Reaction mechanisms of mononuclear non-heme iron oxygenases

Generating Cu(II)-oxyl/Cu(III)-oxo species from Cu(I)-alpha-ketocarboxylate complexes and O2: in silico studies on ligand effects and C-H-activation reactivity

A mechanism for the oxygenation of Cu(I) complexes with alpha-ketocarboxylate ligands that is based on a combination of density functional theory and multireference second-order perturbation theory (CASSCF/CASPT2) calculations is elaborated. The reaction proceeds in a manner largely analogous to those of similar Fe(II)-alpha-ketocarboxylate systems, that is, by initial attack of a coordinated oxygen molecule on a ketocarboxylate ligand with concomitant decarboxylation. Subsequently, two reactive intermediates may be generated, a Cu-peracid structure and a [CuO](+) species, both of which are capable of oxidizing a phenyl ring component of the supporting ligand. Hydroxylation by the [CuO](+) species is predicted to proceed with a smaller activation free energy. The effects of electronic and steric variations on the oxygenation mechanisms were studied by introducing substituents at several positions of the ligand backbone and by investigating various N-donor ligands. In general, more electron donation by the N-donor ligand leads to increased stabilization of the more Cu(II)/Cu(III)-like intermediates (oxygen adducts and [CuO](+) species) relative to the more Cu(I)-like peracid intermediate. For all ligands investigated, the [CuO](+) intermediates are best described as Cu(II)-O(*-) species with triplet ground states. The reactivity of these compounds in C-H abstraction reactions decreases with more electron-donating N-donor ligands, which also increase the Cu-O bond strength, although the Cu-O bond is generally predicted to be rather weak (with a bond order of about 0.5). A comparison of several methods to obtain singlet energies for the reaction intermediates indicates that multireference second-order perturbation theory is likely more accurate for the initial oxygen adducts, but not necessarily for subsequent reaction intermediates.

Sequential electron-transfer and proton-transfer pathways in hydride-transfer reactions from dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide analogues to non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes and p-chloranil. Detection of radical cations of NADH analogues in acid-promoted hydride-transfer reactions

Hydride transfer from dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) analogues, such as 10-methyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (AcrH 2) and its derivatives, 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH), and their deuterated compounds, to non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes such as [(L)Fe (IV)(O)] (2+) (L = N4Py, Bn-TPEN, and TMC) occurs to yield the corresponding NAD (+) analogues and non-heme iron(II) complexes in acetonitrile. Hydride transfer from the NADH analogues to p-chloranil (Cl 4Q) also occurs to produce the corresponding NAD (+) analogues and the hydroquinone anion (Cl 4QH (-)). The logarithms of the observed second-order rate constants (log k H) of hydride transfer from NADH analogues to non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes are linearly correlated with those of hydride transfer from the same series of NADH analogues to Cl 4Q, including similar kinetic deuterium isotope effects. The log k H values of hydride transfer from NADH analogues to non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes are also linearly correlated with those of deprotonation of the radical cations of NADH analogues. Such linear correlations indicate that overall hydride-transfer reactions of NADH analogues to both non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes and Cl 4Q occur via electron transfer from NADH analogues to the oxoiron(IV) complexes, followed by rate-limiting deprotonation from the radical cations of NADH analogues and subsequent rapid electron transfer from the deprotonated radicals to the Fe(III) complexes to yield the corresponding NAD (+) analogues and the Fe(II) complexes. The electron-transfer pathway was accelerated by the presence of perchloric acid, and the resulting radical cations of NADH analogues were detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and UV-vis spectrophotometry in the acid-promoted hydride-transfer reactions from NADH analogues to non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes. This result provides the first direct evidence that a hydride transfer from NADH analogues to non-heme oxoiron(IV) complexes proceeds via an electron-transfer pathway.

