Synthetic Models for Non-Heme Carboxylate-Bridged Diiron Metalloproteins: Strategies and Tactics

Modeling the syn disposition of nitrogen donors in non-heme diiron enzymes. Synthesis, characterization, and hydrogen peroxide reactivity of diiron(III) complexes with the syn N-donor ligand H2BPG2DEV

In order to model the syn disposition of histidine residues in carboxylate-bridged non-heme diiron enzymes, we prepared a new dinucleating ligand, H(2)BPG(2)DEV, that provides this geometric feature. The ligand incorporates biologically relevant carboxylate functionalities, which have not been explored as extensively as nitrogen-only analogues. Three novel oxo-bridged diiron(III) complexes, [Fe(2)(mu-O)(H(2)O)(2)(BPG(2)DEV)](ClO(4))(2) (6), [Fe(2)(mu-O)(mu-O(2)CAr(iPrO))(BPG(2)DEV)](ClO(4)) (7), and [Fe(2)(mu-O)(mu-CO(3))(BPG(2)DEV)] (8), were prepared. Single-crystal X-ray structural characterization confirms that two pyridyl groups are bound syn with respect to the Fe-Fe vector in these compounds. The carbonato-bridged complex 8 forms quantitatively from 6 in a rapid reaction with gaseous CO(2) in organic solvents. A common maroon-colored intermediate (lambda(max) = 490 nm; epsilon = 1500 M(-1) cm(-1)) forms in reactions of 6, 7, or 8 with H(2)O(2) and NEt(3) in CH(3)CN/H(2)O solutions. Mass spectrometric analyses of this species, formed using (18)O-labeled H(2)O(2), indicate the presence of a peroxide ligand bound to the oxo-bridged diiron(III) center. The Mossbauer spectrum at 90 K of the EPR-silent intermediate exhibits a quadrupole doublet with delta = 0.58 mm/s and DeltaE(Q) = 0.58 mm/s. The isomer shift is typical for a peroxodiiron(III) species, but the quadrupole splitting parameter is unusually small compared to those of related complexes. These Mossbauer parameters are comparable to those observed for a peroxo intermediate formed in the reaction of reduced toluene/o-xylene monooxygenase hydroxylase with dioxygen. Resonance Raman studies reveal an unusually low-energy O-O stretching mode in the peroxo intermediate that is consistent with a short diiron distance. Although peroxodiiron(III) intermediates generated from 6, 7, and 8 are poor O-atom-transfer catalysts, they display highly efficient catalase activity, with turnover numbers up to 10,000. In contrast to hydrogen peroxide reactions of diiron(III) complexes that lack a dinucleating ligand, the intermediates generated here could be re-formed in significant quantities after a second addition of H(2)O(2), as observed spectroscopically and by mass spectrometry.

Tetra-μ-benzoato-bis-{[trans-1-(2-pyrid-yl)-2-(4-pyrid-yl)ethyl-ene]zinc(II)}

The paddle-wheel-type centrosymmetric dinuclear title complex, [Zn₂(C₇H₅O₂)₄(C₁₂H₁₀N₂)₂], contains four bridging benzoate groups and two terminal trans-1-(2-pyrid­yl)-2-(4-pyrid­yl)ethyl­ene (L) ligands. The inversion center is located between the two Zn^II atoms. The octa­hedral coordination around the Zn^II atom, with four O atoms in the equatorial plane, is completed by an N atom of the L mol­ecule [Zn—N = 2.0198 (15) Å] and by the second Zn^II atom [Zn⋯Zn = 2.971 (8) Å]. The Zn^II atom is 0.372 Å out of the plane of the four coordinating O atoms.

EPR spectroscopic trapping of the active species of nonheme iron-catalyzed oxidation

The key intermediate of a bioinspired iron catalyst for selective hydrocarbon oxidation based on hydrogen peroxide and an iron complex with a tetradentate aminopyridine ligand was trapped by EPR. On the basis of EPR and reactivity data this intermediate is tentatively proposed to be an oxoiron(V) complex.

