Crystallographic Characterization of a Synthetic 1:1 End-On Copper Dioxygen Adduct Complex

Insights into dioxygen binding on metal centers: an ab initio multireference electronic structure analysis

Why does binding of dioxygen (O2) to metal centers, the initial step of O2 storage, transportation, and activation, almost inevitably induce metal-to-O2 single-electron transfer and generate superoxo (O2-˙) species, instead of genuine O02 adducts? To address this question, this study describes highly correlated wavefunction-based ab initio calculations using CASSCF/NEVPT2 (CASSCF = complete active space self-consistent field, and NEVPT2 = N-electron valence state second-order perturbation theory) approaches to explore the electronic-structure evolution of O2 association on Fe(II)(BDPP) (H2BDPP = 2,6-bis((2-(S)-diphenylhydroxylmethyl-1-pyrrolidinyl)methyl)pyridine) and Co(II)(BDPP) to produce S = 3 Fe(III)(BDPP)(O2-˙) (1) and Co(III)(BDPP)(O2-˙) (2). CASSCF/NEVPT2 calculations suggest that the processes furnishing 1 and 2 feature an avoided crossing resulting from interactions of two diabatic curves, of which one is characterized as Co(II) and Fe(II) centers interacting with a triplet O2 ligand and the other as Co(III) and Fe(III) centers bound to a superoxo ligand. In both cases, the avoided crossing induces a one-electron transfer from the divalent metal center to the incoming O2 ligand and leads to formation of trivalent metal-O2-˙ complexes. To facilitate the interpretation of complicated multireference wavefunctions, we formulated two-fragment spin eigenfunctions utilizing Clebsch-Gordan coefficients (CGCs) to rationalize computed spin populations on the metal centers and the O2 ligand and compared these results with usual valence bonding (VB) analyses. It turns out that both methods give the same results and are complementary to each other. Finally, the limitation of DFT approaches in describing complex electronic structures involving metal-ligand magnetic couplings is delineated.

Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Both Proton Acid and Multioxidative Active Sites: Highly Efficient Catalytic Synthesis of Quinazolinones

Quinazolinone derivatives are an important class of pharmaceutical and pesticide intermediates, which are generally synthesized starting with the condensation reaction between aldehydes and 2-aminobenzamide to obtain corresponding intermediates and then oxidized to obtain the products. Although some catalysts have been developed currently for the synthesis of quinazolinone derivatives, their catalytic efficiency is relatively low because only the oxidative catalytic sites of the catalyst have been focused on. Herein, we synthesized three new polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks, [CuI4(4,4'-bipy)7(Hn-1PMo12-nVnO40)]·2H2O (n = 1-3), which were formed by coordinating a Cu(I)-bipy complex with different Keggin-type phosphomolybdic acids. An important feature of these compounds is that they possess proton and multioxidative active sites [Cu(I) center and V(V) center]; thus, we applied them to the catalytic synthesis of quinazolinone derivatives. The results indicate that compound 3 has an excellent catalytic activity. Based on density functional theory calculations, it is speculated that protons participate in the aldehyde amine condensation reaction, which changes the reaction pathway and reduces the activation energy from 55.1 to 31.4 kcal/mol, thereby increasing the reaction rate significantly. Interestingly, Raman spectra and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements indicate the presence of CuIIOO• and •O2- during the oxidative dehydrogenation process, which facilitates the rapid consumption of 2-phenyl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one intermediates, thereby promoting the chemical reaction to move toward the positive direction. Thanks to the synergistic effect of multicatalytic sites, compound 3 achieved highly efficient catalytic synthesis of quinazolinones with 99% yield in 1 h.

