The dihedral angle between both phenyl rings determined by photoelectron spectroscopy in a series of seven alkylbiphenyl is described by the local spectral moments of the bond matrix. This series is extended to 78 alkylbiphenyl compounds by estimating the dihedral angle from molecular mechanics force field calculations. The linear correlation obtained between this angle and the local spectral moments shown a correlation coefficient of 0.9838. This result proves that 2D (topological) descriptors can account for 3D structural parameters. A new substituent constant is calculated as the contribution of groups to the studied rotational angle by using the information encoded into the local spectral moments. This substituent constant is not linearly related to the Taft's steric constants E(S) as they have a correlation coefficient of only 0.75. These steric constants are able to account only for 71% of the variance in the studied 3D parameter. The implications for QSPR/QSAR studies of the demonstration that 2D (topological) descriptors can describe 3D structural parameters are also analyzed.

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Quantitative models are found to describe the complexation of alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin with mono- and 1,4-disubstituted benzene derivatives by using combinations of 2D-, 3D-connectivity and quantum chemical molecular descriptors. The association constants (K(a)) for the inclusion complexation of cyclodextrins and benzene derivatives are calculated by the models found with a high degree of precision. These models also permit the interpretation of the driving forces of such complexation processes. In the case of the complexation of alpha-cyclodextrin with benzene derivatives these driving forces are mainly the electronic repulsion between frontier orbitals of the host and guest molecules. However, the complexation of beta-cyclodextrin with benzene derivatives is controlled by topological and topographic parameters indicating the relevance of the van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions. We also carried out molecular modeling studies showing that for alpha-cyclodextrin complexes the benzene ring is outside the cavity of the cyclodextrin, while in beta-cyclodextrin they penetrate deeply into the apolar and hydrophobic cavity of the host, which explain the differences in the driving forces for both complexation processes.

The inclusion complex of salbutamol and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) is studied by computational (MM2 and PM3) and experimental techniques. Molecular modeling calculations predict two different orientations of salbutamol in the beta-CD cavity in vacuo and in aqueous solution. In vacuo calculations show that the introduction of the aromatic ring of salbutamol is preferred to the introduction of the tert-butyl group into the beta-CD cavity. However, in aqueous solution both computational methods predict the introduction of the alkyl chain instead of the aromatic ring in the beta-CD cavity contrary to experimental results published previously. These quantitative predictions were experimentally confirmed here by studying the inclusion complex in solution by NMR. A 1:1 stoichiometry was found by (1)H NMR studies for this complex. A 2D ROESY (rotating-frame Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy) experiment shows that there are no cross-peaks between the aromatic protons of salbutamol and any of the protons of beta-CD. Cross-peaks for the protons of the tert-butyl group and protons inside the cavity of beta-CD demonstrate the full involvement of this group in the complexation process and confirm the orientation of the complex predicted by molecular modeling. The solid-state complex was prepared and its stoichiometry (beta-CD.C(13)H(21)NO(3).8H(2)O) and dissociation process studied by thermogravimetric analysis.

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