Dimanganese and diiron complexes of a binucleating cyclam ligand: four-electron, reversible oxidation chemistry at high potentials

The reaction of a binucleating biscyclam ligand cyclam(2)(i)PrO [where cyclam(2)(i)PrO = (1,3-bis[1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclododecane]-2-hydroxypropane] with Mn(CF(3)SO(3))(2) or Fe(CF(3)SO(3))(2).2MeCN gives [(cyclam(2)(i)PrO)Mn(2)(mu-CF(3)SO(3))](CF(3)SO(3))(2) (4) and [(cyclam(2)(i)PrO)Fe(2)(mu-CF(3)SO(3))](CF(3)SO(3))(2) (6), respectively. [(cyclam(2)(i)PrO)Mn(2)(mu-N(3))](CF(3)SO(3))(2) (5) is obtained by the reaction of 4 with NaN(3). Single-crystal X-ray structural characterization indicates that in each of the bimetallic complexes the two metal centers are facially coordinated by a cyclam ligand and bridged by the isopropoxide linker of the ligand in addition to a triflate counteranion. Upon replacement of the triflate bridge with the single-atom bridge of an end-bound azide ligand in 5, the Mn-Mn distance decreases by 0.38 A. All of the complexes are high-spin and colorless and were characterized by magnetic susceptibility measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that 4 and 6 are weakly antiferromagnetically coupled while 5 is weakly ferromagnetically coupled. Cyclic voltammetry measurements indicate that the hard donor amine ligands impart high oxidation potentials to the metal centers and that four-electron redox activity can be accessed with a narrow potential range of 0.72 V. Upon inclusion of water in the cyclic voltammetry experiment, the oxidative waves shift to higher potentials, which is consistent with water binding the manganese centers. The diiron complex 6 displays four one-electron redox couples, of which the final two are irreversible. Inclusion of water in the cyclic voltammetry measurement for compound 6 resulted in two sets of shifted peaks, which suggests that two molecules of water bind the diiron core. In accordance with the observed reversibility of the electrochemical results, the dimanganese complex is more efficient than the diiron complex for mediating O-atom transfer to organic substrates and is an excellent hydrogen peroxide disproportionation catalyst, with the reaction proceeding for over 20,000 turnovers.

Sulfur oxygenates of biomimetics of the diiron subsite of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase active site: properties and oxygen damage repair possibilities

This study explores the site specificity (sulfur vs the Fe-Fe bond) of oxygenation of diiron (Fe(I)Fe(I) and Fe(II)Fe(II)) organometallics that model the 2-iron subsite in the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenase: (mu-pdt)[Fe(CO)(2)L][Fe(CO)(2)L'] (L = L' = CO (1); L = PPh(3), L' = CO (2); L = L' = PMe(3) (4)) and (mu-pdt)(mu-H)[Fe(CO)(2)PMe(3)](2) (5). DFT computations find that the Fe-Fe bond in the Fe(I)Fe(I) diiron models is thermodynamically favored to produce the mu-oxo or oxidative addition product, Fe(II)-O-Fe(II); nevertheless, the sulfur-based HOMO-1 accounts for the experimentally observed mono- and bis-O-atom adducts at sulfur, i.e., (mu-pst)[Fe(CO)(2)L][Fe(CO)(2)L'] (pst = -S(CH(2))(3)S(O)-, 1,3-propanesulfenatothiolate; L = L' = CO (1-O); L = PPh(3), L' = CO (2-O); L = L' = PMe(3) (4-O)) and (mu-pds)[Fe(CO)(2)L][Fe(CO)(2)L'] (pds = -(O)S(CH(2))(3)S(O)-, 1,3-propanedisulfenato; L = PPh(3), L' = CO (2-O(2))). The Fe(II)(mu-H)Fe(II) diiron model (5), for which the HOMO is largely of sulfur character, exclusively yields S-oxygenation. The depressing effect of such bridging ligand modification on the dynamic NMR properties arising from rotation of the Fe(CO)(3) correlates with higher barriers to the CO/PMe(3) exchange of (mu-pst)[Fe(CO)(3)](2) as compared to (mu-pdt)[Fe(CO)(3)](2). Five molecular structures are confirmed by X-ray diffraction: 1-O, 2-O, 2-O(2), 4-O, and 6. Deoxygenation with reclamation of the mu-pdt parent complex occurs in a proton/electron-coupled process. The possible biological relevance of oxygenation and deoxygenation studies is discussed.

Observed enhancement of the reactivity of a biomimetic diiron complex by the addition of water - mechanistic insights from theoretical modeling

The biomimetic diiron complex [Fe(III)Fe(IV)(mu-O)(2)(5-Me(3)-TPA)(2)](ClO(4))(3) (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) has been found to be capable of oxidizing 9,10-dihydroanthracene in a solution of acetonitrile. Addition of water up to 1 M makes the reaction 200 times faster, suggesting that the water molecule in some way activates the catalyst for more efficient substrate oxidation. It is proposed that the enhanced reactivity results from the coordination of a water molecule to the iron(III) half of the complex, converting the bis-mu-oxo structure of the diiron complex to a ring-opened form where one of the bridging oxo groups is transformed into a terminal oxo group on iron(IV). The suggested mechanism is supported by DFT (B3LYP) calculations and transition state theory. Two different computational models of the diiron complex are used to model the hydroxylation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol. Model has a bis-mu-oxo diiron core (diamond core) while model represents the "open core" analogue with one bridging mu-oxo group, a terminal oxo ligand on iron(IV), and a water molecule coordinated to iron(III). The computational results clearly suggest that the terminal oxo group is more reactive than the bridging oxo group. The free energy of activation is 7.0 kcal mol(-1) lower for the rate limiting step when the oxidant has a terminal oxo group than when both oxo groups are bridging the irons.