A Multipurpose Metallophore and Its Copper Complexes with Diverse Catalytic Antioxidant Properties to Deal with Metal and Oxidative Stress Disorders: A Combined Experimental, Theoretical, and In Vitro Study

We report the discovery that the molecule 1-(pyridin-2-ylmethylamino)propan-2-ol (HL) can reduce oxidative stress in neuronal C6 glioma cells exposed to reactive oxygen species (O2-•, H2O2, and •OH) and metal (Cu+) stress conditions. Furthermore, its association with Cu2+ generates [Cu(HL)Cl2] (1) and [Cu(HL)2](ClO4)2 (2) complexes that also exhibit antioxidant properties. Potentiometric titration data show that HL can coordinate to Cu2+ in 1:1 and 1:2 Cu2+:ligand ratios, which was confirmed by monocrystal X-ray studies. The subsequent ultraviolet-visible, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments show that they can decompose a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Kinetic studies revealed that 1 and 2 mimic the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Complex 1 promotes the fastest decomposition of H2O2 (kobs = 2.32 × 107 M-1 s-1), efficiently dismutases the superoxide anion (kcat = 3.08 × 107 M-1 s-1), and scavenges the hydroxyl radical (RSA50 = 25.7 × 10-6 M). Density functional theory calculations support the formation of dinuclear Cu-peroxide and mononuclear Cu-superoxide species in the reactions of [Cu(HL)Cl2] with H2O2 and O2•-, respectively. Furthermore, both 1 and 2 also reduce the oxidative stress of neuronal glioma C6 cells exposed to different ROS, including O2•- and •OH.

Unusual Stability of an End-on Superoxido Copper(II) Complex under Ambient Conditions

Superoxido copper complexes play an important role as usually short-lived intermediates in biology and chemistry. The unusual stability of an end-on superoxido copper complex observed in an oxygen-enhanced atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) led to a detailed mechanistic investigation of the formation of [CuII(Me6tren)(O2⋅-)]+ (Me6tren=tris(2-dimethyl-aminoethyl)amine) under ambient conditions. The persistence of the superoxido copper complex could be explained by a reaction cycle including the peroxido complex [(Me6tren)2CuII 2(O2)]2+ together with [CuI(Me6tren)(DMSO)]+ and [CuII(Me6tren)(OH)]+ in the overall reaction.

Copper-oxygen adducts: new trends in characterization and properties towards C-H activation

This review summarizes the latest discoveries in the field of C-H activation by copper monoxygenases and more particularly by their bioinspired systems. This work first describes the recent background on copper-containing enzymes along with additional interpretations about the nature of the active copper-oxygen intermediates. It then focuses on relevant examples of bioinorganic synthetic copper-oxygen intermediates according to their nuclearity (mono to polynuclear). This includes a detailed description of the spectroscopic features of these adducts as well as their reactivity towards the oxidation of recalcitrant Csp3 -H bonds. The last part is devoted to the significant expansion of heterogeneous catalytic systems based on copper-oxygen cores (i.e. within zeolite frameworks).

Light-Induced Reactivity Switch at O2-Activating Bioinspired Copper(I) Complexes

Using light to unveil unexplored reactivities of earth-abundant metal-oxygen intermediates is a formidable challenge, given the already remarkable oxidation ability of these species in the ground state. However, the light-induced reactivity of Cu-O2 intermediates still remains unexplored, due to the photoejection of O2 under irradiation. Herein, we describe a photoinduced reactivity switch of bioinspired O2-activating CuI complexes, based on the archetypal tris(2-pyridyl-methyl)amine (TPA) ligand. This report represents a key precedent for light-induced reactivity switch in Cu-O2 chemistry, obtained by positioning C-H substrates in close proximity of the active site. Open and caged CuI complexes displaying an internal aryl ether substrate were evaluated. Under light, a Cu-O2 mediated reaction takes place that induces a selective conversion of the internal aryl ether unit to a phenolate-CH2- moiety with excellent yields. This light-induced transformation displays high selectivity and allows easy postfunctionalization of TPA-based ligands for straightforward preparation of challenging heteroleptic structures. In the absence of light, O2 activation results in the standard oxidative cleavage of the covalently attached substrate. A reaction mechanism that supports a monomeric cupric-superoxide-dependent reactivity promoted by light is proposed on the basis of reactivity studies combined with (TD-) DFT calculations.

