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Besides their widespread use in coordination chemistry, 2,2’‐bipyridines are known for their ability to undergo cis–trans conformational changes in response to metal ions and acids, which has been primarily investigated at the molecular level. However, the exploitation of such conformational switching in self‐assembly has remained unexplored. In this work, the use of 2,2’‐bipyridines as acid‐responsive conformational switches to tune supramolecular polymerization processes has been demonstrated. To achieve this goal, we have designed a bipyridine‐based linear bolaamphiphile, 1, that forms ordered supramolecular polymers in aqueous media through cooperative aromatic and hydrophobic interactions. Interestingly, addition of acid (TFA) induces the monoprotonation of the 2,2’‐bipyridine moiety, leading to a switch in the molecular conformation from a linear (trans) to a V‐shaped (cis) state. This increase in molecular distortion along with electrostatic repulsions of the positively charged bipyridine‐H\(^{+}\) units attenuate the aggregation tendency and induce a transformation from long fibers to shorter thinner fibers. Our findings may contribute to opening up new directions in molecular switches and stimuli‐responsive supramolecular materials.
Using Photoionization to Investigate Reactive Boron Species and the Kinetics of Hydrocarbon Radicals
(2021)
This thesis highlights the importance of isomer-selective approaches for the complete analysis of chemical processes. The method of choice is photoelectron/photoion coincidence spectroscopy, which allows simultaneous detection of electrons and ions coming from a single ionization event. Ionization techniques are sensitive and can record multiple species simultaneously, rendering them ideal tools to probe molecular transformations. Coupling these setups to synchrotron radiation allows one to analyze complex mixtures with isomer selectivity, based on ionization energies and vibrational structure in the cation, without any prior separation steps. Only few setups exist that can be used to gather these data, although their impact and applicability is growing steadily in various fields. For closed-shell species an easier and more widely used method is gas-chromatography, but most open shell species would not survive the separation process. Due to the reactivity of radicals they have to be created by selectively converting stable precursor molecules. Depending on the radical generation method different properties can be investigated ranging from thermodynamic data, over concentrations in high temperature environments, to chemical kinetics.
The first part of this thesis deals with the determination of bimolecular rate constants. Isomeric hydrocarbon radicals were generated by a high intense UV light pulses and their kinetics with oxygen was measured. The pressure dependence of different isomers in the falloff region was compared to theoretical models, and their reactivity could be explained.
The second part deals with boron containing compounds in various electronic situations. The corresponding precursors were successfully synthesized or could be bought. They were subjected to fluorine atoms in chemical reactors or destroyed pyrolytically at high temperatures. Most investigated species exhibited vibronic effects that could be elucidated using high level computations.
cAAC‐Stabilized 9,10‐diboraanthracenes—Acenes with Open‐Shell Singlet Biradical Ground States
(2020)
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.
Das erste Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation bestand darin, ein bereits bestehendes TOF-MS-Setup dahingehend zu erweitern, um damit Velocity Map Imaging-Experimente durchführen zu können. Dies erforderte zunächst die Konzipierung und Programmierung einiger für die Datenaufnahme, -verarbeitung und -analyse benötigter LabView-Anwendungen. Anschließend konnten erste Kalibrierexperimente an Methyliodid, in denen wichtige experimentelle Parameter identifiziert und optimiert wurden, durchgeführt werden. Außerdem gelang es dadurch, die Messgenauigkeit des Setups auf 0.7 % und dessen Auflösungsvermögen auf 4.4 % zu bestimmen, was im Bereich für VMI-Apparaturen typischer Werte liegt. Zur weiteren Überprüfung der Funktionstüchtigkeit des Setups wurde in ersten zeitaufgelösten Experimenten im Folgenden die Desaktivierung des S1-Zustands von Pyridin untersucht. Neben der Reproduktion einiger bereits literaturbekannter Resultate konnten dabei zusätzlich die im Multiphotonen-Ionisationsschritt populierten Rydberg-Zustände identifiziert werden. Anschließend wurde mit Experimenten an bisher weniger gut untersuchten organischen Aromaten und Heteroaromaten fortgefahren. Das Ziel dieser Studien lag in der Aufklärung der photoinduzierten Dynamiken der Verbindungen, wobei das zur Verfügung stehende ps-Lasersystem die Möglichkeit bot, die Desaktivierung elektronisch angeregter Zustände gezielt in Abhängigkeit von deren Schwingungsenergie zu untersuchen. Der darin bestehende Vorteil zeigte sich vor allem in Studien an Tolan und Phenanthridin, deren erste angeregte, optisch aktive Zustände am Origin Lebensdauern im ns-Bereich aufweisen, die sich mit zunehmender vibronischer Anregung jedoch auf bis zu 10 ps verringern. Als Grund dafür konnten nichtstrahlende Desaktivierungsprozesse, für deren Eintreten eine energetische Barriere überwunden werden muss, identifiziert werden. Während in Tolan nach Photoanregung ein Übergang in einen (πσ∗)-Zustand, der zur Ausbildung einer trans-bent-Struktur führt, erfolgt, ist im Falle von Phenanthridin vermutlich ein El-Sayed-erlaubter ISC-Übergang in einen 3(nπ∗)-Zustand für die drastische Verkürzung der S1-Lebensdauer verantwortlich. Ein solcher konnte weder im zu Phenanthridin isomerischen Benzo[h]quinolin, noch in dessen PAH-Muttermolekül Phenanthren beobachtet werden, was auf die höhere energetische Lage bzw. die Abwesenheit des mittels ISC populierten 3(nπ∗)-Zustands in diesen Molekülen zurückgeführt werden kann. In