of nuclear dynamics on the energetics of polythiophene relevant for the performance of organic solar cells are studied for the first time. Nuclear motions change the expectation values of frontier orbital energies and the band gap by ~0.1 eV versus values at the equilibrium geometry, which is expected to have a significant effect on light absorption, charge separation, and donor regeneration. A new molecular dynamics algorithm that accounts for the quantum nature of vibrations is introduced. It reproduces effects of temperature and deuteration that are lost in the standard molecular dynamics. Inclusion of quantized vibrations leads to a broadening of the band gap and of energy levels by ~20 % at 300 K, while having little effect on their expectation values (which change by up to 0.03 eV). Increase in temperature from 300 to 400 K and deuteration cause an additional broadening of the spectrum by ~26 and 21 % respectively.

Isotopic Substitution as a Strategy to Control Non-Adiabatic Dynamics in Photoelectrochemical Cells: Surface Complexes between TiO2 and Dicyanomethylene Compounds

We investigate the effect of deuteration on geminate recombination in photoelectrochemical cells operating by interfacial charge transfer absorption bands. The trend in recombination in surface complexes of tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), and 11,11,12,12-tetracyanonaphtho-2,6-quinodimethane (TCNAQ) with TiO2 is treated as internal conversion (IC) in the model compounds TCNX–O–Ti(OH)3-. The deuteration of TCNQ and TCNAQ significantly modifies the spectrum of vibronic coupling constants for many vibrational modes, but affects little the modes with the strongest contribution to IC. As a result, the overall effect on recombination/internal conversion is expected to be limited, slightly increasing its rate. We also consider the influence on the recombination of vibrational modes of the Ti(OH)3 moiety which only crudely models the oxide surface. We conclude that even as the model is sensitive to the motions of Ti(OH)3, the predicted trend in recombination in the series TCNE–TCNQ–TCNAQ holds under different treatments of Ti(OH)3 modes.

Effect of deuteration on hydrogen bonding: A comparative concentration dependent Raman and DFT study of pyridine in CH3OH and CD3OD and pyrimidine in H2O and D2O

The relative effect of hydrogen bonding of pyrimidine (Pyr) in H2O/D2O and pyridine (Py) in CH3OH/CD3OD has been analyzed using Raman Difference Spectroscopic (RDS) technique and DFT calculations. This study is focused on analyzing the concentration dependent variation of linewidth, peak position and intensity of ring breathing mode of Py and Pyr. The ring breathing mode of Pyr in H2O and D2O has three components; due to free Pyr, lighter complexes of mPyr+nH2O/D2O and heavier complexes of mPyr+nH2O/D2O. The pyridine molecules, however, show only two components in CH3OH and CD3OD. Of these two components, one corresponds to free Py and the other inhomogeneously broadened profile corresponds to all mPy+nCH3OH/CD3OD complexes. The variation of peak position and linewidth establishes the role of dipole moment of complexes and the diffusion in the mixture. In case of CD3OD solution splitting was observed in ∼1030cm−1 band of Py, where an additional band at ∼1034cm−1 appears at x(Py)⩽0.4. However, this band remains single at all concentrations in case of CH3OH solvent.

Hydrogen Bonding in Pyridine N-Oxide/Acid Systems: Proton Transfer and Fine Details Revealed by FTIR, NMR, and X-ray Diffraction

The H-bonded complexes of pyridine N-oxide (PyO) with H(2)O, acetic, cyanoacetic, propiolic, tribromoacetic, trichloroacetic, trifluoroacetic, hydrochloric, and methanesulfonic acids have been studied by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and quantum chemical DFT calculations. Correlations between vibrational frequencies of the NO stretching and PyO ring modes and geometric parameters of the H-bond have been established. FTIR experiments show and DFT calculations confirm that definite discontinuity is present in the vicinity of the midpoint in the proton transfer pathway. The established correlations significantly aid in the understanding of fine effects such as the isotope (deuteration) effect, crystal-to-solution transition, or criticality of aqueous solutions induced by ionic pairs. Geometric isotope effect in the ionic H-bond aggregate of PyO·H(D)Cl was found to be extraordinary large. Measured FTIR, CP/MAS, and high-resolution (13)C NMR spectra indicate that H-bond in the PyO·HCl complex in polar solvent can potentially be more ionic than in the crystal. Vibrational modes of ionic pairs originating via proton transfer in H-bond complexes can provide new information concerning the interionic interaction and its role in the phase separation and mezo-structuring processes. The results are compared to the relevant data for PyO·HCl complex in argon matrix.