Spectroscopy of End-On Copper(II) Superoxido Complexes: A Wave Function-Based Analysis

Wave function methods are employed to analyze the ground and low-lying excited states of bipyramid trigonal copper(II) superoxido complexes, up to their characteristic ligand to metal charge transfer band. Several multireference methods have been combined to provide new insights into the interpretation of their experimental absorption spectra. We show that the intraligand transition on the dioxygen leads to a dark state. Among the results, we shall highlight the finding of doubly excited states in the region of the d-d transitions and the subtle interplay between Cu(I) and Cu(II) in the ground and excited states. Some of these findings could be obtained only with multireference methods.

Reversible dioxygen uptake at [Cu4] clusters

Dioxygen binding solely through non-covalent interactions is rare. In living systems, dioxygen transport takes place via iron or copper-containing biological cofactors. Specifically, a reversible covalent interaction is established when O2 binds to the mono or polynuclear metal center. However, O2 stabilization in the absence of covalent bond formation is challenging and rarely observed. Here, we demonstrate a unique example of reversible non-covalent binding of dioxygen within the cavity of a well-defined synthetic all-Cu(i) tetracopper cluster.

Selective Adsorption of Oxygen from Humid Air in a Metal-Organic Framework with Trigonal Pyramidal Copper(I) Sites

High or enriched-purity O2 is used in numerous industries and is predominantly produced from the cryogenic distillation of air, an extremely capital- and energy-intensive process. There is significant interest in the development of new approaches for O2-selective air separations, including the use of metal-organic frameworks featuring coordinatively unsaturated metal sites that can selectively bind O2 over N2 via electron transfer. However, most of these materials exhibit appreciable and/or reversible O2 uptake only at low temperatures, and their open metal sites are also potential strong binding sites for the water present in air. Here, we study the framework CuI-MFU-4l (CuxZn5-xCl4-x(btdd)3; H2btdd = bis(1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b],[4',5'-i])dibenzo[1,4]dioxin), which binds O2 reversibly at ambient temperature. We develop an optimized synthesis for the material to access a high density of trigonal pyramidal CuI sites, and we show that this material reversibly captures O2 from air at 25 °C, even in the presence of water. When exposed to air up to 100% relative humidity, CuI-MFU-4l retains a constant O2 capacity over the course of repeated cycling under dynamic breakthrough conditions. While this material simultaneously adsorbs N2, differences in O2 and N2 desorption kinetics allow for the isolation of high-purity O2 (>99%) under relatively mild regeneration conditions. Spectroscopic, magnetic, and computational analyses reveal that O2 binds to the copper(I) sites to form copper(II)-superoxide moieties that exhibit temperature-dependent side-on and end-on binding modes. Overall, these results suggest that CuI-MFU-4l is a promising material for the separation of O2 from ambient air, even without dehumidification.

Generation and Reactivity of μ-1,2-Peroxo CuIICuII and Bis-μ-oxo CuIIICuIII Species and Catalytic Hydroxylation of Benzene to Phenol with Hydrogen Peroxide

Tetradentate-N4 ligands stabilize dinuclear {CuII(μ-1,2-peroxo)CuII} and {CuIII(μ-O)2CuIII} species, and CuII complexes of these ligands were reported to catalyze the oxidation of benzene with H2O2. Here, we report {CuII(μ-1,2-peroxo)CuII} and {CuIII(μ-O)2CuIII} intermediates of dinucleating bis(tetradentate-N4) ligands depending on the absence or presence of 6-methyl substituents on the terminal pyridine donors, respectively, generated either from {CuICuI} precursors with O2 or from {CuIICuII} precursors with H2O2 and NEt3. Both intermediates are not stable even at low temperatures, but they show no electrophilic HAT reactivity with DHA. Catalytic investigations on the hydroxylation of benzene with excess H2O2 between 30 and 50 °C indicate that both radical-based and {Cu2On}-based mechanisms depend strongly on the catalytic conditions. In the presence of a radical scavenger, TONs of ∼920/∼720 have been achieved without/with the 6-methyl group of the ligand. Although {CuII(μ-OH)CuII} reacts with excess H2O2 at -40 °C to {CuII(OOH)}2 species, these are only stable for seconds at 20 °C and cannot account for catalytic oxidations over a period of 24 h at 30-50 °C.