Iron-oxidation-state-dependent O-O bond cleavage of meta-chloroperbenzoic acid to form an iron(IV)-oxo complex

The mechanism of formation of [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+) (2, N4Py = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine) from the reaction of [Fe(II)(N4Py)(CH(3)CN)](2+) (1) with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) in CH(2)Cl(2) at -30 °C has been studied on the basis of the visible spectral changes observed and the reaction stoichiometry. It is shown that the conversion of 1 to 2 in 90% yield requires 1.5 equiv peracid and takes place in two successive one-electron steps via an [Fe(III)(N4Py)OH](2+)(3) intermediate. The first oxidation step uses 0.5 equiv peracid and produces 0.5 equiv 3-chlorobenzoic acid, while the second step uses 1 equiv peracid and affords byproducts derived from chlorophenyl radical. We conclude that the Fe(II)(N4Py) center promotes O-O bond heterolysis, while the Fe(III)(N4Py) center favors O-O bond homolysis, so the nature of O-O bond cleavage is dependent on the iron oxidation state.

Biomimetic hydrocarbon oxidation catalyzed by nonheme iron(III) complexes with peracids: evidence for an Fe(V)=O species

Mononuclear nonheme iron(III) complexes of tetradentate ligands containing two deprotonated amide moieties, [Fe(Me(2)bpb)Cl(H(2)O)] (3 a) and [Fe(bpc)Cl(H(2)O)] (4 a), were prepared by substitution reactions involving the previously synthesized iron(III) complexes [Et(3)NH][Fe(Me(2)bpb)Cl(2)] (3) and [Et(3)NH][Fe(bpc)Cl(2)] (4). Complexes 3 a and 4 a were characterized by IR and elemental analysis, and complex 3 a also by X-ray crystallography. Nonheme iron(III) complexes 3, 3 a, 4, and 4 a catalyze olefin epoxidation and alcohol oxidation on treatment with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. Pairwise comparisons of the reactivity of these complexes revealed that the nature of the axial ligand (Cl(-) versus H(2)O) influences the yield of oxidation products, whereas an electronic change in the supporting chelate ligand has little effect. Hydrocarbon oxidation by these catalysts was proposed to involve an iron(V) oxo species which is formed on heterolytic O-O bond cleavage of an iron acylperoxo intermediate (FeOOC(O)R). Evidence for this iron(V) oxo species was derived from KIE (k(H)/k(D)) values, H(2) (18)O exchange experiments, and the use of peroxyphenylacetic acid (PPAA) as the peracid. Our results suggest that an Fe(V)=O moiety can form in a system wherein the supporting chelate ligand comprises a mixture of neutral and anionic nitrogen donors. This work is relevant to the chemistry of mononuclear nonheme iron enzymes that are proposed to oxidize organic substrates via reaction pathways involving high-valent iron oxo species.

Iron(II) complexes of sterically bulky alpha-ketocarboxylates. structural models for alpha-ketoacid-dependent nonheme iron halogenases

Reaction of the sterically hindered alpha-ketocarboxylate 2,6-di(mesityl)benzoylformate (MesBF) with the iron(II) complexes LFeCl 2 [L = N, N, N', N'-tetramethylpropylenediamine (Me 4pda) or 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dmby)] yielded LFe(Cl)(MesBF) ( 1 or 2). X-ray crystal structures of these complexes showed that they closely model the active site structure of the nonheme iron halogenase enzyme SyrB2. A similar synthetic procedure using benzoylformate with L = dmby yielded (dmby)Fe[(O 2CC(O)Ph)] 2 ( 3) instead, demonstrating the need for the sterically hindered alpha-ketocarboxylate to assemble the halogenase model compounds. In order to make reactivity comparisons among the structurally related iron(II) complexes of benzoylformates of varying steric properties, the complexes [LFe(O 2CC(O)Ar)] n ( 4- 6) were prepared, where L' = tris(pyridylmethyl)amine (tpa) and Ar = 2,6-dimesitylphenyl, 2,6-di p-tolylphenyl, or 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl, respectively. X-ray structures for the latter two cases ( 5 and 6) revealed dinuclear topologies ( n = 2), but UV-vis and (1)H NMR spectroscopy indicated that all three complexes dissociated in varying degrees to monomers in CH 2Cl 2 solution. Although compounds 1- 6 were oxidized by O 2, oxidative decarboxylation of the alpha-ketocarboxylate ligand(s) only occurred for 3. These results indicate that the steric hindrance useful for structural modeling of the halogenase active site prohibits functional mimicry of the enzyme.

