CX (X = F, Cl, Br, I) and CE bonding (E = O, S, Se, Te) was investigated for a test set of 168 molecules using the local CX and CE stretching force constants k(a) calculated at the M06-2X/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The stretching force constants were used to derive a relative bond strength order (RBSO) parameter n. As alternative bond strength descriptors, bond dissociation energies (BDE) were ca...

Prolyl 4-hydroxylases install a hydroxyl group in the 4R configuration on the gamma-carbon atom of certain (2S)-proline (Pro) residues in tropocollagen, elastin, and other proteins to form (2S,4R)-4-hydroxyproline (Hyp). The gauche effect arising from this prevalent post-translational modification enforces a C(gamma)-exo ring pucker and stabilizes the collagen triple helix. The Hyp diastereomer...

Collagen is an abundant, triple-helical protein comprising three strands of the repeating sequence: Xaa-Yaa-Gly. (2S)-Proline and (2S,4R)-4-hydroxyproline (Hyp) are common in the primary structure of collagen. Here, we use nonnatural proline derivatives to reveal determinants of collagen stability. Specifically, we report high-yielding syntheses of (2S,4S)-4-chloroproline (clp) and (2S,4R)-4-ch...

A series of five novel sandwich-type mixed (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato) europium triple-decker complexes with different numbers of hydroxyl groups at the meso-substituted phenyl groups of porphyrin ligand 1-5 have been designed, synthesized, and characterized. Their self-assembly properties, in particular the effects of the number and positions of hydroxyl groups on the morphology of self-a...

The triple-helix is a unique secondary structural motif found primarily within the collagens. In collagen, it is a homo- or hetero-tripeptide with a repeating primary sequence of (Gly-X-Y)(n), displaying characteristic peptide backbone dihedral angles. Studies of bulk collagen fibrils indicate that the triple-helix must be a highly repetitive secondary structure, with very specific constraints....

A previous study involving lead(II) [Pb(II)] sorption onto ferrihydrite over a wide range of conditions highlighted the advantages of combining molecular- and macroscopic-scale investigations with surface complexation modeling to predict Pb(II) speciation and partitioning in aqueous systems. In this work, an extensive collection of new macroscopic and spectroscopic data was used to assess the a...

Assume in a sample of size M one finds M(i) representatives of species i with i = 1..N*. The normalized frequency pi* triple bond Mi/M, based on the finite sample, may deviate considerably from the true probabilities p(i). We propose a method to infer rank-ordered true probabilities r(i) from measured frequencies M(i). We show that the rank-ordered probabilities provide important informations o...

A convenient and sustainable protocol for the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohols to carbonyl compounds, based on the use of 1,2,4-triazole-type ligands and nickel(II) bromide, is described. This combination leads to the formation of an exceedingly active, enzyme-like system that allows for other oxidative processes, such as benzylic C-H oxidation and oxygen-mediated cleavage of C-C triple bon...