Electrostatic interaction of pi-acidic amides with hydrogen-bond acceptors

Interactions between N-methylacetamide (NMA) and N-methylated derivatives of uracil, isocyanurate and barbituric acid have been studied using ab initio methods at the local MP2/6-31G** level of theory. The results were compared to similar interactions between the oxygen atom of NMA and the pi-clouds of perfluorobenzene, quinone and trimethyltriazine. The pi-acidic amides of isocyanurate and barbituric acid were found to interact with a hydrogen bond acceptor primarily through electrostatic attractions. These groups may be used as alternatives of a hydrogen bond donor to complement a hydrogen bond acceptor or an anion in molecular recognition and drug design. Examples of such interactions were identified through a search of the CSD database.