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- Bushnell, Eric A. C., et al.
(author)
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The first branching point in porphyrin biosynthesis : a systematic docking, molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical study of substrate binding and mechanism of uroporphyrinogen-III decarboxylase
- 2011
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In: Journal of Computational Chemistry. - New York : John Wiley & Sons. - 0192-8651 .- 1096-987X. ; 32:5, s. 822-834
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In humans, uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase is intimately involved in the synthesis of heme, where the decarboxylation of the uroporphyrinogen-III occurs in a single catalytic site. Several variants of the mechanistic proposal exist; however, the exact mechanism is still debated. Thus, using an ONIOM quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach, the mechanism by which uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase decarboxylates ring D of uroporphyrinogen-III has been investigated. From the study performed, it was found that both Arg37 and Arg50 are essential in the decarboxylation of ring D, where experimentally both have been shown to be critical to the catalytic behavior of the enzyme. Overall, the reaction was found to have a barrier of 10.3 kcal mol−1 at 298.15 K. The rate-limiting step was found to be the initial protontransfer from Arg37 to the substrate before the decarboxylation. In addition, it has been found that several key interactions exist between the substrate carboxylate groups and backbone amides of various activesite residues as well as several other functional groups.
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- Erdtman, Edvin, et al.
(author)
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Computational studies on Schiff-base formation : Implications for the catalytic mechanism of porphobilinogen synthase
- 2011
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In: Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 2210-271X .- 2210-2728. ; 963:2-3, s. 479-489
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Schiff bases are common and important intermediates in many bioenzymatic systems. The mechanism by which they are formed, however,is dependent on the solvent, pH and other factors. In the present study we have used density functional theory methods in combination with appropriate chemical models to get a better understanding of the inherent chemistry of the formation of two Schiff bases that have been proposed to be involved in the catalytic mechanism of porphobilinogensynthase (PBGS), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of porphyrins. More specifically, we have investigated the uncatalysed reaction of its substrate 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) with a lysine residue for theformation of the P-site Schiff base, and as possibly catalysed by the second active site lysine, water or the 5-ALA itself. It is found that cooperatively both the second lysine and the amino group of the initial 5-ALA itself are capable of reducing the rate-limiting energy barrier to14.0 kcal mol-1. We therefore propose these to be likely routes involved in the P-site Schiff-base formation in PBGS.
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- Halldin Stenlid, Joakim, 1987-
(author)
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Computational Studies of Chemical Interactions: Molecules, Surfaces and Copper Corrosion
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The chemical bond – a corner stone in science and a prerequisite for life – is the focus of this thesis. Fundamental and applied aspects of chemical bonding are covered including the development of new computational methods for the characterization and rationalization of chemical interactions. The thesis also covers the study of corrosion of copper-based materials. The latter is motivated by the proposed use of copper as encapsulating material for spent nuclear fuel in Sweden.In close collaboration with experimental groups, state-of-the-art computational methods were employed for the study of chemistry at the atomic scale. First, oxidation of nanoparticulate copper was examined in anoxic aqueous media in order to better understand the copper-water thermodynamics in relation to the corrosion of copper material under oxygen free conditions. With a similar ambition, the water-cuprite interface was investigated with regards to its chemical composition and reactivity. This was compared to the behavior of methanol and hydrogen sulfide at the cuprite surface.An overall ambition during the development of computational methods for the analysis of chemical bonding was to bridge the gap between molecular and materials chemistry. Theory and results are thus presented and applied in both a molecular and a solid-state framework. A new property, the local electron attachment energy, for the characterization of a compound’s local electrophilicity was introduced. Together with the surface electrostatic potential, the new property predicts and rationalizes regioselectivity and trends of molecular reactions, and interactions on metal and oxide nanoparticles and extended surfaces.Detailed atomistic understanding of chemical processes is a prerequisite for the efficient development of chemistry. We therefore envisage that the results of this thesis will find widespread use in areas such as heterogeneous catalysis, drug discovery, and nanotechnology.
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- Rahm, Martin, et al.