High-valent iron(IV)-oxo complexes of heme and non-heme ligands in oxygenation reactions

High-valent iron(IV)-oxo species have been implicated as the key reactive intermediates in the catalytic cycles of dioxygen activation by heme and non-heme iron enzymes. Our understanding of the enzymatic reactions has improved greatly via investigation of spectroscopic and chemical properties of heme and non-heme iron(IV)-oxo complexes. In this Account, reactivities of synthetic iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin pi-cation radicals and mononuclear non-heme iron(IV)-oxo complexes in oxygenation reactions have been discussed as chemical models of cytochrome P450 and non-heme iron enzymes. These results demonstrate how mechanistic developments in biomimetic research can help our understanding of dioxygen activation and oxygen atom transfer reactions in nature.

A New Tripodal Iron(III) Monophenolate Complex: Effects of Ligand Basicity, Steric Hindrance, and Solvent on Regioselective Extradiol Cleavage

The new iron(III) complex [Fe(L3)Cl(2)], where H(L3) is the tripodal monophenolate ligand N,N-dimethyl-N'-(pyrid-2-ylmethyl)-N'-(2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzyl)ethylenediamine, has been isolated and studied as a structural and functional model for catechol dioxygenase enzymes. The complex possesses a distorted octahedral iron(III) coordination geometry constituted by the phenolate oxygen, pyridine nitrogen and two amine nitrogens of the tetradentate ligand, and two cis-coordinated chloride ions. The Fe-O-C bond angle (134.0 degrees) and Fe-O bond length (1.889 Angstrom) are very close to those (Fe-O-C, 133 degrees and 148 degrees, Fe-O(tyrosinate), 1.81 and 1.91 Angstrom) of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase enzymes. When the complex is treated with AgNO(3), the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) band around 650 nm (epsilon, 2390 M(-1) cm(-1)) is red shifted to 665 nm with an increase in absorptivity (epsilon, 2630 M(-1) cm(-1)) and the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple is shifted to a slightly more positive potential (-0.329 to -0.276 V), suggesting an increase in the Lewis acidity of the iron(III) center upon the removal of coordinated chloride ions. Furthermore, when 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (H(2)DBC) pretreated with 2 mol of Et(3)N is added to the complex [Fe(L3)Cl(2)] treated with 2 equiv of AgNO(3), two intense catecholate-to-iron(III) LMCT bands (719 nm, epsilon, 3150 M(-1) cm(-1); 494 nm, epsilon, 3510 M(-1) cm(-1)) are observed. Similar observations are made when H(2)DBC pretreated with 2 mol of piperidine is added to [Fe(L3)Cl(2)], suggesting the formation of [Fe(L3)(DBC)] with bidentate coordination of DBC(2-). On the other hand, when H(2)DBC pretreated with 2 mol of Et(3)N is added to [Fe(L3)Cl(2)], only one catecholate-to-iron(III) LMCT band (617 nm; epsilon, 4380 M(-1) cm(-1)) is observed, revealing the formation of [Fe(L3)(HDBC)(Cl)] involving monodentate coordination of the catecholate. The appearance of the DBSQ/H(2)DBC couple for [Fe(L3)(DBC)] at a potential (-0.083 V) more positive than that (-0.125 V) for [Fe(L3)(HDBC)(Cl)] reveals that chelated DBC(2-) in the former is stabilized toward oxidation more than the coordinated HDBC(-). It is remarkable that the complex [Fe(L3)(HDBC)(Cl)] undergoes slow selective extradiol cleavage (17.3%) of H(2)DBC in the presence of O(2), unlike the iron(III)-phenolate complexes known to yield only intradiol products. It is probable that the weakly coordinated (2.310 Angstrom) -NMe(2) group rather than chloride in the substrate-bound complex is displaced, facilitating O(2) attack on the iron(III) center and, hence, the extradiol cleavage. In contrast, when the cleavage reaction was performed in the presence of a stronger base-like piperidine before and after the removal of the coordinated chloride ions, a faster intradiol cleavage was favored over extradiol cleavage, suggesting the importance of the bidentate coordination of the catecholate substrate in facilitating intradiol cleavage. Also, intradiol cleavage is favored in dimethylformamide and acetonitrile solvents, with enhanced intradiol cleavage yields of 94 and 40%, respectively.

