DFT study on C-S bond dissociation enthalpies of thiol-derived peptide models

Native chemical ligation (NCL) and its modified versions (ligation-desulfurization chemistry) have revolutionized the way that large peptides and proteins are obtained by chemical synthesis. Ligation-desulfurization chemistry can generate thiol-derived peptide models, which can generate proteins through reductive desulfurization. The C-S bond cleavages are involved in the process. It is important for us to comprehend the strength of the C-S bond estimated by the homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs). Therefore, 25 DFT methods were chosen to calculate the C-S BDEs of the 55 organic sulfides. It is reliable to predict C-S BDEs by M05-2X method with the corresponding root mean square error value of 6.2 kJ/mol. Then, the C-S BDEs of the thiol-derived peptide model and the structure-activity relationships were systematically researched by using this method. Besides, so as to comprehend the nature of the C-S BDE change mode, the analysis comprised of the natural bond orbit and the energies of frontier orbitals were studied.