Mechanistic Insights into Amphoteric Reactivity of an Iron-Bispidine Complex

The reactivity of FeIII -alkylperoxido complexes has remained a riddle to inorganic chemists owing to their thermal instability and impotency towards organic substrates. These iron-oxygen adducts have been known as sluggish oxidants towards oxidative electrophilic and nucleophilic reactions. Herein, we report the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of a relatively stable mononuclear high-spin FeIII -alkylperoxido complex supported by an engineered bispidine framework. Against the notion, this FeIII -alkylperoxido complex serves as a rare example of versatile reactivity in both electrophilic and nucleophilic reactions. Detailed mechanistic studies and computational calculations reveal a novel reaction mechanism, where a putative superoxido intermediate orchestrates the amphoteric property of the oxidant. The design of the backbone is pivotal to convey stability and reactivity to alkylperoxido and superoxido intermediates. Contrary to the well-known O-O bond cleavage that generates an FeIV -oxido species, the FeIII -alkylperoxido complex reported here undergoes O-C bond scission to generate a superoxido moiety that is responsible for the amphiphilic reactivity.

Photochemically Mediated Toluene Oxidation through a Copper Complex

A method is described to photochemically oxidize toluene selectively to benzaldehyde, an essential compound in the chemical industry. Copper(I) complexes with different ligands were applied in combination with [Ru(bipy)3 ](PF6 )2 and dioxygen as the oxidant. As a result, a "dioxygen adduct" copper complex, for example, a peroxido complex, is formed as the active species. The copper(II) complex obtained after oxidation can be photochemically reduced to the starting copper(I) species, and the process can be repeated continuously. The ligand tris(2-methylpyridyl)amine (tmpa) led to the highest conversion rates.

Ligand-Copper(I) Primary O2-Adducts: Design, Characterization, and Biological Significance of Cupric-Superoxides

In this Account, we overview and highlight synthetic bioinorganic chemistry focused on initial adducts formed from the reaction of reduced ligand-copper(I) coordination complexes with molecular oxygen, reactions that produce ligand-CuII(O2•-) complexes (O2•- ≡ superoxide anion). We provide mostly a historical perspective, starting in the Karlin research group in the 1980s, emphasizing the ligand design and ligand effects, structure, and spectroscopy of these O2 adducts and subsequent further reactivity with substrates, including the interaction with a second ligand-CuI complex to form binuclear species. The Account emphasizes the approach, evolution, and results obtained in the Karlin group, a synthetic bioinorganic research program inspired by the state of knowledge and insights obtained on enzymes possessing copper ion active sites which process molecular oxygen. These constitute an important biochemistry for all levels/types of organisms, bacteria, fungi, insects, and mammals, including humans.Copper is earth abundant, and its redox properties in complexes allow for facile CuII/CuI interconversions. Simple salts or coordination complexes have been well known to serve as oxidants for the stoichiometric or catalytic oxidation or oxygenation (i.e., O-atom insertion) of organic substrates. Thus, copper dioxygen- or peroxide-centered synthetic bioinorganic studies provide strong relevance and potential application to synthesis or even the development of cathodic catalysts for dioxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide or water, as in fuel cells. The Karlin group's focus however was primarily oriented toward bioinorganic chemistry with the goal to provide fundamental insights into the nature of copper-dioxygen adducts and further reduced and/or protonated derivatives, species likely occurring in enzyme turnover or related in one or more aspects of formation, structure, spectroscopic properties, and scope of reactivity toward organic/biochemical substrates.Prior to this time, the 1980s, O2 adducts of redox-active first-row transition-metal ions focused on iron, such as the porphyrinate-Fe centers occurring in the oxygen carrier proteins myoglobin and hemoglobin and that determined to occur in cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase turnover. Deoxy (i.e., reduced Fe(II)) heme proteins react with O2, giving FeIII-superoxo complexes (preferably referred to by traditional biochemists as ferrous-oxy species). And, it was in the 1970s that great strides were made by synthetic chemists in generating hemes capable of forming O2 adducts, their physiochemical characterization providing critical insights to enzyme (bio)chemistry and providing ideas and important goals leading to countless person years of future research.

