Cyclic Octamer of Hydroxyl-functionalized Cations with Net Charge Q=+8e Kinetically Stabilized by a 'Molecular Island' of Cooperative Hydrogen Bonds.

ABSTRACT: Cyclic octamers are well-known structural motifs in chemistry, biology and physics. These include covalently bound cyclic octameric sulphur, cylic octa-alkanes, cyclo-octameric peptides as well as hydrogen-bonded ring clusters of alcohols. In this work, we show that even calculated cyclic octamers of hydroxy-functionalized pyridinium cations with a net charge Q=+8e are kinetically stable. Eight positively charged cations are kept together by hydrogen bonding despite the strong Coulomb repulsive forces. Sufficiently long hydroxy-octyl chains prevent "Coulomb explosion" by increasing the distance between the positive charges at the pyridinium rings, reducing the Coulomb repulsion and thus strengthen hydrogen bonds between the OH groups. The eightfold positively charged cyclic octamer shows s

SUBMITTER: Philipp JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7702028 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature