Computational Prediction and Rationalization, and Experimental Validation of Handedness Induction in Helical Aromatic Oligoamide Foldamers.
Zhiwei LiuXiaobo HuAra M AbramyanÁdám MészárosMárton CsékeiAndrás KotschyIvan HucVojislava PophristicPublished in: Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) (2017)
Metadynamics simulations were used to describe the conformational energy landscapes of several helically folded aromatic quinoline carboxamide oligomers bearing a single chiral group at either the C or N terminus. The calculations allowed the prediction of whether a helix handedness bias occurs under the influence of the chiral group and gave insight into the interactions (sterics, electrostatics, hydrogen bonds) responsible for a particular helix sense preference. In the case of camphanyl-based and morpholine-based chiral groups, experimental data confirming the validity of the calculations were already available. New chiral groups with a proline residue were also investigated and were predicted to induce handedness. This prediction was verified experimentally through the synthesis of proline-containing monomers, their incorporation into an oligoamide sequence by solid phase synthesis and the investigation of handedness induction by NMR spectroscopy and circular dichroism.