Molecular structure of 1,4-bis(substituted-carbonyl)benzene: A combined experimental and theoretical approach

Red-emitting 4-methyl coumarin fused barbituric acid as an electrochemical sensor for catechol detection and probe for latent fingerprints

Herein, we have reported a red-emitting 4-methyl coumarin fused barbituric acid azo dye (4-MCBA) synthesized by conventional method. Density functional theory (DFT) studies of tautomer compounds were done using (B3LYP) with a basis set of 6-31G(d,p). NLO analysis has shown that tautomer has mean first-order hyperpolarisabilities (β) value of 1.8188 × 10-30 esu and 1.0470 × 10-30 esu for azo and hydrazone forms, respectively, which is approximately nine and five times greater than the magnitude of urea. 4-MCBA exhibited two absorption peaks in the range of 290-317 and 379-394 nm, and emission spectra were observed at 536 nm. CV study demonstrated that the modified 4-MCBA/MGC electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical sensitivity towards the detection of catechol and the detection limit is 9.39 μM under optimum conditions. The 4-MCBA employed as a fluorescent probe for the visualisation of LFPs on various surfaces exhibited Level-I to level-II LFPs, with low background interference.

Structural insights and cytotoxicity evaluation of benz[e]indole pyrazolyl-substituted amides

Five new compounds of benz[e]indole pyrazolyl-substituted amides (2a-e) were synthesised in low to good yields via the direct amide-coupling reaction between a pyrazolyl derivative containing a carboxylic acid and several amine substrates. The molecular structures were determined by various spectroscopic methods, such as NMR (1H, 13C and 19F), FT-IR and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). X-ray crystallographic analysis on the 4-fluorobenzyl derivative (2d) reveals the amide-O atom to reside to the opposite side of the molecule to the pyrazolyl-N and pyrrolyl-N atoms; in the molecular packing, helical chains feature amide-N‒H⋯N(pyrrolyl) hydrogen bonds. Density-functional theory (DFT) at the geometry-optimisation B3LYP/6-31G(d) level on the full series shows general agreement with the experimental structures. While the LUMO in each case is spread over the benz[e]indole pyrazolyl moiety, the HOMO spreads over the halogenated benzo-substituted amide moieties or is localised near the benz[e]indole pyrazolyl moieties. The MTT assay showed that 2e, exhibited the highest toxicity against a human colorectal carcinoma (HCT 116 cell line) without appreciable toxicity towards the normal human colon fibroblast (CCD-18Co cell line). Based on molecular docking calculations, the probable cytotoxic mechanism of 2e is through the DNA minor groove binding.

Catalytic Oxidation of Benzoins by Hydrogen Peroxide on Nanosized HKUST-1: Influence of Substituents on the Reaction Rates and DFT Modeling of the Reaction Path

In this research, the oxidation of a series of benzoins, R-C(=O)-CH(OH)-R, where R = phenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 4-bromophenyl, and 2-naphthyl, by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of nanostructured HKUST-1 (suspension in acetonitrile/water mixture) was studied. The respective benzoic acids were the only products of the reactions. The initial average reaction rates were experimentally determined at different concentrations of benzoin, H₂O₂ and an effective concentration of HKUST-1. The sorption of the isotherms of benzoin, dimethoxybenzoin and benzoic acid on HKUST-1, as well as their sorption kinetic curves, were measured. The increase in H₂O₂ concentration expectedly led to an acceleration of the reaction. The dependencies of the benzoin oxidation rates on the concentrations of both benzoin and HKUST-1 passed through the maxima. This finding could be explained by a counterplay between the increasing reaction rate and increasing benzoin sorption on the catalyst with the increase in the concentration. The electronic effect of the substituent in benzoin had a significant influence on the reaction rate, while no relation between the size of the substrate molecule and the rate of its oxidation was found. It was confirmed by DFT modeling that the reaction could pass through the Baeyer-Villiger mechanism, involving an attack by the HOO^- anion on the C atom of the activated C=O group.

Synthesis, Structural, and Intriguing Electronic Properties of Symmetrical Bis-Aryl-α,β-Unsaturated Ketone Derivatives

Three symmetrical bis-aryl-α,β-unsaturated ketone derivatives, 2,6-di((E)-benzylidene)-cyclohexan-1-one (DBC), 2,6-bis((E)-4-chlorobenzylidene)cyclohexan-1-one (BCC), and (1E,1'E,4E,4'E)-5,5'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(2-methyl-1-phenylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one) (PBMP), have been prepared using the aldol condensation approach toward ketones having two enolizable sites. The structures of DBC, BCC, and PBMP have been resolved via spectrometric methods. Moreover, the crystal structure of PBMP is determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) technique, which revealed that the PBMP molecular assembly is stabilized by the intermolecular C-H···O bonding and C-O···π and weak T-shaped offset π···π stacking interactions. The Hirshfeld surface analysis (HSA) of the PBMP crystal structure was performed as well, and the results were compared with the results of DBC and BCC. The density functional theory (DFT) study results revealed that the longer conjugated molecule of PBMP has smaller but still quite significant HOMO-LUMO gaps compared to the smaller molecules of BCC and DBC. The natural population analysis (NPA) and natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis were performed. Accordingly, the hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions stabilize the crystal structures of these compounds. Additionally, the NBO analysis showed numerous high-energy stabilizing interactions for the PBMP compound due to the presence of numerous delocalized and relatively easily polarizable π-electrons, thus implying its significant thermodynamic stability. According to the global reactivity parameter (GRP) analysis, the compounds BCC and DBC are relatively stable in redox processes and have high thermodynamic stability and relatively lower reactivity in general. The molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) analysis results imply potential formation of the intermolecular hydrogen bonding and dispersion interactions, which stabilizes the crystal structures of these compounds.

Coumaronochromone as antibacterial and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors from Aerva persica (Burm.f.) Merr.: experimental and first-principles approaches

The Aerva plants are exceptionally rich in phytochemicals and possess therapeutics potential. Phytochemical screening shows that Aerva persica (Burm.f.) Merr. contains highest contents i.e., total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, tannins, alkaloids, carbohydrates, anthraquinones and glycosides. In-vitro antibacterial and enzymatic (carbonic anhydrase) inhibition studies on methanol extracts of A. persica indicated the presence of biological active constituents within chloroform soluble portions. Investigation in the pure constituents on the chloroform portions of A. persica accomplished by column chromatography, NMR and MS analysis. The bioguided isolation yields four chemical constituents of coumaronochromone family, namely aervin (1-4). These pure chemical entities (1-4) showed significant antibacterial activity in the range of 60.05-79.21 µg/ml against various bacterial strains using ampicillin and ciprofloxacin as standard drugs. The compounds 1-4 showed promising carbonic anhydrase inhibition with IC₅₀ values of 19.01, 18.24, 18.65 and 12.92 µM, respectively, using standard inhibitor acetazolamide. First-principles calculations revealed comprehensive intramolecular charge transfer in the studied compounds 1-4. The spatial distribution of highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, ionization potential, molecular electrostatic potential and Hirshfeld analysis revealed that these coumaronochromone compounds would be proficient biological active compounds. These pure constituents may be used as a new pharmacophore to treat leaukomia, epilepsy, glaucoma and cystic fibrosis.