Ligand Degradation Study of Unsymmetrical β-Diketiminato Copper Dioxygen Adducts: The Length Chelating Arm Effect

An investigation on the reactivity of O₂ binding to unsymmetrical β-diketiminato copper(I) complexes by spectroscopic and titration analysis was performed. The length of chelating pyridyl arms (pyridylmethyl arm vs pyridylethyl arm) leads to the formation of mono- or di-nuclear copper-dioxygen species at -80 °C. The pyridylmethyl arm adduct (L₁CuO₂) forms mononuclear copper-oxygen species and shows ligand degradation, resulting in the formation of (2E,3Z)-N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-4-(((E)-pyridin-2-ylmethylene)amino)pent-3-en-2-imine, which slowly converts to its cyclization isomer 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-4,6-dimethyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2-dihydropyrimidine after addition of NH₄OH at room temperature. On the other hand, the pyridylethyl arm adduct [(L₂Cu)₂(μ-O)₂] forms dinuclear species at -80 °C and does not show any ligand degradation product. Instead, free ligand formation was observed after the addition of NH₄OH. These experimental observations and product analysis results indicate that the chelating length of pyridyl arms governs the Cu/O₂ binding ratio and the ligand degradation behavior.

Geometrical benchmarking and analysis of redox potentials of copper(I/II) guanidine-quinoline complexes: Comparison of semi-empirical tight-binding and DFT methods and the challenge of describing the entatic state (part III)

Copper guanidine-quinoline complexes are an important class of bioinorganic complexes that find utilization in electron and atom transfer processes. By substitution of functional groups on the quinoline moiety the electron transfer abilities of these complexes can be tuned. In order to explore the full substitution space by simulations, the accurate theoretical description of the effect of functional groups is essential. In this study, we compare three different methods for the theoretical description of the structures. We use the semi-empirical tight-binding method GFN2-xTB, the density functional TPSSh and the double-hybrid functional B2PLYP. We evaluate the methods on five different complex pairs (Cu(I) and Cu(II) complexes), and compare how well calculated energies can predict the redox potentials. We find even though B2PLYP and TPSSh yield better accordance with the experimental structures. GFN2-xTB performs surprisingly well in the geometry optimization at a fraction of the computational cost. TPSSh offers a good compromise between computational cost and accuracy of the redox potential for real-life complexes.

Oxygen-Enhanced Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization through the Formation of a Copper Superoxido Complex

In controlled radical polymerization, oxygen is typically regarded as an undesirable component resulting in terminated polymer chains, deactivated catalysts, and subsequent cessation of the polymerization. Here, we report an unusual atom transfer radical polymerization whereby oxygen favors the polymerization by triggering the in situ transformation of CuBr/L to reactive superoxido species at room temperature. Through a superoxido ARGET-ATRP mechanism, an order of magnitude faster polymerization rate and a rapid and complete initiator consumption can be achieved as opposed to when unoxidized CuBr/L was instead employed. Very high end-group fidelity has been demonstrated by mass-spectrometry and one-pot synthesis of block and multiblock copolymers while pushing the reactions to reach near-quantitative conversions in all steps. A high molecular weight polymer could also be targeted (DP_n = 6400) without compromising the control over the molar mass distributions (Đ < 1.20), even at an extremely low copper concentration (4.5 ppm). The versatility of the technique was demonstrated by the polymerization of various monomers in a controlled fashion. Notably, the efficiency of our methodology is unaffected by the purity of the starting CuBr, and even a brown highly-oxidized 15-year-old CuBr reagent enabled a rapid and controlled polymerization with a final dispersity of 1.07, thus not only reducing associated costs but also omitting the need for rigorous catalyst purification prior to polymerization.

