Gas-phase structures and thermochemistry of neutral histidine and its conjugated acid and base

Abstract

Extensive exploration of the conformational space of neutral, protonated and deprotonated histidine has been conducted at the G4MP2 level. Theoretical protonation and deprotonation thermochemistry as well as heats of formation of gaseous histidine and its ionized forms have been calculated at the G4 level considering either the most stable conformers or an equilibrium population of conformers at 298 K. These theoretical results were compared to evaluated experimental determinations. Recommended proton affinity and protonation entropy deduced from these comparisons are PA(His) = 980 kJ mol⁻¹ and Δ_pS(His) ∼ 0 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, thus leading to a gas-phase basicity value of GB(His) = 947.5 kJ mol⁻¹. Similarly, gas phase acidity parameters are Δ_acidH^o(His) = 1373 kJ mol⁻¹, Δ_acidS(His) ∼ 10 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ and Δ_acidG^o(His) = 1343 kJ mol⁻¹. Computed G4 heats of formation values are equal to −290, 265 and −451 kJ mol⁻¹ for gaseous neutral histidine and its protonated and deprotonated forms, respectively. The present computational data correct, and complete, previous thermochemical parameter estimates proposed for gas-phase histidine and its acido-basic properties.