TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weiser, Jonas
A1  - Cui, Jingjing
A1  - Dewhurst, Rian D.
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
T1  - Structure and bonding of proximity‐enforced main‐group dimers stabilized by a rigid naphthyridine diimine ligand
JF  - Journal of Computational Chemistry
N2  - The development of ligands capable of effectively stabilizing highly reactive main‐group species has led to the experimental realization of a variety of systems with fascinating properties. In this work, we computationally investigate the electronic, structural, energetic, and bonding features of proximity‐enforced group 13–15 homodimers stabilized by a rigid expanded pincer ligand based on the 1,8‐naphthyridine (napy) core. We show that the redox‐active naphthyridine diimine (NDI) ligand enables a wide variety of structural motifs and element‐element interaction modes, the latter ranging from isolated, element‐centered lone pairs (e.g., E = Si, Ge) to cases where through‐space π bonds (E = Pb), element‐element multiple bonds (E = P, As) and biradical ground states (E = N) are observed. Our results hint at the feasibility of NDI‐E2 species as viable synthetic targets, highlighting the versatility and potential applications of napy‐based ligands in main‐group chemistry.
KW  - bond theory
KW  - computational chemistry
KW  - density functional calculations
KW  - main group elements
KW  - N ligands
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312586
VL  - 44
IS  - 3
SP  - 456
EP  - 467
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Saalfrank, Christian
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Kupfer, Thomas
A1  - Ritschel, Benedikt
A1  - Hammond, Kai
A1  - Krummenacher, Ivo
A1  - Bertermann, Rüdiger
A1  - Wirthensohn, Raphael
A1  - Finze, Maik
A1  - Schmid, Paul
A1  - Engel, Volker
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
T1  - cAAC‐Stabilized 9,10‐diboraanthracenes—Acenes with Open‐Shell Singlet Biradical Ground States
JF  - Angewandte Chemie International Edition
N2  - Narrow HOMO–LUMO gaps and high charge‐carrier mobilities make larger acenes potentially high‐efficient materials for organic electronic applications. The performance of such molecules was shown to significantly increase with increasing number of fused benzene rings. Bulk quantities, however, can only be obtained reliably for acenes up to heptacene. Theoretically, (oligo)acenes and (poly)acenes are predicted to have open‐shell singlet biradical and polyradical ground states, respectively, for which experimental evidence is still scarce. We have now been able to dramatically lower the HOMO–LUMO gap of acenes without the necessity of unfavorable elongation of their conjugated π system, by incorporating two boron atoms into the anthracene skeleton. Stabilizing the boron centers with cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes gives neutral 9,10‐diboraanthracenes, which are shown to feature disjointed, open‐shell singlet biradical ground states.
KW  - acenes
KW  - biradicals
KW  - bond Activation
KW  - boron
KW  - heterocycles
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-217795
VL  - 59
IS  - 43
SP  - 19338
EP  - 19343
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Klein, Philipp
A1  - Johe, Patrick
A1  - Wagner, Annika
A1  - Jung, Sascha
A1  - Kühlborn, Jonas
A1  - Barthels, Fabian
A1  - Tenzer, Stefan
A1  - Distler, Ute
A1  - Waigel, Waldemar
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Hellmich, Ute A.