Spectroscopic definition of the biferrous and biferric sites in de novo designed four-helix bundle DFsc peptides: implications for O2 reactivity of binuclear non-heme iron enzymes

DFsc is a single chain de novo designed four-helix bundle peptide that mimics the core protein fold and primary ligand set of various binuclear non-heme iron enzymes. DFsc and the E11D, Y51L, and Y18F single amino acid variants have been studied using a combination of near-IR circular dichroism (CD), magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), variable temperature variable field MCD (VTVH MCD), and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies. The biferrous sites are all weakly antiferromagnetically coupled with mu-1,3 carboxylate bridges and one 4-coordinate and one 5-coordinate Fe, very similar to the active site of class I ribonucleotide reductase (R2) providing open coordination positions on both irons for dioxygen to bridge. From perturbations of the MCD and VTVH MCD the iron proximal to Y51 can be assigned as the 4-coordinate center, and XAS results show that Y51 is not bound to this iron in the reduced state. The two open coordination positions on one iron in the biferrous state would become occupied by dioxygen and Y51 along the O(2) reaction coordinate. Subsequent binding of Y51 functions as an internal spectral probe of the O(2) reaction and as a proton source that would promote loss of H(2)O(2). Coordination by a ligand that functions as a proton source could be a structural mechanism used by natural binuclear iron enzymes to drive their reactions past peroxo biferric level intermediates.

9-Triptycenecarboxylate-Bridged Diiron(II) Complexes: Capture of the Paddlewheel Geometric Isomer

The synthesis and characterization of diiron(II) complexes supported by 9-triptycenecarboxylate ligands ((-)O(2)CTrp) is described. The interlocking nature of the triptycenecarboxylates facilitates formation of quadruply bridged diiron(II) complexes of the type [Fe(2)(μ-O(2)CTrp)(4)(L)(2)] (L = THF, pyridine or imidazole derivative) with a paddlewheel geometry. A systematic lengthening of the Fe-Fe distance occurs with the increase in steric bulk of the neutral donor L, resulting in values of up to 3 Å without disassembly of the paddlewheel structure. Reactions with an excess of water do not lead to decomposition of the diiron(II) core, indicating that these quadruply bridged complexes are of exceptional stability. The red-colored complexes [Fe(2)(μ-O(2)CTrp)(4)(4-AcPy)(2)] (10) and [Fe(2)(μ-O(2)CTrp)(4)(4-CNPy)(2)] (11) exhibit solvent-dependent thermochromism in coordinating solvents that was studied by variable temperature UV-vis spectroscopy. Reaction of [Fe(2)(μ-O(2)CTrp)(4)(THF)(2)] with N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), tetra-n-butyl ammonium thiocyanate, or excess 2-methylimidazole resulted in the formation of mononuclear complexes [Fe(O(2)CTrp)(2)(TMEDA)] (13), (n-Bu(4)N)(2)[Fe(O(2)CTrp)(2)(SCN)(2)] (14), and [Fe(O(2)CTrp)(2)(2-MeIm)(2)] (15) having an O(4)/N(2) coordination sphere composition.

Tetra-μ-benzoato-bis-[(3-methyl-quinoline)copper(II)](Cu-Cu)

In the title compound, [Cu₂(C₇H₅O₂)₄(C₁₀H₉N)₂], the paddle-wheel-type dinuclear complex mol­ecule contains four bridging benzoate groups and two terminal 3-methyl­quinoline ligands. The asymmetric unit contains one and a half mol­ecules with a total of three independent Cu atoms; there is an inversion center at the mid-point of the Cu⋯Cu bond in one molecule. The octa­hedral coordination of each Cu atom, with four O atoms in the equatorial plane, is completed by an N atom of a 3-methyl­quinoline ligand [Cu—N = 2.190 (4)–2.203 (3) Å] and by another Cu atom [Cu⋯Cu = 2.667 (1) and 2.6703 (7) Å]. The Cu atoms are all ca 0.22 Å out of the plane of the four bonded O atoms.