0000000000433399

AUTHOR

Orlando Tapia

Transition structures for hydride transfer reactions in vacuo and their role in enzyme catalysis

A general discussion as to the role of in vacuo transition structure in enzyme catalysis is presented. Quantum mechanical aspects are emphasized. The transition structures defined as saddle points ...

research product

Nonlocal (Pair Site) Reactivity from Second-Order Static Density Response Function:  Gas- and Solution-Phase Reactivity of the Acetaldehyde Enolate as a Test Case

A nonlocal (pair site) reactivity scheme is developed and tested. The theory is cast in terms of the first-order Fukui response function f(r,r‘), previously proposed by Fuentealba and Parr [J. Chem. Phys. 1991, 94, 5559]. A change of variables is introduced by using the softness s(r) and t(r) = [∂s(r)/∂N]υ(r) (the variation of softness with respect to the changes in the total number of electrons N at constant external potential υ(r)) that leads to a simple expression for the variation of the Fukui function at site k, namely = − for an electrophilic attack. The first term describes a local contribution, proportional to the variation of the electrostatic potential that can be induced, for exa…

research product

Molecular volumes and surfaces of biomacromolecules via GEPOL: A fast and efficient algorithm

A triangular tesselation approach to build up surfaces has been adapted to the study of biomolecules. By using a data-coded generic pentakisdodecahedron each atom is assigned a particular sphere whose radii are chosen according to any suitable property. Different types of surfaces have been adapted to this method: van der Waals, surface accessible, and Richard's molecular surface. A simple method is used to eliminate all triangles found at the intersection volume of the atomic spheres and a fast algorithm is employed to calculate the area of the envelope surface and the volume therein. The data about the surface are given by the coordinates of the center of each triangle, elementary surface…

research product

Electronic aspects of the hydride transfer mechanism. Ab initio analytical gradient studies of the cyclopropenyl‐cation/lithium hydride model reactant system

The electronic mechanisms of a model hydride transfer reaction are theoretically studied with ab inito RHF and UHF SCF MO procedures at the 4‐31G basis set level and analytical gradient methods. The model system describes the reduction of cyclopropenyl cation to cyclopropene by the oxidation of lithium hydride to lithium cation. The molecular fragments corresponding to the asymptotic reactive channels characterizing the stepwise mechanisms currently discussed in the literature have been characterized. The binding energy between the fragments is estimated within a simple electrostatic approximate scheme. The results show that a hydride‐ion mechanism is a likely pathway for this particular sy…

research product