weiteren im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit durchgeführten Experimente wurden zudem die aromatischen Moleküle Acenaphthylen und 4-(Dimethylamino)benzethin (DMABE) untersucht. Zeitaufgelöste Studien zeigten dabei, dass die Desaktivierung der S2-Zustände beider Moleküle auf der sub-ps-Zeitskala stattfindet und mit dem vorhandenen Lasersystem daher nicht aufgelöst werden kann. In Acenaphthylen erfolgt die S2-Relaxation größtenteils über einen sequentiellen IC-Mechanismus, innerhalb dem der S1-Zustand des Moleküls intermediär besetzt wird. Dessen Lebensdauer konnte am Origin auf 380 ps bestimmt werden, fällt mit steigender Schwingungsanregung jedoch auf bis zu 55 ps ab. Für die Desaktivierung des S2-Zustands von DMABE konnte hingegen ein paralleles Relaxationsmodell, in dem neben dem S1-Zustand ein weiterer elektronisch angeregter Zustand populiert wird, nachgewiesen werden. Bei diesem könnte es sich möglicherweise um einen (πσ∗)-Zustand, dessen Besetzung die Ausbildung einer trans-bent-Geometrie innerhalb der Acetylen-Einheit des Moleküls zur Folge hat, handeln. Einen weiteren großen Teil der vorliegenden Dissertation nahmen Experimente an van-der-Waals-gebundenen Clustersystemen ein. Im Fokus der Studien standen dabei Moleküle mit ausgedehnten aromatischen π-Systemen, da solche eine hohe Relevanz für verschiedene materialwissenschaftliche Forschungsgebiete besitzen. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist Tetracen, welches als Modellsystem für die Untersuchung von Singlet Fission-Prozessen angesehen wird. In Kombination mit nichtadiabatischen Surface-Hopping-Simulationen zeigten Experimente an Tetracen-Dimeren, dass nach deren S2-Anregung zunächst ein schneller S1←S2-Übergang (τ < 1 ps), gefolgt von der Ausbildung einer Excimerstruktur, stattfindet. Letztere erfolgt mit einer Zeitkonstante von 62 ps und führt zu einem Anstieg des transienten Ionensignals, wohingegen die Desaktivierung des Excimer-Zustands von einem abklingenden Signalbeitrag mit τ = 123 ps repräsentiert wird. Wenngleich über die weitere Relaxation der Excimerspezies zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt keine Aussage getroffen werden kann, besteht damit die Möglichkeit, dass Excimer-Zustände als Zwischenstufe im SF-Mechanismus isolierter Tetracen-Dimere auftreten. In zeitaufgelösten Experimenten an Phenanthren-Dimeren konnte ebenfalls ein Anstieg des transienten Signals mit einer vergleichbaren Zeitkonstante von τ = 86 ps, der jedoch auf einem konstanten Signaloffset endet, gefunden werden. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass auch Phenanthren-Dimere in der Lage sind, Excimerstrukturen, die im Gegensatz zu denen des Tetracens jedoch deutlich langlebiger sind, auszubilden. Studien an den Dimerspezies der Azaphenanthrene Benzo[h]quinolin und Phenanthridin offenbarten hingegen etwas schnellere Relaxationen mit Zeitkonstanten von 15 bzw. 40 ps. Zudem zeigten beide Spezies eine stark ausgeprägte Fragmentation, sodass für deren Untersuchung auf die VMI-Detektionsmethode zurückgegriffen werden musste. Dadurch wurde deutlich, dass sich Photoionen-Imaging-Experimente hervorragend für Studien an schwach gebundenen Clustersystemen eignen, da diese die Separation verschiedener Signalbeiträge innerhalb eines betrachteten Massenkanals ermöglichen.
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.
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.
The reaction products of the picolyl radicals at high temperature were characterized by mass‐selective threshold photoelectron spectroscopy in the gas phase. Aminomethylpyridines were pyrolyzed to initially produce picolyl radicals (m /z =92). At higher temperatures further thermal reaction products are generated in the pyrolysis reactor. All compounds were identified by mass‐selected threshold photoelectron spectroscopy and several hitherto unexplored reactive molecules were characterized. The mechanism for several dissociation pathways was outlined in computations. The spectrum of m /z =91, resulting from hydrogen loss of picolyl, shows four isomers, two ethynyl pyrroles with adiabatic ionization energies (IE\(_{ad}\)) of 7.99 eV (2‐ethynyl‐1H ‐pyrrole) and 8.12 eV (3‐ethynyl‐1H ‐pyrrole), and two cyclopentadiene carbonitriles with IE′s of 9.14 eV (cyclopenta‐1,3‐diene‐1‐carbonitrile) and 9.25 eV (cyclopenta‐1,4‐diene‐1‐carbonitrile). A second consecutive hydrogen loss forms the cyanocyclopentadienyl radical with IE′s of 9.07 eV (T\(_0\)) and 9.21 eV (S\(_1\)). This compound dissociates further to acetylene and the cyanopropynyl radical (IE=9.35 eV). Furthermore, the cyclopentadienyl radical, penta‐1,3‐diyne, cyclopentadiene and propargyl were identified in the spectra. Computations indicate that dissociation of picolyl proceeds initially via a resonance‐stabilized seven‐membered ring.
Excitation energy transport in DNA modelled by multi-chromophoric field-induced surface hopping
(2020)
Absorption of ultraviolet light is known as a major source of carcinogenic mutations of DNA. The underlying processes of excitation energy dissipation are yet not fully understood. In this work we provide a new and generally applicable route for studying the excitation energy transport in multi-chromophoric complexes at an atomistic level. The surface-hopping approach in the frame of the extended Frenkel exciton model combined with QM/MM techniques allowed us to simulate the photodynamics of the alternating (dAdT)10 : (dAdT)10 double-stranded DNA. In accordance with recent experiments, we find that the excited state decay is multiexponential, involving a long and a short component which are due to two distinct mechanisms: formation of long-lived delocalized excitonic and charge transfer states vs. ultrafast decaying localized states resembling those of the bare nucleobases. Our simulations explain all stages of the ultrafast photodynamics including initial photoexcitation, dynamical evolution out of the Franck-Condon region, excimer formation and nonradiative relaxation to the ground state.
Tetraiododiborane(4) (B\(_2\)I\(_4\)) is a Polymer based on sp\(^3\) Boron in the Solid State
(2020)
Herein we present the first solid‐state structures of tetraiododiborane(4) (B\(_2\)I\(_4\)), which was long believed to exist in all phases as discrete molecules with planar, tricoordinate boron atoms, like the lighter tetrahalodiboranes(4) B\(_2\)F\(_4\), B\(_2\)Cl\(_4\), and B\(_2\)Br\(_4\). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, solid‐state NMR, and IR measurements indicate that B\(_2\)I\(_4\) in fact exists as two different polymeric forms in the solid state, both of which feature boron atoms in tetrahedral environments. DFT calculations are used to simulate the IR spectra of the solution and solid‐state structures, and these are compared with the experimental spectra.
Iodine oxides appear as reactive intermediates in atmospheric chemistry. Here, we investigate IO and HOI by mass‐selective threshold photoelectron spectroscopy (ms‐TPES), using synchrotron radiation. IO and HOI are generated by photolyzing iodine in the presence of ozone. For both molecules, accurate ionization energies are determined, 9.71±0.02 eV for IO and 9.79±0.02 eV for HOI. The strong spin‐spin interaction in the 3Σ− ground state of IO+ leads to an energy splitting into the Ω=0 and Ω=±1 sublevels. Upon ionization, the I−O bond shortens significantly in both molecules; thus, a vibrational progression, assigned to the I−O stretch, is apparent in both spectra.
Schwingungsspektroskopie ist eine vielseitige spektroskopische Methode, mit der Molekülstrukturen und inter-/intramolekulare Wechselwirkungen untersucht werden können. Sie ist deshalb ein hervorragendes Mittel für die Identifikation von Molekülen. Die vorliegende Arbeit umfasst drei Projekte, in denen Schwingungsspektroskopie angewandt wurde, um reaktive Moleküle und ihre Hochtemperatur-Reaktionsprodukte zu untersuchen:
1. Die Aufklärung der Entstehungsmechanismen von polycyclischen aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen (PAKs) in Verbrennungsprozessen ist eines der Hauptanliegen der Verbrennungschemie.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde IR/UV-Ion-Dip-Spektroskopie in Verbindung mit DFT-Frequenzrechnungen und FTIR-Messungen angewandt, um Produkte von Radikal-Radikal-Reaktionen in einem Mikroreaktor bei hohen Temperaturen zu identifizieren. Als IR-Laserquelle für die IR/UV-Ion-Dip-Experimente diente der Freie-Elektronen-Laser FELIX (Free-Electron Laser for Infrared eXperiments) in Nijmegen (Niederlande).
In einem Teilprojekt wurde der A 1A´ (S1) <- X 1A´ (S0) Übergang in 1-(Phenylethinyl)naphthalin (1-PEN), einem mutmaßlich verbrennungsrelevanten Molekül, mit [1+1]-REMPI-Spektroskopie untersucht.
2. Die Identifikation von gasförmigen Reaktionsprodukten bei der thermischen Analyse (EGA: Emissionsgasanalyse) kann als komplementäre Methode zur DTA/TG zusätzliche Informationen für die Aufklärung von Reaktionsmechanismen liefern.
Der Aufbau eines elementaren EGA/FTIR-Experiments, basierend auf einer heizbaren IR-Gaszelle, ermöglichte in der vorliegenden Arbeit die Durchführung dynamischer IR-Messungen, mit denen thermische Umsetzungen von Übergangsmetall-Precursorkomplexen zu Koordinationspolymeren untersucht wurden.
3. Die Synthese des ersten bei Raumtemperatur stabilen Diborins, einer Verbindung mit einer Bor-Bor-Dreifachbindung, stellte einen Meilenstein in der elementorganischen Chemie dar. Dies implizierte eine umfassende Untersuchung der Eigenschaften der BB-Bindung und hatte die Synthese einer Reihe ähnlicher Bor-Bor-Mehrfachbindungssysteme mit variierenden Bindungseigenschaften zur Folge.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde Raman-Spektroskopie in Verbindung mit DFT-Frequenzrechnungen angewandt, um für diese Bor-Bor-Systeme die strukturellen/elektronischen Eigenschaften der zentralen CBBC-Einheit zu untersuchen.
Mechanistic Insights into the Inhibition of Cathepsin B and Rhodesain with Low-Molecular Inhibitors
(2019)
Cysteine proteases play a crucial role in medical chemistry concerning various fields reaching from more common ailments like cancer and hepatitis to less noted tropical diseases, namely the so-called African Sleeping Sickness (Human Arfican Trypanosomiasis). Detailed knowledge about the catalytic function of these systems is highly desirable for drug research in the respective areas. In this work, the inhibition mechanisms of the two cysteine proteases cathepsin B and rhodesain with respectively one low-molecular inhibitor class were investigated in detail, using computational methods. In order to sufficiently describe macromolecular systems, molecular mechanics based methods (MM) and quantum mechanical based method (QM), as well as hybrid methods (QM/MM) combining those two approaches, were applied.
For Cathespin B, carbamate-based molecules were investigated as potential inhibitors for the cysteine protease. The results indicate, that water-bridged proton-transfer reactions play a crucial role for the inhibition. The energetically most favoured pathway (according to the calculations) includes an elimination reaction following an E1cB mechanism with a subsequent carbamylation of the active site amino acid cysteine.
Nitroalkene derivatives were investigated as inhibitors for rhodesain. The investigation of structurally similar inhibitors showed, that even small steric differences can crucially influence the inhibition potential of the components. Furthermore, the impact of a fluorination of the nitroalkene inhibitors on the inhibition mechanism was investigated. According to experimental data measured from the working group of professor Schirmeister in Mainz, fluorinated nitroalkenes show – in contrast to the unfluorinated compounds – a time dependent inhibition efficiency. The calculations of the systems indicate, that the fluorination impacts the non-covalent interactions of the inhibitors with the enzymatic environment of the enzyme which results in a different inhibition behaviour.
Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der störungstheoretischen Berechnung von zweidimensionalen Photonen-Echo-Spektren für das elektronische und vibronische Modell eines Homo- und Hetero-Dimers sowie für ein vibronisches Modell eines Monomers unter dem Einfluss einer System-Bad-Wechselwirkung. Bei der Analyse der Dimerspektren steht neben der Orientierungsmittelung der Polarisation dritter Ordnung der Unterschied zwischen elektronischen und vibronischen Spektren sowie der Vergleich der Spektren von Homo- und Hetero-Dimeren im Zentrum des Interesses. Bei der Analyse der Monomer-Spektren steht die Behandlung einer dissipativen Dynamik bzw. des vibrational-coolings innerhalb eines stochastischen Ansatzes im Vordergrund.