A1  - Opatz, Till
A1  - Schirmeister, Tanja
T1  - New cysteine protease inhibitors: electrophilic (het)arenes and unexpected prodrug identification for the Trypanosoma protease rhodesain
JF  - Molecules
N2  - Electrophilic (het)arenes can undergo reactions with nucleophiles yielding π- or Meisenheimer (σ-) complexes or the products of the S\(_N\)Ar addition/elimination reactions. Such building blocks have only rarely been employed for the design of enzyme inhibitors. Herein, we demonstrate the combination of a peptidic recognition sequence with such electrophilic (het)arenes to generate highly active inhibitors of disease-relevant proteases. We further elucidate an unexpected mode of action for the trypanosomal protease rhodesain using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, enzyme kinetics and various types of simulations. After hydrolysis of an ester function in the recognition sequence of a weakly active prodrug inhibitor, the liberated carboxylic acid represents a highly potent inhibitor of rhodesain (K\(_i\) = 4.0 nM). The simulations indicate that, after the cleavage of the ester, the carboxylic acid leaves the active site and re-binds to the enzyme in an orientation that allows the formation of a very stable π-complex between the catalytic dyad (Cys-25/His-162) of rhodesain and the electrophilic aromatic moiety. The reversible inhibition mode results because the S\(_N\)Ar reaction, which is found in an alkaline solvent containing a low molecular weight thiol, is hindered within the enzyme due to the presence of the positively charged imidazolium ring of His-162. Comparisons between measured and calculated NMR shifts support this interpretation
KW  - cysteine protease
KW  - rhodesain
KW  - electrophilic (het)arene
KW  - nucleophilic aromatic substitution
KW  - Meisenheimer complex
KW  - π-complex
KW  - prodrug
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-203380
SN  - 1420-3049
VL  - 25
IS  - 6
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Klein, Philipp
A1  - Barthels, Fabian
A1  - Johe, Patrick
A1  - Wagner, Annika
A1  - Tenzer, Stefan
A1  - Distler, Ute
A1  - Le, Thien Anh
A1  - Schmid, Paul
A1  - Engel, Volker
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Hellmich, Ute A.
A1  - Opatz, Till
A1  - Schirmeister, Tanja
T1  - Naphthoquinones as covalent reversible inhibitors of cysteine proteases — studies on inhibition mechanism and kinetics
JF  - Molecules
N2  - The facile synthesis and detailed investigation of a class of highly potent protease inhibitors based on 1,4-naphthoquinones with a dipeptidic recognition motif (HN-l-Phe-l-Leu-OR) in the 2-position and an electron-withdrawing group (EWG) in the 3-position is presented. One of the compound representatives, namely the acid with EWG = CN and with R = H proved to be a highly potent rhodesain inhibitor with nanomolar affinity. The respective benzyl ester (R = Bn) was found to be hydrolyzed by the target enzyme itself yielding the free acid. Detailed kinetic and mass spectrometry studies revealed a reversible covalent binding mode. Theoretical calculations with different density functionals (DFT) as well as wavefunction-based approaches were performed to elucidate the mode of action.
KW  - protease
KW  - rhodesain
KW  - covalent reversible inhibition
KW  - 1,4-naphthoquinone
KW  - nucleophilic addition
KW  - prodrug
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-203791
SN  - 1420-3049
VL  - 25
IS  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Brunecker, Carina
A1  - Müssig, Jonas H.
A1  - Arrowsmith, Merle
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Stoy, Andreas
A1  - Böhnke, Julian
A1  - Hofmann, Alexander
A1  - Bertermann, Rüdiger
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
T1  - Boranediyl‐ and Diborane(4)‐1,2‐diyl‐Bridged Platinum A‐Frame Complexes
JF  - Chemistry – A European Journal
N2  - Diplatinum A‐frame complexes with a bridging (di)boron unit in the apex position were synthesized in a single step by the double oxidative addition of dihalo(di)borane precursors at a bis(diphosphine)‐bridged Pt\(^{0}\)\(_{2}\) complex. While structurally analogous to well‐known μ‐borylene complexes, in which delocalized dative three‐center‐two‐electron M‐B‐M bonding prevails, theoretical investigations into the nature of Pt−B bonding in these A‐frame complexes show them to be rare dimetalla(di)boranes displaying two electron‐sharing Pt−B σ‐bonds. This is experimentally reflected in the low kinetic stability of these compounds, which are prone to loss of the (di)boron bridgehead unit.
