scholarly journals Prebiotic Route to Thymine from Formamide—A Combined Experimental–Theoretical Study

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2248
Author(s):  
Lukáš Petera ◽  
Klaudia Mrazikova ◽  
Lukas Nejdl ◽  
Kristyna Zemankova ◽  
Marketa Vaculovicova ◽  
...  

Synthesis of RNA nucleobases from formamide is one of the recurring topics of prebiotic chemistry research. Earlier reports suggest that thymine, the substitute for uracil in DNA, may also be synthesized from formamide in the presence of catalysts enabling conversion of formamide to formaldehyde. In the current paper, we show that to a lesser extent conversion of uracil to thymine may occur even in the absence of catalysts. This is enabled by the presence of formic acid in the reaction mixture that forms as the hydrolysis product of formamide. Under the reaction conditions of our study, the disproportionation of formic acid may produce formaldehyde that hydroxymethylates uracil in the first step of the conversion process. The experiments are supplemented by quantum chemical modeling of the reaction pathway, supporting the plausibility of the mechanism suggested by Saladino and coworkers.

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Ying Wang

By performing density functional theory calculations, the adsorption configurations of formic acid and possible reaction pathway for HCOOH oxidation on PtPd(111) surface are located. Results show that CO2 is preferentially formed as the main product of the catalytic oxidation of formic acid. The formation of CO on the pure Pd surface could not possibly occur during formic acid decomposition on the PtPd(111) surface owing to the high reaction barrier. Therefore, no poisoning of catalyst would occur on the PtPd(111) surface. Our results indicate that the significantly increased catalytic activity of bimetallic PtPd catalyst towards HCOOH oxidation should be attributed to the reduction in poisoning by CO.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 4097
Author(s):  
Wooyong Seong ◽  
Hyungwoo Hahm ◽  
Seyong Kim ◽  
Jongwoo Park ◽  
Khalil A. Abboud ◽  
...  

Bimetallic bis-urea functionalized salen-aluminum catalysts have been developed for cyclic carbonate synthesis from epoxides and CO2. The urea moiety provides a bimetallic scaffold through hydrogen bonding, which expedites the cyclic carbonate formation reaction under mild reaction conditions. The turnover frequency (TOF) of the bis-urea salen Al catalyst is three times higher than that of a μ-oxo-bridged catalyst, and 13 times higher than that of a monomeric salen aluminum catalyst. The bimetallic reaction pathway is suggested based on urea additive studies and kinetic studies. Additionally, the X-ray crystal structure of a bis-urea salen Ni complex supports the self-assembly of the bis-urea salen metal complex through hydrogen bonding.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Unni Engedahl ◽  
Adam A. Arvidsson ◽  
Henrik Grönbeck ◽  
Anders Hellman

As transportation continues to increase world-wide, there is a need for more efficient utilization of fossil fuel. One possibility is direct conversion of the solution gas bi-product CH4 into an energy-rich, easily usable liquid fuel such as CH3OH. However, new catalytic materials to facilitate the methane-to-methanol reaction are needed. Using density functional calculations, the partial oxidation of methane is investigated over the small-pore copper-exchanged zeolite SSZ-13. The reaction pathway is identified and the energy landscape elucidated over the proposed motifs Z2[Cu2O] and Z2[Cu2OH]. It is shown that the Z2[Cu2O] motif has an exergonic reaction path, provided water is added as a solvent for the desorption step. However, a micro-kinetic model shows that neither Z2[Cu2O] nor Z2[Cu2OH] has any notable activity under the reaction conditions. These findings highlight the importance of the detailed structure of the active site and that the most stable motif is not necessarily the most active.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Septia Eka Marsha Putra ◽  
Fahdzi Muttaqien ◽  
Yuji Hamamoto ◽  
Kouji Inagaki ◽  
Akitoshi Shiotari ◽  
...  

Chemosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Pattan-Siddappa Ganesh ◽  
Sang-Youn Kim ◽  
Savas Kaya ◽  
Rajae Salim ◽  
Ganesh Shimoga ◽  
...  

To develop an electrochemical sensor for electroactive molecules, the choice and prediction of redox reactive sites of the modifier play a critical role in establishing the sensing mediating mechanism. Therefore, to understand the mediating mechanism of the modifier, we used advanced density functional theory (DFT)-based quantum chemical modeling. A carbon paste electrode (CPE) was modified with electropolymerization of brilliant blue, later employed for the detection of paracetamol (PA) and folic acid (FA). PA is an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic prescription commonly used in medical fields, and overdose or prolonged use may harm the liver and kidney. The deficiency of FA associated with neural tube defects (NTDs) and therefore the quantification of FA are very essential to prevent the problems associated with congenital deformities of the spinal column, skull and brain of the fetus in pregnant women. Hence, an electrochemical sensor based on a polymerized brilliant blue-modified carbon paste working electrode (BRB/CPE) was fabricated for the quantification of PA and FA in physiological pH. The real analytical applicability of the proposed sensor was judged by employing it in analysis of a pharmaceutical sample, and good recovery results were obtained. The potential excipients do not have a significant contribution to the electro-oxidation of PA at BRB/CPE, which makes it a promising electrochemical sensing platform. The real analytical applicability of the proposed method is valid for pharmaceutical analysis in the presence of possible excipients. The prediction of redox reactive sites of the modifier by advanced quantum chemical modeling-based DFT may lay a new foundation for researchers to establish the modifier–analyte interaction mechanisms.


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