: The unpolarized absorption and circular dichroism spectra of the fundamental vibrational transitions of the chiral molecule, 4-methyl-2-oxetanone, are calculated ab initio. Harmonic force fields are obtained using Density Functional Theory (DFT), MP2, and SCF methodologies and a 5S4P2D/3S2P (TZ2P) basis set. DFT calculations use the Local Spin Density Approximation (LSDA), BLYP, and Becke3LYP (B3LYP) density functionals. Mid-IR spectra predicted using LSDA, BLYP, and B3LYP force fields are of significantly different quality, the B3LYP force field yielding spectra in clearly superior, and overall excellent, agreement with experiment. The MP2 force field yields spectra in slightly worse agreement with experiment than the B3LYP force field. The SCF force field yields spectra in poor agreement with experiment.The basis set dependence of B3LYP force fields is also explored: the 6-31G* and TZ2P basis sets give very similar results while the 3-21G basis set yields spectra in substantially worse agreements with experiment. jg

Ab initio calculation of vibrational absorption and circular dichroism spectra using density functional force fields

Bioluminescence is a phenomenon that has fascinated mankind for centuries. Today the phenomenon and its sibling, chemiluminescence, have impacted society with a number of useful applications in fields like analytical chemistry and medicine, just to mention two. In this review, a molecular-orbital perspective is adopted to explain the chemistry behind chemiexcitation in both chemi- and bioluminescence. First, the uncatalyzed thermal dissociation of 1,2-dioxetane is presented and analyzed to explain, for example, the preference for triplet excited product states and increased yield with larger nonreactive substituents. The catalyzed fragmentation reaction and related details are then exemplified with substituted 1,2-dioxetanone species. In particular, the preference for singlet excited product states in that case is explained. The review also examines the diversity of specific solutions both in Nature and in artificial systems and the difficulties in identifying the emitting species and unraveling the color...

Chemi- and Bioluminescence of Cyclic Peroxides.

The crystal structures of the pure, unsubstituted firefly emitter oxyluciferin (OxyLH(2)) and its 5-methyl analogue (MOxyLH(2)) were determined for the first time to reveal that both molecules exist as pure trans-enol forms, enol-OxyLH(2) and enol-MOxyLH(2), assembled as head-to-tail hydrogen-bonded dimers. Their steady-state absorption and emission spectra (in solution and in the solid state) and nanosecond time-resolved fluorescence decays (in solution) were recorded and assigned to the six possible trans chemical forms of the emitter and its anions. The spectra of the pure emitter were compared to its bioluminescence and fluorescence spectra when it is complexed with luciferase from the Japanese firefly (Luciola cruciata) and interpreted in terms of the intermolecular interactions based on the structure of the emitter in the luciferase active site. The wavelengths of the emission spectral maxima of the six chemical forms of OxyLH(2) are generally in good agreement with the theoretically predicted energies of the S(0)-S(1) transitions and range from the blue to the red regions, while the respective absorption maxima range from the ultraviolet to the green regions. It was confirmed that both neutral forms, phenol-enol and phenol-keto, are blue emitters, whereas the phenolate-enol form is yellow-green emitter. The phenol-enolate form, which probably only exists as a mixture with other species, and the phenolate-enolate dianion are yellow or orange emitters with close position of their emission bands. The phenolate-keto form always emits in the red region. The concentration ratio of the different chemical species in solutions of OxyLH(2) is determined by several factors which affect the intricate triple chemical equilibrium, most notably the pH, solvent polarity, hydrogen bonding, presence of additional ions, and pi-pi stacking. Due to the stabilization of the enol group of the 4-hydroxythiazole ring by hydrogen bonding to the proximate adenosine monophosphate, which according to the density functional calculations is similar to that due to the dimerization of two enol molecules observed in the crystal, the phenolate ion of the enol tautomer, which is the predominant ground-state species within the narrow pH interval 7.44-8.14 in buffered aqueous solutions, is the most probable emitter of the yellow-green bioluminescence common for most wild-type luciferases. This conclusion is supported by the bioluminescence/fluorescence spectra and the NMR data, as well the crystal structures of OxyLH(2) and MOxyLH(2), where the conjugated acid (phenol) of the emitter exists as pure enol tautomer.