Der erste Teil dieser Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die störungstheoretische Berechnung der Polarisation dritter Ordnung in Dimeren. Dabei werden alle Aspekte und Ergebnisse für verschiedene Geometrien der Übergangsdipolmomente analysiert und diskutiert. Die Berechnungen berücksichtigen dabei auch die zufällige Anordnung der Moleküle in der Probe. Die Zusammenhänge zwischen den 2D-Spektren und den Eigenschaften der Monomereinheiten, die Abhängigkeit der Intensitäten mancher Peaks von der zeitlichen Abfolge der Pulse sowie der Einfluss der elektronischen Kopplung und verschiedener Übergangsdipolmomente ermöglichen ein grundlegendes Verständnis der elektronischen Photonen-Echo-Spektren. Im elektronischen Dimer wird der Hetero-Dimer-Charakter durch verschiedene Monomeranregungsenergien sowie unterschiedliche Übergangsdipolmomente der Monomereinheiten bestimmt. Der Einfluss dieser Größen auf die Photonen-Echo-Spektren kann durch die Kombination einer detaillierten analytischen Betrachtung und numerischen Rechnungen anschaulich nachvollzogen werden. In der vibronischen Betrachtungsweise zeigt sich, dass die Spektren deutlich an Komplexität gewinnen. Durch die Vibrationsfreiheitsgrade vervielfachen sich die möglichen Übergänge im System und damit die möglichen Peakpositionen im Spektrum. Jeder Peak spaltet in eine Vibrationssubstruktur auf, die je nach ihrer energetischen Position mit anderen überlagern kann. Der Vergleich zwischen Homo- und Hetero-Dimer-Spektren wird durch die Wahl verschiedener Vibrationsfrequenzen und unterschiedlicher Gleichgewichtsabstände entlang der Vibrationskoordinaten erweitert.
Die Berechnung des Orientierungsmittels erfolgt mit zwei verschiedenen Ansätzen. Zum einen wird das Mittel durch den numerischen sampling-Ansatz berechnet. Dabei werden Azimutal- und Polarwinkel in kleinen Winkelinkrementen abgetastet und für jede Kombination ein 2D-Spektrum berechnet. Die Einzelspektren werden anschließend gemittelt. Diese Methode erweist sich im Dimer als sehr effektiv. Zum anderen erlaubt die analytische Auswertung der Polarisation dritter Ordnung, das gemittelte Spektrum direkt in einer einzelnen Rechnung durch winkelgemittelte Gewichtungsfaktoren zu bestimmen. Bei der Berechnung der elektronischen 2D-Spektren ist diese Methode sehr leistungsfähig, da alle Ausdrücke analytisch bekannt sind. Für vibronische Systeme ist dieser Ansatz ebenfalls sehr leistungsstark, benötigt aber eine einmalige aufwendige Analyse vor der Berechnung. Trotz der deutlich erhöhten Anzahl an Zustandsvektoren, die propagiert werden müssen, ist diese Methode circa zweimal schneller als die direkte Mittelung mit der sampling-Methode.
Im zweiten Teil konzentriert sich die Arbeit auf die Beschreibung eines Monomers, das sich in einer dissipativen Umgebung befindet. Dabei wird auf die Lösung einer stochastischen Schrödingergleichung zurückgegriffen. Speziell wird die sogenannte quantum-state-diffusion-Methode benutzt. Dabei werden nicht nur die Erwartungswerte für die Energie und den Ort, sondern auch die Polarisation dritter Ordnung – eine phasensensitive Größe – bestimmt. In der theoretischen Fragestellung wird dabei, ausgehend von der von-Neumann Gleichung, die Zeitentwicklung der reduzierten Dichtematrix durch die Integration einer stochastischen zeitabhängigen Schrödingergleichung reproduziert. In Rechnungen koppelt die Stochastik über die Erwartungswerte von Ort und Impuls die verschiedenen störungstheoretischen Korrekturen der Wellenfunktion miteinander. Die Spektren, die aus den numerischen Simulationen erhalten werden, spiegeln das dissipative Verhalten des Systems detailliert wider. Eine Analyse der Erwartungswerte von Ort und Energie zeigt, dass sich die einzelnen elektronischen Zustände wie gedämpfte harmonische Oszillatoren verhalten und jeweils einen exponentiellen Zerfall abhängig von der Dissipationskonstante zeigen. Dieser Teil der Arbeit erweitert vorausgehende Untersuchungen, bei denen ein vereinfachter Ansatz zu Einsatz kam, der die korrelierte Stochastik nicht berücksichtigte.
Describing the light-to-energy conversion in OSCs requires a multiscale understanding of the involved optoelectronic processes, i.e., an understanding from the molecular, intermolecular, and aggregate perspective. This thesis presents such a multiscale description to provide insight into the processes in the vicinity of the organic::organic interface, which are crucial for the overall performance of OSCs. Light absorption, exciton diffusion, photoinduced charge transfer at the donor-acceptor interface, and charge separation are included. In order to establish structure-property relationships, a variety of different molecular p-type semiconductors are combined at the organic donor-acceptor heterojunction with fullerene C60, one of the most common acceptors in OSCs. Starting with a comprehensive analysis of the accuracy of diverse ab initio, DFT, and semiempiric methods for the properties of the individual molecules, the intermolecular, and aggregate/device stage are subsequently addressed. At all stages, both methodological concepts and physical aspects in OSCs are discussed to extend the microscopic understanding of the charge generation processes.
