Synthesis, crystal structure investigation and computational studies binding of (7S,8R)-7-acetyl-8-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(ethylthio)-1,6-dimethyl-7,8-dihydroisoquinoline-4-carbonitrile with monoamine oxidase B

•Crystal structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and the atomic coordinates were optimized by DFT calculations.•Hirshfeld surface analysis and energy framework calculations were carried out.•HOMO – LUMO, TDOS, MESP, NBO and NLO studies were performed.•Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were carried out. This work reports the preparation of a new dihydroisoquinoline derivative whose structure was characterized by IR, NMR (1H, 13C), MS and verified through single-crystal X-ray analysis. The mean planes of the acetyl and 4-chlorophenyl groups in the title molecule are nearly perpendicular to that of the pyridine ring. In the crystal, π-stacking and C—H···O hydrogen bond interactions involving the pyridine ring and the nitrile group of an adjacent molecule form the full 3-D structure. Hirshfeld surface (HS) analysis shows the topology of the molecules in the crystal packing. Fingerprint (FP) diagrams show the percentage contribution of several intermolecular interactions where H‧‧‧H interactions have a significant contribution (46%). The DFT study reveals a low HOMO-LUMO gap and significant charge transfer is indicated by the natural bonding orbitals (NBO) and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analyses. Non-covalent interactions and bond characteristics were investigated using the quantum theory of atom in the molecule (QTAIM) and ELF analysis. FMO analysis was used to calculate the HOMO-LUMO energy gap and orbital energies. Using the DFT method, parameters such as global reactivity were calculated. Using the implicit solvent model, properties such as optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) were characterized in the solvent (water) phase and gas phase. The affinity of the title molecule for Monoamine Oxidase B was examined using molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies and these results showed good binding of the target molecule. [Display omitted]