Structure and spectroscopy of oxyluciferin, the light emitter of the firefly bioluminescence.

Firefly luciferase-catalyzed reaction proceeds via the initial formation of an enzyme-bound luciferyl adenylate intermediate. The chemical origin of the color modulation in firefly bioluminescence has not been understood until recently. The presence of the same luciferin molecule, in combination with various mutated forms of luciferase, can emit light at slightly different wavelengths, ranging from red to yellow to green. A historical perspective of development in understanding of color emission mechanism is presented. To explain the variation in the color of the bioluminescence, different factors have been discussed and five hypotheses proposed for firefly bioluminescence color. On the basis of recent results, light-color modulation mechanism of firefly luciferase propose that the light emitter is the excited singlet state of OL(-) [(1)(OL(-))*], and light emission from (1)(OL(-))* is modulated by the polarity of the active-site environment at the phenol/phenolate terminal of the benzothiazole fragment in oxyluciferin.

Molecular enigma of multicolor bioluminescence of firefly luciferase

Firefly luciferase is one of the most studied bioluminescent systems, both theoretically and experimentally. Herein we review the current understanding of the bioluminescent process from a chemical functionality perspective based on those investigations. Three key components are emphasized: the chemiluminophore, the electron-donating fragment, and how these are affected by the substrate-enzyme interaction. The understanding is based on details of how the peroxide -O-O- bond supports the production of electronically excited products and how the charge-transfer (CT) mechanism, with the aid of an electron-donating group, lowers the activation barrier to support a reaction occurs in living organisms. For the substrate-enzyme complex it is demonstrated that the enzyme can affect the hydrogen-bonding around the CT-controlling group, resulting in a mechanism for color modulation. Finally, we analyse other luciferin-luciferase systems and compare them to the key chemical functionalities of the fragments of the luciferin-luciferase complex with respect to similarities and differences.

The chemistry of bioluminescence: an analysis of chemical functionalities.

To reveal the light-color modulation mechanism of firefly (beetle) bioluminescence, we investigated the spectroscopic properties of the phenolate anion 1-O(-) generated from 5,5-dimethyloxyluciferin (1-OH) using various base/solvent combinations. Phenolate anion 1-O(-) is a model compound for the keto form of wild-type oxyluciferin phenolate anion (OL(-)), which is postulated to be the emitter of the bioluminescence. The fluorescence maxima of 1-O(-) were found to depend on the base/solvent combination used, and they varied in the range 541-640 nm, which covers the almost whole range of the bioluminescence emission maximum. In a polar solvent, where (1)(1-O(-))* and the countercation (the conjugate acid of a base) make a solvent-separated ion pair or a free ion couple, the emission maxima of 1-O(-) were found to be modulated by the solvent polarity. In a less polar solvent, where (1)(1-O(-))* and the countercation are formed as a contact ion pair, the strength of the covalent character of the O8'...H bond between (1)(1-O(-))* and the countercation is operative. The effect of the base/solvent combination on the emission properties of (1)(1-O(-))* was also verified using fluorescence lifetime measurements and density functional theory calculations on 1-O(-) and its ion-pair models. On the basis of these results, we propose the following light-color modulation mechanism: (1) the light emitter is the excited singlet state of OL(-) [(1)(OL(-))*], and (2) light emission from (1)(OL(-))* is modulated by the polarity of the active-site environment of a luciferase and the degree of covalent character of the O8'...H bond between (1)(OL(-))* and a protonated basic moiety in the active site. Mechanisms for variation of the bioluminescence colors and their applications are discussed.

Kazuhiro Ohtsuka

Papers

Spectroscopic studies of the light-color modulation mechanism of firefly (beetle) bioluminescence.