Investigation of Nanostructure-Induced Localized Light Phenomena Using Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy
(2017)
In recent years, the interaction of light with subwavelength structures, i.e., structures that are smaller than the optical wavelength, became more and more interesting to scientific research, since it provides the opportunity to manipulate light-induced dynamics below the optical diffraction limit. Specifically designed nanomaterials can be utilized to tailor the temporal evolution of electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale. For the investigation of strongly localized processes, it is essential to resolve both their spatial and their temporal behavior. The aim of this thesis was to study and/or control the temporal evolution of three nanostructure-induced localized light phenomena by using ultrafast laser spectroscopy with high spatial resolution.
In Chapter 4, the absorption of near-infrared light in thin-film a-Si:H solar cells was investigated. Using nanotextured instead of smooth interfaces for such devices leads to an increase of absorption from < 20% to more than 50% in the near-infrared regime. Time-resolved experiments with femtosecond laser pulses were performed to clarify the reason for this enhancement. The coherent backscattered radiation from nanotextured solar cell devices was measured as a function of the sample position and evaluated via spectral interferometry. Spatially varying resonance peaks in the recorded spectra indicated the formation of localized photonic modes within the nanotextured absorber layers. In order to identify the modes separately from each other, coherent two-dimensional (2D) nanoscopy was utilized, providing a high spatial resolution < 40 nm. In a nanoscopy measurement on a modified device with an exposed nanotextured a-Si:H absorber layer, hot-spot electron emission was observed and confirmed the presence of localized modes. Fitting the local 2D nanospectra at the hot-spot positions enabled the determination of the resonance frequencies and coherence lifetimes of the modes. The obtained lifetime values varied between 50 fs and 130 fs. Using a thermionic emission model allowed the calculation of the locally absorbed energy density and, with this, an estimation of the localization length of the photonic modes (≈1 μm). The localization could be classified by means of the estimated localization length and additional data evaluation of the backscattered spectra as strong localization ─ the so-called Anderson localization.
Based on the experimental results, it was concluded that the enhanced absorption of near-infrared light in thin-film silicon solar cells with nanotextured interfaces is caused by the formation of strongly localized photonic modes within the disordered absorber layers. The incoming near-infrared light is trapped in these long-living modes until absorption occurs.
In Chapter 5, a novel hybridized plasmonic device was introduced and investigated in both theory and experiment. It consists of two widely separated whispering gallery mode (WGM) nanoantennas located in an elliptical plasmonic cavity. The goal was to realize a periodic long-range energy transfer between the nanoantennas. In finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, the device was first optimized with respect to strong coupling between the localized antenna modes and the spatially-extended cavity mode. The geometrical parameters of the antennas and the cavity were adjusted separately so that the m="0" antenna mode and the cavity mode were resonant at λ="800 nm" . A high spatial overlap of the modes was achieved by positioning the two antennas in the focal spots of the cavity, leading to a distance between the antenna centers of more than twice the resonant wavelength of the modes. The spectral response of the optimized device revealed an energy splitting of the antenna and the cavity mode into three separated hybridized eigenmodes within an energy range of about 90 meV due to strong coupling. It could be well reproduced by a simple model of three coupled Lorentzian oscillators. In the time domain, an oscillatory energy transfer between both antennas with a period of 86 fs and an energy transfer efficiency of about 7% was observed for single-pulse excitation. For the experiments, devices with cavities and antennas of varying size were fabricated by means of focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling. Time-resolved correlation measurements were performed with high spatial and temporal resolution by using sequences of two femtosecond laser pulses for excitation and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) for detection. Local correlation traces at antennas in resonant devices, i.e., devices with enhanced electron emission at both antenna positions, were investigated and reconstructed by means of the coupled-oscillator model. The corresponding spectral response revealed separated peaks, confirming the formation of hybridized eigenmodes due to strong coupling. In a subsequent simulation for single-pulse excitation, one back-and-forth energy transfer between both antennas with an energy transfer efficiency of about 10% was observed.
Based on the theoretical and experimental results, it was demonstrated that in the presented plasmonic device a periodic long-range energy transfer between the two nanoantennas is possible. Furthermore, the coupled-oscillator model enables one to study in depth how specific device properties impact the temporal electric-field dynamics within the device. This can be exploited to further optimize energy transfer efficiency of the device. Future applications are envisioned in ultrafast plasmonic nanocircuitry. Moreover, the presented device can be employed to realize efficient SPP-mediated strong coupling between widely separated quantum emitters.
In Chapter 6, it was investigated in theory how the local optical chirality enhancement in the near field of plasmonic nanostructures can be optimized by tuning the far-field polarization of the incident light. An analytic expression was derived that enables the calculation of the optimal far-field polarizations, i.e., the two far-field polarizations which lead to the highest positive and negative local optical chirality, for any given nanostructure geometry. The two optimal far-field polarizations depend on the local optical response of the respective nanostructure and thus are functions of both the frequency ω and the position r. Their ellipticities differ only in their sign, i.e., in their direction of rotation in the time domain, and the angle between their orientations, i.e., the angle between the principal axes of their ellipses, is ±π/"2" . The handedness of optimal local optical chirality can be switched by switching between the optimal far-field polarizations. In numerical simulations, it was exemplarily shown for two specific nanostructure assemblies that the optimal local optical chirality can significantly exceed the optical chirality values of circularly polarized light in free space ─ the highest possible values in free space. The corresponding optimal far-field polarizations were different from linear and circular and varied with frequency. Using femtosecond polarization pulse shaping provides the opportunity to coherently control local optical chirality over a continuous frequency range. Furthermore, symmetry properties of nanostructures can be exploited to determine which far-field polarization is optimal.
The theoretical findings can have impact on future experimental studies about local optical chirality enhancement. Tuning the far-field polarization of the incident light offers a promising tool to enhance chirally specific interactions of local electromagnetic fields with molecular and other quantum systems in the vicinity of plasmonic nanostructures. The presented approach can be utilized for applications in chiral sensing of adsorbed molecules, time-resolved chirality-sensitive spectroscopy, and chiral quantum control.
In conclusion, each of the localized light phenomena that were investigated in this thesis ─ the enhanced local absorption of near-infrared light due to the formation of localized photonic modes, the periodic long-range energy transfer between two nanoantennas within an elliptical plasmonic cavity, and the optimization of local optical chirality enhancement by tuning the far-field polarization of the incident light ─ can open up new perspectives for a variety of future applications.
