Ultrafast Chemical Exchange Dynamics of Hydrogen Bonds Observed via Isonitrile Infrared Sensors: Implications for Biomolecular Studies

J Phys Chem Lett. 2019 Dec 19;10(24):7878-7883. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b03144. Epub 2019 Dec 9.

Abstract

Local probes are indispensable to study protein structure and dynamics with site-specificity. The isonitrile functional group is a highly sensitive and H-bonding interaction-specific probe. Isonitriles exhibit large spectral shifts and transition dipole moment changes upon H-bonding while being weakly affected by solvent polarity. These unique properties allow a clear separation of distinct subpopulations of interacting species and an elucidation of their ultrafast dynamics with two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy. Here, we apply 2D-IR to quantify the picosecond chemical exchange dynamics of solute-solvent complexes forming between isonitrile-derivatized alanine and fluorinated ethanol, where the degree of fluorination controls their H-bond-donating ability. We show that the molecules undergo faster exchange in the presence of more acidic H-bond donors, indicating that the exchange process is primarily dependent on the nature of solvent-solvent interactions. We foresee isonitrile as a highly promising probe for studying of H-bonds dynamics in the active site of enzymes.

MeSH terms

  • Alanine / chemistry*
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Phase Transition
  • Solvents / chemistry
  • Spectrophotometry, Infrared / methods*
  • Vibration

Substances

  • Solvents
  • Alanine