Scientific data in chemistry has come a long way in the last few decades. Originally entangled into scientific articles in the form of tables of numbers or diagrams, it was (partially) disentangled into supporting information when journals became electronic in the late 1990s.[cite]10.1021/acs.orglett.5b01700[/cite] The next phase was the introduction of data repositories in the early naughties.
Ever since the concept of a shared two-electron bond was conjured by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1916,[cite]10.1021/ja02261a002[/cite] chemists have been fascinated by the related concept of a bond order (the number of such bonds that two atoms can participate in, however a bond is defined) and pushing it ever higher for pairs of like-atoms.
Way back in the late 1980s or so, research groups in chemistry started to replace the filing of their paper-based research data by storing it in an easily retrievable digital form. This required a computer database and initially these were accessible only on specific dedicated computers in the laboratory.
To be FAIR, data has to be not only Findable and Accessible, but straightforwardly Interoperable. One of the best examples of interoperability in chemistry comes from the domain of quantum chemistry. This strives to describe a molecule by its electron density distribution, from which many interesting properties can then be computed. The process is split into two parts: Computation of the wavefunction.
The annual “molecule of the year” results for 2021 are now available … and the winner is Infinitene .[cite]10.33774/chemrxiv-2021-pcwcc[/cite],[cite]10.1021/jacs.1c10807[/cite] This is a benzocirculene in the form of a figure eight loop (the infinity symbol), a shape which is also called a lemniscate [cite]10.1021/jo801022b[/cite] after the mathematical (2D) function due to Bernoulli.
In the previous post, I showed some of the diverse “non-classical”interactions between Biotin and a protein where it binds very strongly. Here I take a look at two of these interactions to discover how common they are in small molecule structures.
The title comes from the abstract of an article[cite]10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00975[/cite] analysing why Biotin (vitamin B7) is such a strong and effective binder to proteins, with a free energy of (non-covalent) binding approaching 21 kcal/mol.
Earlier this year, Molnupiravir hit the headlines as a promising antiviral drug. This is now followed by Paxlovid, which is the first small molecule to be aimed by design at the SAR-CoV-2 protein and which is reported as reducing greatly the risk of hospitalization or death when given within three days of symptoms appearing in high risk patients. The Wikipedia page (first created in 2021) will display a pretty good JSmol 3D model of this;
The previous post described the fascinating 170-year history of a crystalline compound known as Herapathite and its connection to the mechanism of the Finkelstein reaction via the complex of Na + I 2 – (or Na 2 2+ I 4 2- ). Both compounds exhibit (approximately) linear chains of iodine atoms in their crystal structures, a connection which was discovered serendipitously.
On October 13, 2021, the historical group of the Royal Society of Chemistry organised a symposium celebrating ~150 years of the history of (molecular) chirality. We met for the first time in person for more than 18 months and were treated to a splendid and diverse program about the subject. The first speaker was Professor John Steeds from Bristol, talking about the early history of light and the discovery of its polarisation.