Generation and Aerobic Oxidative Catalysis of a Cu(II) Superoxo Complex Supported by a Redox-Active Ligand

Cu systems feature prominently in aerobic oxidative catalysis in both biology and synthetic chemistry. Metal ligand cooperativity is a common theme in both areas as exemplified by galactose oxidase and by aminoxyl radicals in alcohol oxidations. This has motivated investigations into the aerobic chemistry of Cu and specifically the isolation and study of Cu-superoxo species that are invoked as key catalytic intermediates. While several examples of complexes that model biologically relevant Cu(II) superoxo intermediates have been reported, they are not typically competent aerobic catalysts. Here, we report a new Cu complex of the redox-active ligand ^tBu,TolDHP (2,5-bis((2-t-butylhydrazono)(p-tolyl)methyl)-pyrrole) that activates O₂ to generate a catalytically active Cu(II)-superoxo complex via ligand-based electron transfer. Characterization using ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, Raman isotope labeling studies, and Cu extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis confirms the assignment of an end-on κ¹ superoxo complex. This Cu-O₂ complex engages in a range of aerobic catalytic oxidations with substrates including alcohols and aldehydes. These results demonstrate that bioinspired Cu systems can not only model important bioinorganic intermediates but can also mediate and provide mechanistic insight into aerobic oxidative transformations.

Concluding remarks: discussion on natural and artificial enzymes including synthetic models

This paper overviews the final remarks lecture delivered (by K. D. K.) at the end of this bioinorganic chemistry Faraday Discussion, held online for a worldwide audience from January 31 - February 3, 2022. This paper provides discussion in six sections: (1) the Introductory lecture, from Ed Solomon, emphasized past and present uses of advanced spectroscopic methods and theoretical approaches to elucidate metalloenzyme active site structure, physical properties and function. (2) The discussion topics are divided into groups having similar research themes, as seen from this author's perspective. Emphasis is given to the non-heme iron group of articles with dioxygen activation research. (3) Small molecule activation (e.g., N2, CO2 and O2 reduction; CH4 or H2O oxidation) is widely covered in this discussion; this authors' view of the important reactions in bioinorganic chemistry is discussed. (4) We discuss current practice and vision for employing materials chemistry to widely apply to electrocatalytic methods to effect small molecule activation (as above) to fulfill societal energy demands. (5) A discussion is given on the topic of synthetic models and the approach utilized therein. (6) New research on the authors' synthetic modeling is presented; preliminary results are given in the area of copper mediated peroxide activation.

End-On Copper(I) Superoxo and Cu(II) Peroxo and Hydroperoxo Complexes Generated by Cryoreduction/Annealing and Characterized by EPR/ENDOR Spectroscopy

In this report, we investigate the physical and chemical properties of monocopper Cu(I) superoxo and Cu(II) peroxo and hydroperoxo complexes. These are prepared by cryoreduction/annealing of the parent [LCuI(O2)]+ Cu(I) dioxygen adducts with the tripodal, N4-coordinating, tetradentate ligands L = PVtmpa, DMMtmpa, TMG3tren and are best described as [LCuII(O2•-)]+ Cu(II) complexes that possess end-on (η1-O2•-) superoxo coordination. Cryogenic γ-irradiation (77 K) of the EPR-silent parent complexes generates mobile electrons from the solvent that reduce the [LCuII(O2•-)]+ within the frozen matrix, trapping the reduced form fixed in the structure of the parent complex. Cryoannealing, namely progressively raising the temperature of a frozen sample in stages and then cooling back to low temperature at each stage for examination, tracks the reduced product as it relaxes its structure and undergoes chemical transformations. We employ EPR and ENDOR (electron-nuclear double resonance) as powerful spectroscopic tools for examining the properties of the states that form. Surprisingly, the primary products of reduction of the Cu(II) superoxo species are metastable cuprous superoxo [LCuI(O2•-)]+ complexes. During annealing to higher temperatures this state first undergoes internal electron transfer (IET) to form the end-on Cu(II) peroxo state, which is then protonated to form Cu(II)-OOH species. This is the first time these methods, which have been used to determine key details of metalloenzyme catalytic cycles and are a powerful tools for tracking PCET reactions, have been applied to copper coordination compounds.