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Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit verschiedenen Aspekten der Dynamik von Kernen, Elektronen und gekoppelten Kern-Elektron-Systemen, wobei je nach System unterschiedliche Herangehensweisen gewählt wurden.
Zentrale Punkte sind bei allen drei Kapiteln einerseits die Lokalisierung von Teilchen und Energie und andererseits eine hohe Sensitivität in Bezug auf die Wahl der Anfangsbedingungen.
Im ersten Teil wurden von der Carrier-Envelope-Phase (CEP) abhängende, laser-induzierte Lokalisierungen betrachtet. Das zentrale Element ist dabei das entwickelte Doppelpulsschema, mit welchem eine CEP-Abhängigkeit in beobachtbaren Größen erzeugt wird. Als Beispielsysteme wurden die Fragmentation im D₂⁺-Modellsystem und eine Isomerisierung im Doppelminimumpotential (DMP) untersucht. Als Observable wird die Asymmetrie betrachtet
Im DMP kann die Asymmetrie mit dem Entantiomeren/Isomerenüberschuss gleich gesetzt werden kann und im D₂⁺-Modellsystem mit der Lokalisierung des Elektrons auf einem der beiden dissoziierenden Kerne.
Eine Phasenabhängigkeit der Asymmetrien besteht nur für die CEP des zweiten Pulses φ₂, für welchen keine Begrenzungen für die Anzahl an Laserzyklen auftreten.
Im DMP wurde die CEP-Abhängigkeit der Asymmetrien auch bei unterschiedlichen Startkonfigurationen untersucht. Für alle untersuchten Startkonfigurationen konnte ein Laserparametersatz gefunden werden, der für zumindest eine der beiden Asymmetrien eine CEP-Abhängigkeit liefert. Aufgrund der aufgehobenen energetischen Entartung der Paare gerader und ungerader Symmetrie ist die resultierende Lokalisierung zeitabhängig. Zur Messung der vorhergesagten Dynamiken ist z.B. die Aufnahme eines Photoelektronen-Spektrums denkbar.
In nächsten Kapitel wurden unterschiedliche Dynamiken innerhalb eines 4d Kern-Elektron-Modells in der Nähe einer konischen Durchschneidung (CI) zweier Potentiale betrachtet. Hierbei ist hervorzuheben, dass eine solche gleichzeitige Untersuchung von Kern- und Elektron-Dynamik in Systemen mit CIs in der Literatur, nach Wissen des Autors, bisher nicht veröffentlicht ist. Das 4d-Potential wurde mit Hilfe des sogenannten Potfit-Algorithmus gefittet. Dieser Fit wurde anschließend verwendet, um die Dynamik des gekoppelten Systems mit Hilfe der ”Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree”(MCTDH)-Methode zu berechnen. Aus der Analyse der gekoppelten Kern-Elektron-Wellenfunktion ergaben sich zwei grundlegend unterschiedliche Klassen von Dynamiken:
• Diabatisch: Kern- und Elektrondynamik sind nahezu entkoppelt. Der Kern bewegt sich und das Elektron bleibt statisch.
• Adiabatisch: Kern- und Elektrondynamik sind stark gekoppelt. Die Kerndynamik findet auf Kreisbahnen statt. Mit der Rotation der Kerndichte um den Winkel φ geht eine Rotation der Elektron-Dichte einher.
Die diabatische Bewegung entspricht der Dynamik durch die konische Durchschneidung und die adiabatische Bewegung der Dynamik auf der unteren Potentialfläche. Welche der beiden Dynamiken stattfindet, wird durch die Wahl der Anfangsbedingung bestimmt. Der wesentliche Unterschied zwischen den beiden Startzuständen ist dabei die Lage des Knotens im elektronischen Anteil der Wellenfunktion. In den diabatischen Bewegungen bleibt z.B. der pₓ -artige Charakter der elektronischen Wellenfunktion konstant, wohingegen sich bei der adiabatischen Dynamik der Charakter mit der Kernbewegung ändert. Die Zeitersparnis durch die Verwendung des MCTDH-Ansatzes im Vergleich zur Split-Operator-Methode liegt etwa bei einem Faktor 5.
Das letzte Kapitel widmet sich der mikroskopischen Beschreibung von Exziton-Exziton-
Annihilierung (EEA). Dabei werden numerische Lösungen der aus einem mikro-
skopischen Modell hergeleiteten Ratengleichungen mit Messungen ( transienter Absorption) verglichen. Es wurden zwei Systeme untersucht: ein Squarain-basiertes Heteropolymer (SQA-SQB)ₙ und ein [2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenvinylen]-Polymer, auch bekannt als MEH-PPV. In beiden Fällen gelang die systematische Parameterbestimmung mit Hilfe einer Aufteilung in lokalisierte Subsysteme. Diese Subsysteme werden einzeln gewichtet und anschließend aufsummiert, wobei die Gewichte optimiert werden können. Aus den so erhaltenen Parametern ergibt sich für beide Systeme ein ähnliches Bild:
• Durch ultraschnelle Lokalisierung der Anregung im fs-Bereich auf kleinere Aggregateinheiten bilden sich voneinander getrennte Subsysteme.
• Die in den Subsystemen lokalisierten Exzitonen können sich nur innerhalb dieser Bereiche frei bewegen. Es ist ausreichend, direkt benachbarte Mono-, Bi-, Tri- und Tetra-Exzitonen in bis zu zwei Dimensionen zu berücksichtigen.
• Auf einer fs-Zeitskala annihilieren direkt benachbarte Exzitonen.
• Im MEH-PPV ergibt sich der Signalzerfall im fs-Bereich als Mittelwert aus einer schnellen (zwischen Ketten) und einer langsamen (innerhalb von Ketten) Annihilierung.
• Im ps- bis ns-Bereich wird sowohl durch Diffusion vermittelte Annihilierung, also auch der Zerfall der ersten angeregten Zustände bedeutsam.