Molecular structure and vibrational study of diprotonated guanazolium using DFT calculations and FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopies

The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss our investigations of diprotonated guanazolium chloride using vibrational spectroscopy and quantum chemical methods. The solid phase FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra were recorded in the regions 4000–400cm−1 and 3600–50cm−1 respectively, and the band assignments were supported by deuteration effects. Different sites of diprotonation have been theoretically examined at the B3LYP/6-31G∗ level. The results of energy calculations show that the diprotonation process occurs with the two pyridine-like nitrogen N2 and N4 of the triazole ring. The molecular structure, harmonic vibrational wave numbers, infrared intensities and Raman activities were calculated for this form by DFT/B3LYP methods, using a 6-31G∗ basis set. Both the optimized geometries and the theoretical and experimental spectra for diprotonated guanazolium under a stable form are compared with theoretical and experimental data of the neutral molecule reported in our previous work. This comparison reveals that the diprotonation occurs on the triazolic nucleus, and provide information about the hydrogen bonding in the crystal. The scaled vibrational wave number values of the diprotonated form are in close agreement with the experimental data. The normal vibrations were characterized in terms of potential energy distribution (PED) using the VEDA 4 program.

The structure and photochemical transformation of cyclopropylacetylene radical cation as revealed by matrix EPR and quantum chemical study

The primary radical cation of cyclopropylacetylene was first characterized by EPR spectroscopy in low-temperature freon matrices. The assignment was confirmed by specific deuteration and quantum-chemical calculations at PBE0 and CCSD(T) levels. Photolysis with visible light led to irreversible transformation of the initial species to a ring-open structure. Detailed computational analysis of energy and magnetic resonance parameters of possible reaction products justified formation of pent-3-en-1-yne radical cation (presumably, a (Z)-isomer). This conclusion was also supported by the effect of specific deuteration.

Theoretical Simulation of the Infrared Absorption Spectrum of the Strong Hydrogen and Deuterium Bond in 2-Pyridone Dimer

This work presents a theoretical simulation of the infrared spectra of strong hydrogen bond in alpha-phase 2-pyridone dimers, as well as in their deuterium derivatives at room temperature. The theory takes into account an adiabatic anharmonic coupling between the high-frequency N-H(D) stretching and the low-frequency intermolecular N...O stretching modes by considering that the effective angular frequency of the fast mode N-H(D) is assumed to be strongly dependent on the slow mode stretching coordinate N...O, the intrinsic anharmonicity of the low-frequency N...O mode through a Morse potential, Davydov coupling triggered by resonance exchange between the excited states of the fast modes of the two hydrogen bonds involved in the cyclic dimer, multiple Fermi resonances between the N-H(D) stretching and the overtone of the N-H(D) bending vibrations and the direct and indirect damping of the fast stretching modes of the hydrogen bonds and of the bending modes. The IR spectral density is computed within the linear response theory by Fourier transform of the autocorrelation function of the transition dipole moment operator of the N-H(D) bond. The theoretical line shapes of the υN-H(D) band of alpha-phase 2-pyridone dimers are compared to the experimental ones. The effect of deuteration is successfully reproduced.

The influence of deuteration and helium-implantation on the surface morphology and phase structure of scandium thick film

The effects of deuteration and helium-implantation on the surface morphology and phase structure of scandium (Sc) thick film are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) methods. The preferred orientation of (002) crystal plane is observed for both films deposited on substrates of monocrystalline-silicon and polished-molybdenum. A great number of holes appear on surface after deuteration and the grain size of ScD2 is bigger than that of Sc, whereas a few ScD0.33/Sc grains with relatively small grain size retain inside crystal. The surface morphologies of scandium and scandium deuteride films are slightly affected by helium-implantation. The formation of helium bubbles with a preferred orientation in the crystal lattice of scandium and scandium deuteride, generated by the aggregation of ion-implanted helium, causes the corresponding diffraction peaks of scandium and scandium deuteride phase to shift towards smaller angles.

