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Title: The helix⁻inversion mechanism in double₋stranded helical oligomers bridged by rotary cyclic boronate esters

Journal Article · · Journal of Computational Chemistry
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/jcc.25856· OSTI ID:1557504

Attracted by the numerous regulatory functions of double-helical biopolymers such as DNA, many researchers have synthesized various double-helical systems. A recently synthesized double-stranded helical oligomer covalently bridged by rotary boronate esters (BBDD) was shown to undergo helix-inversion that might serve as platform to design rotor systems. Yet, the detailed helix-inversion mechanism could not be investigated experimentally. Direct molecular dynamics simulations based on density-functional tight-binding energies and gradients computed on-the-fly reveal that disentanglement to the unraveled form and following exchange of the twisted terminal trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups are prerequisites for the observed helix-inversion. The possibility of mean force confirms that the originally assumed “concurrent” rotation of the boronate esters and the helix-inversion involves shorter time scale “step-wise” processes, triggered by the disentanglement and exchange of the TMS groups. These results suggest that inversion dynamics of double-helical molecules such as BBDD may be controllable by chemical fine-tuning of the terminal groups.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; AC05‐00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1557504
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1513060
Journal Information:
Journal of Computational Chemistry, Vol. 40, Issue 23; ISSN 0192-8651
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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