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Updated: Jul 30, 2026

Structure and Coordination Determination of Peptide-metal Complexes Using 1D and 2D 1H NMR
Published on: December 16, 2013
On the role of strain in blue copper proteins
1Department of Theoretical Chemistry, Lund University, Chemical Centre, Sweden. ulf.ryde@teokem.lu.se
Abstract:
Theoretical investigations of the structure and function of the blue copper proteins are described. We have studied the optimum vacuum geometry of oxidised and reduced copper sites, the relative stability of trigonal and tetragonal Cu(II) structures, the relation between the structure and electronic spectra, the reorganisation energy, and reduction potentials. Our calculations give no support to the suggestion that strain plays a significant role in the function of these proteins; on the contrary, our results show that the structures encountered in the proteins are close to their optimal vacuum geometries (within 7 kJ/mol). We stress the importance of defining what is meant by strain and of quantifying strain energies or forces in order to make strain hypotheses testable.
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