KW  - boron
KW  - bonding
KW  - EDA-NOCV
KW  - oxidative addition
KW  - platinum
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214707
VL  - 26
IS  - 39
SP  - 8518
EP  - 8523
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rang, Maximilian
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Arrowsmith, Merle
A1  - Krummenacher, Ivo
A1  - Beck, Eva
A1  - Witte, Robert
A1  - Matler, Alexander
A1  - Rempel, Anna
A1  - Bischof, Tobias
A1  - Radacki, Krzysztof
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
T1  - Reduktion und Umlagerung eines Bor(I)‐Carbonylkomplexes
JF  - Angewandte Chemie
N2  - Bei der Einelektronenreduktion eines durch eine cyclisches (Alkyl)(amino)carben (CAAC) stabilisierten Arylborylen-Carbonylkomplexes erfolgt die Bildung eines dimeren Borylketyl-Radikalanions, bedingt durch eine intramolekulare Arylmigration zum CO Kohlenstoffatom. Computergestützte Analyse liefert Hinweise auf eine radikalanionische [(CAAC)B(CO)Ar]\(^{.-}\) Zwischenstufe. Weiterführende Reduktion des entstandenen Komplexes liefert ein hoch nukleophiles (Boranyliden)methanolat.
KW  - Biradikale
KW  - Bor-Carbonylkomplexe
KW  - Dichtefunktionalrechnungen
KW  - Reduktionen
KW  - Umlagerungen
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224409
VL  - 133
IS  - 6
SP  - 3000
EP  - 3005
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schmidt, Paul
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Klopf, Jonas
A1  - Schröder, Niklas B.
A1  - Dewhurst, Rian D.
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
A1  - Engel, Volker
A1  - Engels, Bernd
T1  - Twisting versus delocalization in CAAC- and NHC-stabilized boron-based biradicals: the roles of sterics and electronics
JF  - Chemistry - A European Journal
N2  - Twisted boron-based biradicals featuring unsaturated C\(_2\)R\(_2\) (R=Et, Me) bridges and stabilization by cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes (CAACs) were recently prepared. These species show remarkable geometrical and electronic differences with respect to their unbridged counterparts. Herein, a thorough computational investigation on the origin of their distinct electrostructural properties is performed. It is shown that steric effects are mostly responsible for the preference for twisted over planar structures. The ground-state multiplicity of the twisted structure is modulated by the σ framework of the bridge, and different R groups lead to distinct multiplicities. In line with the experimental data, a planar structure driven by delocalization effects is observed as global minimum for R=H. The synthetic elusiveness of C\(_2\)R\(_2\)-bridged systems featuring N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) was also investigated. These results could contribute to the engineering of novel main group biradicals.
KW  - chemistry
KW  - radicals
KW  - ab initio calculations
KW  - boron
KW  - carbene ligands
KW  - density functional calculations
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256636
VL  - 27
IS  - 16
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Roy, Dipak Kumar
A1  - Tröster, Tobias
A1  - Fantuzzi, Felipe
A1  - Dewhurst, Rian D.
A1  - Lenczyk, Carsten
A1  - Radacki, Krzysztof
A1  - Pranckevicius, Conor
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Braunschweig, Holger
T1  - Isolation and Reactivity of an Antiaromatic s‐Block Metal Compound
JF  - Angewandte Chemie International Edition
N2  - The concepts of aromaticity and antiaromaticity have a long history, and countless demonstrations of these phenomena have been made with molecules based on elements from the p, d, and f blocks of the periodic table. In contrast, the limited oxidation‐state flexibility of the s‐block metals has long stood in the way of their participation in sophisticated π‐bonding arrangements, and truly antiaromatic systems containing s‐block metals are altogether absent or remain poorly defined. Using spectroscopic, structural, and computational techniques, we present herein the synthesis and authentication of a heterocyclic compound containing the alkaline earth metal beryllium that exhibits significant antiaromaticity, and detail its chemical reduction and Lewis‐base‐coordination chemistry.