Sterically Stabilized End-On Superoxocopper(II) Complexes and Mechanistic Insights into Their Reactivity with O-H, N-H, and C-H Substrates

Instability of end-on superoxocopper(II) complexes, with respect to conversion to peroxo-bridged dicopper(II) complexes, has largely constrained their study to very low temperatures. This limits their kinetic capacity to oxidize substrates. In response, we have developed a series of bulky ligands, Ar₃-TMPA (Ar = tpb, dpb, dtbpb), and used them to support copper(I) complexes that react with O₂ to yield [Cu^II(η¹-O₂^•-)(Ar₃-TMPA)]⁺ species, which are stable against dimerization at all temperatures. Binding of O₂ saturates at subambient temperatures and can be reversed by warming. The onset of oxygenation for the Ar = tpb and dpb systems is observed at 25 °C, and all three [Cu^II(η¹-O₂^•-)(Ar₃-TMPA)]⁺ complexes are stable against self-decay at temperatures of ≤-20 °C. This provides a wide temperature window for study of these complexes, which was exploited by performing extensive reaction kinetics measurements for [Cu^II(η¹-O₂^•-)(tpb₃-TMPA)]⁺ using a broad range of O-H, N-H, and C-H bond substrates. This includes correlation of second order rate constants (k₂) versus oxidation potentials (E_ox) for a range of phenols, construction of Eyring plots, and temperature-dependent kinetic isotope effect (KIE) measurements. The data obtained indicate that reaction with all substrates proceeds via H atom transfer (HAT), reaction with the phenols proceeds with significant charge transfer, and full tunneling of both H and D atoms occurs in the case of 1,2-diphenylhydrazine and 4-methoxy-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol. Oxidation of C-H bonds proved to be kinetically challenging, and whereas [Cu^II(η¹-O₂^•-)(tpb₃-TMPA)]⁺ can oxidize moderately strong O-H and N-H bonds, it is only able to oxidize very weak C-H bonds.

Probing Ligand Effects on the Ultrafast Dynamics of Copper Complexes via Midinfrared Pump-Probe and 2DIR Spectroscopies

The effects of ligand structural variation on the ultrafast dynamics of a series of copper coordination complexes were investigated using polarization-dependent mid-IR pump-probe spectroscopy and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy. The series consists of three copper complexes [(^R3P₃tren)Cu^IIN₃]BAr₄^F (1^PR3, ^R3P₃tren = tris[2-(phosphiniminato)ethyl]amine, BAr₄^F = tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate) where the number of methyl and phenyl groups in the PR₃ ligand are systematically varied across the series (PR₃ = PMe₃, PMe₂Ph, PMePh₂). The asymmetric stretching mode of azide in the 1^PR3 series is used as a vibrational probe of the small-molecule binding site. The results of the pump-probe measurements indicate that the vibrational energy of azide dissipates through intramolecular pathways and that the bulkier phenyl groups lead to an increase in the spatial restriction of the diffusive reorientation of bound azide. From 2DIR experiments, we characterize the spectral diffusion of the azide group and find that an increase in the number of phenyl groups maps to a broader inhomogeneous frequency distribution (Δ₂). This indicates that an increase in the steric bulk of the secondary coordination sphere acts to create more distinct configurations in the local environment that are accessible to the azide group. This work demonstrates how ligand structural variation affects the ultrafast dynamics of a small molecular group bound to the metal center, which could provide insight into the structure-function relationship of the copper coordination complexes and transition-metal coordination complexes in general.