Two thematic complexes were addressed within this work. One part is related to improvements and new implementations into the CAST program package. Thereby the main focus laid on the delivery of a tool which can be used to characterize complex reactions and their mechanisms. But also within the new force field (FF) method (SAPT-FF) within the CAST program, several improvements were made. The second topic is related to the description of dye molecules and their spectral properties. The main focus within these studies was set on the influence of the environment on these properties. In the first topic improvements of the local acting NEB (nudged elastic band) methods were included and the number of available methods was extended. The initial pathway generation was improved by implementing the IDPP (image dependent pair potential) method and a new method was implemented for describing temperature dependent pathways. Additionally, improvements have been made to the optimization routines (global NEB). As a second part the Pathopt (PO) method was considerably improved. In the beginning of the work the original PO idea was used. In this approach one starts with a global optimization on one n-1 dimensional hyperplane which divides the reaction into two sub-areas for obtaining guesses of TSs (transition states). These found TS guesses were used to optimize to the ”true” TS. Starting from the optimized ones a relaxation to the next connected minima is done. This idea has been automatically implemented and extended to several number of hyperplanes. In this manner a group of pathsegments is obtained which needs to be connected, but within this work it was realized that such a procedure might be not very efficient. Therefore, a new strategy was implemented which is founded on the same constrained global optimization scheme (MCM) for which the user defines the number of hyperplanes generated. The number of such generated hyperplanes should be large enough
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to describe the space between the concerning reactants in a sufficient way. The found minima are directly used to built up the reaction pathway. For this purpose a RMSD (root mean square deviation) criterion is used to walk along ways of minimal change from one to another hyperplane. To prove the implementations various test calculations were carried out and extensions included to prove the capabilities of the new strategy. Related to these tests a new strategy for applying the move steps in MCM (Monte Carlo with minimization) was realized which is also related to the question of the coordinates representation. We were able to show that the hopping steps in MCM can be improved by applying Cartesian steps in combination of random dihedral moves with respect to the constraint. In this way it was possible to show that a large variety of systems can be treated. An additional chapter shows the improvements of the SAPT-FF implementation and related test cases. It was possible to treat benzene dimer and cluster systems of different sizes consistently also in accordance with high level ab initio based approaches. Furthermore, we showed that the SAPT-FF with the right parameters outperforms the standard AMOEBA implementation which is the basis of the SAPT-FF implementation. In the last three chapters deal with the description of perlyene-based dyes. In the first smaller chapter ground state chemistry description of macro cycles of PBI (perylene bisimide) derivatives were investigated. Therefore, AFM (atomic force microscopy) based pictures were explained within our study. The methods to explain aggregation behavior in dependency of the ring size were MD simulations and configuration studies. The last two chapters deal with opto-electronic or photo-physical properties of PBI and PTCDA (perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride). In detail, we investigated the role of the environment and the aggregate or crystal surrounding by applying different models. In that way implicit and explicit solvation models, the size of aggregates and vibration motions were used. In the case of PBI the recent work is found on preliminary studies related to my bachelor thesis and extends it. It was shown that the direct influence of a polarizable surrounding, as well as explicit inclusion of solvent molecules on the overall description of the excitations and nature of the excited states is weaker as one might expect. However the inclusion of intra-molecular degrees of freedom showed a stronger influence on the state characteristics and can induce a change of the order of states within the dimer picture. For the PTCDA molecule the main focus was set on the description of the absorption spectrum of crystalline thin films. Related to this older works exist which already gave a description and assignment of the absorption band, but are based on different approaches compared to the one used in this work. We used the supermolecule ansatz, whereas the environment and different aggregate sizes were investigated. Within the dimer based approach we were able to show that using continuum solvation (IEFPCM/COSMO) based description for the environment the relative order of states remains unchanged. Similar to the PBI calculations the influence of the vibrational motions /distortions is larger. The simulation of the crystal environment by using QM/MM (quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics) approaches delivered that an asymmetric charge distribution might induce a localization of the excitation and a stronger mixing of states. For obtaining further insights we go beyond the dimer picture and aggregates of different sizes were used, whereas the simulations up to the octadecamer mono- and even dual-layer stack were carried out. Within these calculations it was shown that the H-coupling is dominating over a weaker J-coupling between different stacks. Additionally the calculations based on DFT (density functional theory) and semi-empirics showed that the lowest state in terms of energy are mostly of Frenkel type, whereas the higher lying states are CT ones which mix with embedded Frenkel type states. The first band of the absorption spectrum was explained by inclusion of vibrational motions within the stacks which induce an intensity gain of the first excited state. This intensity was not explainable by using the undistorted stacks. Also relaxations at the crystal surface might play a role, but are experimentally not explainable.
In the present contribution, we describe the synthesis of highly dispersed silver nanorods (NRs) of different aspect ratios using a chemical route. The shape and size of the synthesized NRs were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. Longitudinal and transverse absorptions bands confirm the rod type structure. The experimentally recorded UV-visible spectra of NRs solutions were fitted by using an expression of the extinction coefficient for rod like nano structures under the dipole approximation. Simulated and experimentally observed UV-visible spectra were compared to determine the aspect ratios (R) of NRs. The average values of R for NR1, NR2 and NR3 solutions are estimated to be 3.0 ± 0.1, 1.8 ± 0.1 and 1.2 ± 0.1, respectively. These values are in good agreement with those obtained by TEM micrographs. The silver NRs of known aspect ratios are used to study antimicrobial activities against B. subtilis (gram positive) and E. coli (gram negative) microbes. We observed that the NRs of intermediate aspect ratio (R = 1.8) have greater antimicrobial effect against both, B. subtilis (gram positive) and E. coli (gram negative). The NRs of aspect ratio, R = 3.0 has better antimicrobial activities against gram positive than on the gram negative.
The aim of the present work is the development and implementation of new simulation
possibilities for the CAST program package. Development included, among other
things, the partial parallelization of the already existing force fields, extension of the
treatment of electrostatic interactions and implementation of molecular dynamics and
free energy algorithms.
The most time consuming part of force field calculations is the evaluation of the nonbonded
interactions. The calculation of these interactions has been parallelized and
it could be shown to yield a significant speed up for multi-core calculations compared
to the serial execution on only one CPU. For both, simple energy/gradient as well as
molecular dynamics simulations the computational time could be significantly reduced.
