Assessment of Computational Tools for Predicting Supramolecular Synthons

The ability to predict the most likely supramolecular synthons in a crystalline solid is a valuable starting point for subsequently predicting the full crystal structure of a molecule with multiple competing molecular recognition sites. Energy and informatics-based prediction models based on molecul...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bhupinder Sandhu, Ann McLean, Abhijeet S. Sinha, John Desper, Christer B. Aakerӧy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:Chemistry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8549/3/2/43
Description
Summary:The ability to predict the most likely supramolecular synthons in a crystalline solid is a valuable starting point for subsequently predicting the full crystal structure of a molecule with multiple competing molecular recognition sites. Energy and informatics-based prediction models based on molecular electrostatic potentials (MEPs), hydrogen-bond energies (HBE), hydrogen-bond propensity (HBP), and hydrogen-bond coordination (HBC) were applied to the crystal structures of twelve pyrazole-based molecules. HBE, the most successful method, correctly predicted 100% of the experimentally observed primary intermolecular-interactions, followed by HBP (87.5%), and HBC = MEPs (62.5%). A further HBC analysis suggested a risk of synthon crossover and synthon polymorphism in molecules with multiple binding sites. These easy-to-use models (based on just 2-D chemical structure) can offer a valuable risk assessment of potential formulation challenges.
ISSN:2624-8549