Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Computational Investigation Of The Bioactive Selenium Compounds Ebselen And Selenious Acid, Sonia Antony

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Selenium, a toxic element, is required in trace quantities for the proper functioning of biological systems. The experimental mechanistic study of the reactions of ebselen and selenious acid is difficult due to complexity of the reaction mixtures and the presence of short-lived intermediates. Computational modeling of the reactivity of these species can give us an insight into their mechanisms, but the process is complicated by proton exchanges associated with the mechanistic steps. In gas phase modeling, this may be corrected to a certain level using the solvent assisted proton exchange (SAPE) method. SAPE is a modeling technique that mimics solvent …