KW  - antiaromaticity
KW  - aromaticity
KW  - beryllium
KW  - heterocycles
KW  - s-block metals
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224447
VL  - 60
IS  - 7
SP  - 3812
EP  - 3819
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dietschreit, Johannes C. B.
A1  - Wagner, Annika
A1  - Le, T. Anh
A1  - Klein, Philipp
A1  - Schindelin, Hermann
A1  - Opatz, Till
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Hellmich, Ute A.
A1  - Ochsenfeld, Christian
T1  - Predicting \(^{19}\)F NMR Chemical Shifts: A Combined Computational and Experimental Study of a Trypanosomal Oxidoreductase–Inhibitor Complex
JF  - Angewandte Chemie International Edition
N2  - The absence of fluorine from most biomolecules renders it an excellent probe for NMR spectroscopy to monitor inhibitor–protein interactions. However, predicting the binding mode of a fluorinated ligand from a chemical shift (or vice versa) has been challenging due to the high electron density of the fluorine atom. Nonetheless, reliable \(^{19}\)F chemical‐shift predictions to deduce ligand‐binding modes hold great potential for in silico drug design. Herein, we present a systematic QM/MM study to predict the \(^{19}\)F NMR chemical shifts of a covalently bound fluorinated inhibitor to the essential oxidoreductase tryparedoxin (Tpx) from African trypanosomes, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. We include many protein–inhibitor conformations as well as monomeric and dimeric inhibitor–protein complexes, thus rendering it the largest computational study on chemical shifts of \(^{19}\)F nuclei in a biological context to date. Our predicted shifts agree well with those obtained experimentally and pave the way for future work in this area.
KW  - African sleeping sickness
KW  - covalent inhibitors
KW  - NMR spectroscopy
KW  - quantum chemistry
KW  - structural biology
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214879
VL  - 59
IS  - 31
SP  - 12669
EP  - 12673
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Müller, Patrick
A1  - Meta, Mergim
A1  - Meidner, Jan Laurenz
A1  - Schwickert, Marvin
A1  - Meyr, Jessica
A1  - Schwickert, Kevin
A1  - Kersten, Christian
A1  - Zimmer, Collin
A1  - Hammerschmidt, Stefan Josef
A1  - Frey, Ariane
A1  - Lahu, Albin
A1  - de la Hoz-Rodríguez, Sergio
A1  - Agost-Beltrán, Laura
A1  - Rodríguez, Santiago
A1  - Diemer, Kira
A1  - Neumann, Wilhelm
A1  - Gonzàlez, Florenci V.
A1  - Engels, Bernd
A1  - Schirmeister, Tanja
T1  - Investigation of the compatibility between warheads and peptidomimetic sequences of protease inhibitors — a comprehensive reactivity and selectivity study
JF  - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
N2  - Covalent peptidomimetic protease inhibitors have gained a lot of attention in drug development in recent years. They are designed to covalently bind the catalytically active amino acids through electrophilic groups called warheads. Covalent inhibition has an advantage in terms of pharmacodynamic properties but can also bear toxicity risks due to non-selective off-target protein binding. Therefore, the right combination of a reactive warhead with a well-suited peptidomimetic sequence is of great importance. Herein, the selectivities of well-known warheads combined with peptidomimetic sequences suited for five different proteases were investigated, highlighting the impact of both structure parts (warhead and peptidomimetic sequence) for affinity and selectivity. Molecular docking gave insights into the predicted binding modes of the inhibitors inside the binding pockets of the different enzymes. Moreover, the warheads were investigated by NMR and LC-MS reactivity assays against serine/threonine and cysteine nucleophile models, as well as by quantum mechanics simulations.
KW  - covalent inhibitors
KW  - in vitro study
KW  - protease inhibitors
KW  - peptidomimetic sequence
KW  - warhead
KW  - reactivity and selectivity study
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313596
SN  - 1422-0067
VL  - 24
IS  - 8
ER  -