Enhanced Plasma Concentration by Selective Deuteration of Rofecoxib in Rats

The plasma concentrations of BDD-11602 (4-[4- (methanesulfonyl)phenyl]-3-(pentadeuterophenyl)-5H-furan-2-one), a rofecoxib derivative in which the positions 2',3;4',5' and 6' of the phenyl ring were deuterated, and rofecoxib (4-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)-3-phenyl-5H-furan-2-one, CAS 162011-90-7) were compared in order to explore the effects of selective deuteration on the systemic availability. The COX-2 selectivity in vitro was also compared. Following oral gavage administration of 0.1, 1 or 10 mg/kg BDD-11602 to Sprague Dawley rats, AUCo-t, (area under the curve) and Cmax (maximum concentration) values were statistically significant higher than those of rofecoxib at the same doses. The overall increase in AUC0-t and Cmax for BDD-11602 over rofecoxib was 1.53-fold and 1.60-fold, respectively. BDD-11602 and rofecoxib inhibited COX-2-derived PGE(2) synthesis with IC50 values of 173 nmol/l and 169 nmol/l, respectively. IC50 values for inhibition of human platelet COX-1 were estimated to be above 1 micromol/l for both compounds. The substitution of hydrogen by deuterium on the positions 2: 3',4',5' and 6' in BDD-11602 leads to superior oral availability compared to the non-deuterated compound, whereas the COX-2 selectivity is not affected.

Deuterium Isotope Effects on Drug Pharmacokinetics. I. System-Dependent Effects of Specific Deuteration with Aldehyde Oxidase Cleared Drugs

The pharmacokinetic properties of drugs may be altered by kinetic deuterium isotope effects. With specifically deuterated model substrates and drugs metabolized by aldehyde oxidase, we demonstrate how knowledge of the enzyme's reaction mechanism, species differences in the role played by other enzymes in a drug's metabolic clearance, and differences in systemic clearance mechanisms are critically important for the pharmacokinetic application of deuterium isotope effects. Ex vivo methods to project the in vivo outcome using deuterated carbazeran and zoniporide with hepatic systems demonstrate the importance of establishing the extent to which other metabolic enzymes contribute to the metabolic clearance mechanism. Differences in pharmacokinetic outcomes in guinea pig and rat, with the same metabolic clearance mechanism, show how species differences in the systemic clearance mechanism can affect the in vivo outcome. Overall, to gain from the application of deuteration as a strategy to alter drug pharmacokinetics, these studies demonstrate the importance of understanding the systemic clearance mechanism and knowing the identity of the metabolic enzymes involved, the extent to which they contribute to metabolic clearance, and the extent to which metabolism contributes to the systemic clearance.

Changed Phosphodiesterase Selectivity and Enhanced in vitro Efficacy by Selective Deuteration of Sildenafil

In order to explore whether selective deuteration of sildenafil affects selectivity and efficacy of the drug, the inhibitory activity of sildenafil (1-[4-ethoxy-3-(6,7-dihydro-1-methyl-7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl)phenyl-sulfonyl] -4-methylpiperazine citrate, CAS 139755-83-2) and three deuterated sildenafil derivatives, D8-piperazine-sildenafil (BDD-10402), D3-methyl-D8-piperazine-sildenafil (BDD-10403) and D5-ethoxy-Sildenafil (BDD-10406) against phosphodiesterases 1-6 was compared. Furthermore, the relaxant effect of sildenafil and its deuterated derivatives in a contractility assay on rabbit corpus cavernosum strips from New Zealand rabbits was investigated. BDD-10406 exhibits a 2-fold higher selectivity for phosphodiesterase 5 versus phosphodiesterase 6 than sildenafil. BDD-10406 and sildenafil inhibited cGMP formation with IC50 values of 6 nmol/L and 9 nmol/L, respectively. The corresponding IC80 values for BDD-10406 and Sildenafil were 33 nmol/L and 40 nmol/L, respectively. Sildenafil, BDD-10402, BDD-10403 and BDD-10406 relaxed the rabbit corpus cavernosum strips in a dose-dependent manner with ED50 values of 245 nmol/L, 91 nmol/L, 121 nmol/L and 85 nmol/L, respectively. Deuteration of sildenafil on the ethoxy group (BDD-10406) leads to enhanced selectivity for phosphodiesterase 5 versus phosphodiesterase 6 and higher efficacy in vitro. This is the first example of a deuteration effect on the inhibitory activity of a reversible enzyme inhibitor.

