Ricerc@Sapienza

Curcumin (Cur) is a natural polyphenol with a wide spectrum of biological activities and appealing therapeutic potential. Herein, it has been delivered by electrospray ionization as gaseous protonated species, [Cur + H] + , and as a Cu(ii) complex, [Cu(Cur - H)] + , a promising antioxidant and radical scavenger. The gas phase structures were assayed by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in both the fingerprint (800-2000 cm -1 ) and hydrogen stretching (3100-3750 cm -1 ) ranges. Comparison between the experimental features and linear IR spectra of the lowest energy structures computed at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level reveals that bare [Cu(Cur - H)] + exists in a fully planar and symmetric arrangement, where the metal interacts with the two oxygens of the syn-enolate functionality of deprotonated Cur and both OCH 3 groups are engaged in H-bonding with the ortho OH. The effect of protonation on the energetic and geometric determinants of Cur has been explored as well, revealing that bare [Cur + H] + may exist as a mixture of two close-lying isomers associated with the most stable binding motifs. The additional proton is bound to either the diketo or the keto-enol configuration of Cur, in a bent or nearly planar arrangement, respectively.