(author)
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The Molecular Surface Structure of Ammonium and Potassium Dinitramide : A Vibrational Sum Frequency Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Study
- 2011
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In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 115:21, s. 10588-10596
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) and quantum chemical modeling have been employed to investigate the molecular surface structure of ammonium and potassium dinitramide (ADN and KDN) crystals. Identification of key vibrational modes was made possible by performing density functional theory calculations of molecular clusters. The surface of KDN was found to be partly covered with a thin layer of the decomposition product KNO3, which due to its low thickness was not detectable by infrared and Raman spectroscopy. In contrast, ADN exhibited an extremely inhomogeneous surface, on which polarized dinitramide anions were present, possibly together with a thin layer of NH4NO3. The intertwined use of theoretical and experimental tools proved indispensable in the analysis of these complex surfaces. The experimental verification of polarized and destabilized dinitramide anions stresses the importance of designing surface-active polymer support, stabilizers, and/or coating agents, in order to enable environmentally friendly ADN-based solid-rocket propulsion.
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- Napolitano, C., et al.
(author)
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Synthesis, kinase activity and molecular modeling of a resorcylic acid lactone incorporating an amide and a trans-enone in the macrocycle
- 2012
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In: Tetrahedron. - : Elsevier BV. - 0040-4020 .- 1464-5416. ; 68:27-28, s. 5533-5540
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Details for the synthesis of a resorcylic acid lactone (RAL) incorporating a trans-enone and an amide in the macrocyclic ring are provided herein. The sequence included the assembly of three fragments by esterification, olefination, and lactamization. The RAL with the lactam was less potent as an inhibitor of kinases than other RALs investigated. The biological results were rationalized by docking and molecular dynamics simulations of the lactam bound to human ERK2 and comparison with hypothemycin. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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- Bannan, T. J., et al.
(author)
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A method for extracting calibrated volatility information from the FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS and its experimental application
- 2019
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In: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1867-1381 .- 1867-8548. ; 12:3, s. 1429-1439
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO) is an inlet specifically designed to be coupled with the Aerodyne High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS). The FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS provides simultaneous molecular information relating to both the gas- and particle-phase samples and has been used to extract vapour pressures (VPs) of the compounds desorbing from the filter whilst giving quantitative concentrations in the particle phase. However, such extraction of vapour pressures of the measured particle-phase components requires use of appropriate, well-defined, reference compounds. Vapour pressures for the homologous series of polyethylene glycols (PEG) ((H-(O-CH 2 CH 2 ) n -OH) for n = 3 to n = 8), covering a range of vapour pressures (VP) (10 -1 to 10 -7 Pa) that are atmospherically relevant, have been shown to be reproduced well by a range of different techniques, including Knudsen Effusion Mass Spectrometry (KEMS). This is the first homologous series of compounds for which a number of vapour pressure measurement techniques have been found to be in agreement, indicating the utility as a calibration standard, providing an ideal set of benchmark compounds for accurate characterization of the FIGAERO for extracting vapour pressure of measured compounds in chambers and the real atmosphere. To demonstrate this, single-component and mixture vapour pressure measurements are made using two FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS instruments based on a new calibration determined from the PEG series. VP values extracted from both instruments agree well with those measured by KEMS and reported values from literature, validating this approach for extracting VP data from the FIGAERO. This method is then applied to chamber measurements, and the vapour pressures of known products are estimated. © 2019 Author(s).
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- Le Breton, Michael, 1986, et al.
(author)
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Application of a FIGAERO ToF CIMS for on-line characterization of real-world fresh and aged particle emissions from buses
- 2019
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In: Aerosol Science and Technology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0278-6826 .- 1521-7388. ; 53:3, s. 244-259
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. On-line chemical characterization of real-world particle emissions from 13 transit buses was performed using a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) equipped with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO). In addition to the fresh emissions the emissions were artificially aged using a potential aerosol mass reactor (Go:PAM). The buses studied were running on different fuel types (diesel, compressed natural gas, and rapeseed methyl ester) and exhaust after-treatment systems (selective catalytic reduction (SCR), exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and a three-way catalyst). When evaluating emissions from passing exhaust plumes using the FIGAERO ToF-CIMS, two technical features were highlighted from this work, the use of high mass calibrants and the factor enhancement method to be able to filter important compounds from mass spectra including hundreds of species. Here, acetate was used as the reagent ion to enable detection of highly oxygenated species in the exhaust particle emissions with potential high toxicity and/or secondary organic aerosol formation (SOA) potential. The acetate ionization scheme accounted for 4% to 46% of the total emitted particulate mass through identification of 61 species in the spectra. For aged emission the various fuel types provided overlapping species that could explain up to 19% of the aged emissions. This is hypothesized to come from the oxidation of engine lubrication oil, thus a common source for various fuels which was further supported by laboratory measurements. Specific markers from the SCR technology, such as urea oxidation products and further byproducts from hydrolysis were identified and attributed to reactions of isocyanic acid.
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