Study of the structural phase transitions in Na 3D 0.51H 0.49(SO 4) 2 crystals by 2H and 23Na nuclear magnetic resonance

The mixed Na 3D x H 1− x (SO 4) 2 crystals grown in this study have a deuterium fraction of 51%, and the phase transitions for Na 3D 0.51H 0.49(SO 4) 2 were found to occur at 300 K ( = T C 1 ) and 546 K ( = T C 2 ) . The NMR spectra and the relaxation times of 2H and 23Na in Na 3D 0.51H 0.49(SO 4) 2 crystals were measured as functions of temperature. Although our results for the 2H and 23Na relaxation times provided no evidence of the phase transitions at T C 1 , the 2H and 23Na NMR spectra did change. The phase transitions at 300 K produced changes in the 2H and 23Na NMR spectra that are associated with changes in the atomic positions of the 2H and 23Na ions. The effects of partial deuteration of Na 3H(SO 4) 2 crystals include not only a shift in the phase transition temperature T C but also a change in the local symmetry.

High-resolution X-ray study of the effects of deuteration on crystal growth and the crystal structure of proteinase K.

Deuteration of macromolecules is an important technique in neutron protein crystallography. Solvent deuteration of protein crystals is carried out by replacing water (H(2)O) with heavy water (D(2)O) prior to neutron diffraction experiments in order to diminish background noise. The effects of solvent deuteration on the crystallization of proteinase K (PK) with polyethylene glycol as a precipitant were investigated using high-resolution X-ray crystallography. In previous studies, eight NO(3)(-) anions were included in the PK crystal unit cell grown in NaNO(3) solution. In this study, however, the PK crystal structure did not contain NO(3)(-) anions; consequently, distortions of amino acids arising from the presence of NO(3)(-) anions were avoided in the present crystal structures. High-resolution (1.1 Å) X-ray diffraction studies showed that the degradation of PK crystals induced by solvent deuteration was so small that this degradation would be negligible for the purpose of neutron protein crystallography experiments at medium resolution. Comparison of the nonhydrogen structures of nondeuterated and deuterated crystal structures demonstrated very small structural differences. Moreover, a positive correlation between the root-mean-squared differences and B factors indicated that no systematic difference existed.

Low-frequency modes of the benzoic acid dimer in chloroform observed by the optical Kerr effect

The low frequency Raman spectral density associated with the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction of benzoic acid in chloroform was investigated through the ultrafast optically-heterodyne-detected optical Kerr effect. The low-frequency solute Raman spectrum was obtained by Fourier transform analysis and subtraction of the solvent spectrum from the solution spectrum. The resulting difference spectrum has a broad band below 150 cm(-1) with a peak at around 80 cm(-1). Previous studies of aromatic liquids suggest that the origin of such a low-frequency band is librational motion, although intermolecular hydrogen-bonding modes in benzoic acid may also contribute. To clarify these contributions to the low-frequency band, methyl benzoate was used to estimate the librational component; its structure is similar to benzoic acid, but it forms no intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Both librational and intermolecular modes were found to contribute to the low-frequency Raman spectrum of the dimer and thus can be separated. These experimental results were compared with the results of density functional theory calculations. In addition, the effect of deuteration on the Raman spectrum was also investigated.

Mechanical Investigations on Agar Gels Using Atomic Force Microscopy: Effect of Deuteration

AbstractThe isotopic effect of exchanging deuterium with hydrogen on the mechanical and surface properties of agar gel is examined. The elastic modulus of the D2O gels obtained by AFM nanoindentation is significantly higher (factor of ≈1.5–2) than the modulus found in H2O agar gels. Furthermore, the modulus is independent of loading rate. Surface imaging reveals that the surface roughness gets progressively smaller with increasing agar concentration. All these data suggest that the isotopic replacement of deuterium enhances the mechanical properties of the agar gel, with significant advantages in its use as a biphasic scaffold.magnified image