electrochemical generation of a nonheme oxoiron(IV) complex

The complex [Fe(IV)O(N4Py)]2+ (N4Py = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine) has been prepared by bulk electrolysis in aqueous CH3CN and CH2Cl2, and its redox properties characterized. Bulk chronocoulometry and spectropotentiometry experiments in CH3CN show that [Fe(II)(N4Py)(NCCH3)]2+ can be oxidized quantitatively to its iron(III) derivative at an applied potential of +0.71 V vs ferrocene and then to the oxoiron(IV) complex (in the presence of added water) at potentials above +1.3 V. The E1/2 value for the Fe(IV/III) couple has been estimated to be +0.90 V from spectropotentiometric titrations in CH3CN and cyclic voltammetric measurements in CH2Cl2.

Mechanism of catalytic aziridination with manganese corrole: the often postulated high-valent Mn(V) imido is not the group transfer reagent

The reaction of Arl=NTs (Ar = 2-(tert-butylsulfonyl)benzene and Ts = p-toluenesulfonyl) and (tpfc)Mn (tpfc=5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole), 1, affords the high-valent (tpfc)MnV=NTs, 2, on stopped-flow time scale. The reaction proceeds via the adduct [(tpfc)MnIII(ArINTs)], 3, with formation constant K3 = (10 +/- 2) x 10(3) L mol-1. Subsequently, 3 undergoes unimolecular group transfer to give complex 2 with the rate constant k4 = 0.26 +/- 0.07 s-1 at 24.0 degrees C. The complex (tpfc)Mn catalyzes [NTs] group transfer from ArINTs to styrene substrates with low catalyst loading and without requirement of excess olefin. The catalytic aziridination reaction is most efficient in benzene because solvents such as toluene undergo a competing hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction resulting in H2NTs and lowered aziridine yields. The high-valent manganese imido complex (tpfc)Mn=NTs does not transfer its [NTs] group to styrene. Double-labeling experiments with ArINTs and ArINTstBu (TstBu = (p-tert-butylphenyl)sulfonyl) establish the source of [NR] transfer as a "third oxidant", which is an adduct of Mn(V) imido, [(tpfc)Mn(NTstBu)(ArINTs)](4). Formation of this oxidant is rate limiting in catalysis.

Oxidative N-Dealkylation Reactions by Oxoiron(IV) Complexes of Nonheme and Heme Ligands

Nonheme and heme iron monooxygenases participate in oxidative N-dealkylation reactions in nature, and high-valent oxoiron(IV) species have been invoked as active oxidants that effect the oxygenation of organic substrates. The present study describes the first example of the oxidative N-dealkylation of N,N-dialkylamines by synthetic nonheme oxoiron(IV) complexes and the reactivity comparisons of nonheme and heme oxoiron(IV) complexes. Detailed mechanistic studies were performed with various N,N-dialkylaniline substrates such as para-substituted N,N-dimethylanilines, para-chloro-N-ethyl-N-methylaniline, para-chloro-N-cyclopropyl-N-isopropylaniline, and deuteriated N,N-dimethylanilines. The results of a linear free-energy correlation, inter- and intramolecular kinetic isotope effects, and product analysis studied with the mechanistic probes demonstrate that the oxidative N-dealkylation reactions by nonheme and heme oxoiron(IV) complexes occur via an electron transfer-proton transfer (ET-PT) mechanism.