To further increase the performance of calculations employing a cutoff radius, a linkedcell
algorithm was implemented which is able to build up the non-bonded interaction
list up to 7 times faster than the original algorithm.
To provide access to dynamic properties based on the natural time evolution of a system,
a molecular dynamics code has been implemented. The MD implementation features
two integration schemes for the equations of motion which are able to generate stable
trajectories. The basic MD algorithm as described in Section 1.2 leads to the sampling
in the microcanonical (NVE) ensemble. The practical use of NVE simulations is limited
though because it does not correspond to any experimentally realistic situation.
More realistic simulation conditions are found in the isothermal (NVT) and isothermalisobaric
(NPT) ensembles. To generate those ensembles, temperature and pressure
control has been implemented. The temperature can be controlled in two ways: by direct
velocity scaling and by a Nose-Hoover thermostat which produces a real canonical
ensemble. The pressure coupling is realized by implementation of a Berendsen barostat.
The pressure coupling can be used for isotropic or anisotropic box dimensions with the
restriction that the angles of the box need to be 90. A crucial simulation parameter in
MD simulations is the length of the timestep. The timestep is usually in the rang of 1fs.
Increasing the timestep beyond 1fs can lead to unstable trajectories since the fastest
motion in the system, usually the H-X stretch vibration can not be sampled anymore.
A way to allow for bigger timesteps is the use of a constraint algorithm which constrains the H-X bonds to the equilibrium distance. For this the RATTLE algorithm has been
implemented in the CAST program. The velocity Verlet algorithm in combination with
the RATTLE algorithm has been shown to yield stable trajectories for an arbitrary
length of simulation time. In a first application the MD implementation is used in conjunction
with the MOPAC interface for the investigation of PBI sidechains and their
rigidity. The theoretical investigations show a nice agreement with experimentally obtained
results. Based on the MD techniques two algorithms for the determination of free
energy differences have been implemented. The umbrella sampling algorithm can be
used to determine the free energy change along a reaction coordinate based on distances
or dihedral angles. The implementation was tested on the stretching of a deca-L-alanine
and the rotation barrier of butane in vacuum. The results are in nearly perfect agreement
with literature values. For the FEP implementation calculations were performed
for a zero-sum transformation of ethane in explicit solvent, the charging of a sodium
ion in explicit solvent and the transformations of a tripeptide in explicit solvent. All
results are in agreement with benchmark calculations of the NAMD program as well
as literature values. The FEP formalism was then applied to determine the relative
binding free energies between two inhibitors in an inhibitor-protein complex.
Next to force fields, ab-initio methods can be used for simulations and global optimizations.
Since the performance of such methods is usually significantly poorer than force
field applications, the use for global optimizations is limited. Nevertheless significant
progress has been made by porting these codes to GPUs. In order to make use of these
developments a MPI interface has been implemented into CAST for communication
with the DFT code TeraChem. The CAST/TeraChem combination has been tested
on the $H_2 O_{10}$ cluster as well as the polypeptide met-Enkephalin. The pure ab-initio
calculations showed a superior behavior compared to the standard procedure where the
force field results are usually refined using quantum chemical methods.
Theoretical Investigations on the Interactions of Small Compounds with their Molecular Environments
(2015)
In the first part of this work, a combination of theoretical methods for the rational design of covalent inhibitor is presented. Starting from the crystal structure of the covalent complex of a lead compound, quantum mechanical and QM/MM calculations were used to derive the exact geometry of the preceeding non-covalent enzyme inhibitor complex. The geometry of the latter mainly determines the reactivity of the inhibitor against its target enzyme concerning the formation of the covalent bond towards an active site residue. Therefore, this geometry was used as starting point for the optimization of the substitution pattern of the inhibitor such as to increase its binding affinity without loosing its ability to covalently bind to the target protein. The optimization of the chemical structure was supported by using docking procedures, which are best suited to estimate binding affinities that arise from the introduced changes. A screening of the novel substitution patterns resulted in a first generation of model compounds which were further tested for their reactivity against the target. Dynamic simulations on the novel compounds revealed that the orientation that compounds adopt within the active site are such that a covalent interaction with the enzyme is no longer possible. Hence, the chemical structure was further modified, including not only changes in the substituents but also within the core of the molecule. Docking experiments have been conducted to assure sufficiently high binding affinities and to obtain the most favored binding poses. Those have then again been used for dynamic simulations which resulted in structures, for which the bond formation process appeared feasible. A final series of QM/MM calculations considering various protonation states was computed to estimate the reaction energies for the covalent attachment of the inhibitor to the enzyme. The theoretical results indicate a reasonable high inhibition potency of the novel compounds.
The second part concentrates on the environmental influences on the electron density of an inhibitor molecule. Therefore, a vinylsulfone-based model compound was selected for which an experimental crystal structure for the pure compound as well as a theoretically determined enzyme-inhibitor complex have been available. To provide reference data for the larger systems, the conformational space of the isolated molecule was screened for favorable geometries which were later compared to those within the crystal and protein surrounding. The geometry of the crystal structure could readily be taken from the experimental data whereas calculations on the protein complex revealed four potential non-covalent complexes exhibiting different arrangements of the molecule within the active site of the protein as well as two possible protonation states of the catalytic dyad. Hence, all four protein complexes have been compared to the crystal structure of the molecule as well as against the more favorable geometries of the isolated molecule being determined within vacuum or aqueous surrounding. Whereas the molecule itself was found to adopt comparable geometries within all investigated environments, the interactions pattern between the crystal surrounding and the protein differed largely from each other. The favorable formation of dimers within the crystal has a strong stabilizing effect and explains the extraordinarily good quality of the crystal. Within the protein however, repulsive forces have been found between the protein and the inhibitor. The origin of the repulsion could be traced back to effect of on of the substituents to the vinyl scaffold. The difference in the chemical structure in comparison to a well known inhibitor might also explain the experimentally found loss of activity for the model compound in comparison to K11777.