Structural and Spectroscopic Evidence for a Side-on Fe(III)-Superoxo Complex Featuring Discrete O-O Bond Distances

The O-O bond length is often used as a structural indicator to determine the valence states of bound O₂ ligands in biological metal-dioxygen intermediates and related biomimetic complexes. Here, we report very distinct O-O bond lengths found for three crystallographic forms (1.229(4), 1.330(4), 1.387(2) Å at 100 K) of a side-on iron-dioxygen species. Despite their different O-O bond distances, all forms possess the same electronic structure of Fe(III)-O₂ ^•-, as evidenced by their indistinguishable spectroscopic features. Density functional theory and ab initio calculations, which successfully reproduce spectroscopic parameters, predict a flat potential energy surface of an η²-O₂ motif binding to the iron center regarding the O-O distance. Therefore, the discrete O-O bond lengths observed likely arise from differential intermolecular interactions in the second coordination sphere. The work suggests that the O-O distance is not a reliable benchmark to unequivocally identify the valence state of O₂ ligands for metal-dioxygen species in O₂-utilizing metalloproteins and synthetic complexes.

Influence of the amine donor on hybrid guanidine-stabilized Bis(μ-oxido) dicopper(III) complexes and their tyrosinase-like oxygenation activity towards polycyclic aromatic alcohols

The tyrosinase-like activity of hybrid guanidine-stabilized bis(μ-oxido) dicopper(III) complexes [Cu₂(μ-O)₂(L)₂](X)₂ (L = 2-{2-((Diethylamino)methyl)phenyl}-1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (TMGbenzNEt₂, L2) and 2-{2-((Di-isopropylamino)methyl)phenyl}-1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (TMGbenzNiPr₂, L3); X = PF₆^-, BF₄^-, CF₃SO₃^-) is described. New aromatic hybrid guanidine amine ligands were developed with varying amine donor function. Their copper(I) complexes were analyzed towards their ability to activate dioxygen in the presence of different weakly coordinating anions. The resulting bis(μ-oxido) species were characterized at low temperatures by UV/Vis and resonance Raman spectroscopy, cryo-ESI mass spectrometry and density functional theory calculations. Small structural changes in the ligand sphere were found to influence the characteristic ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) features of the bis(μ-oxido) species, correlating a redshift in the UV/Vis spectrum with weaker N-donor function of the ligand. DFT calculations elucidated the influence of the steric and electronic properties of the bis(μ-oxido) species leading to a higher twist of the Cu₂O₂ plane against the CuN₂ plane and a stretching of the Cu₂O₂ core. Despite their moderate stability at -100 °C, the bis(μ-oxido) complexes exhibited a remarkable activity in catalytic oxygenation reactions of polycyclic aromatic alcohols. Further the selectivity of the catalyst in the hydroxylation reactions of challenging phenolic substrates is not changed despite an increasing shield of the reactive bis(μ-oxido) core. The generated quinones were found to form exclusively bent phenazines, providing a promising strategy to access tailored phenazine derivatives.

Characterization of copper complexes with derivatives of the ligand (2-aminoethyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (uns-penp) and their reactivity towards oxygen

A series of copper(I) complexes with ligands derived from the tripodal ligand (2-aminoethyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (uns-penp) have been structurally characterized and their redox chemistry analyzed by cyclic voltammetry. While the redox potentials of most of the complexes were similar their reactivity towards dioxygen was quite different. While the complex with a ferrocene derived ligand of uns-penp reacted in solution at low temperatures in a two-step reaction from the preliminary formed mononuclear end-on superoxido complex to a quite stable dinuclear peroxido complex it did not react with dioxygen in the solid state. Other complexes also did not react with dioxygen in the solid state while some showed a reversible formation to a green compound, indicating formation of an end-on superoxido complex that unfortunately so far could not be characterized. In contrast, copper complexes with the Me₂uns-penp and Et-iProp-uns-penp formed dinuclear peroxido complexes in a solid-state reaction. While the reaction of dioxygen with the [Cu(Me₂uns-penp]BPh₄ was quite slow an instant reaction took place for [Cu(Et-iProp-uns-penp]BPh. Very unusual, it turned out that crystals of the copper(I) complex that could be structurally characterized still were crystalline when reacted with dioxygen. Therefore, it was possible to solve the structure of the corresponding dinuclear peroxido complex directly from the same batch of crystals. The crystalline structures of the copper(I) and copper(II) complex revealed that the reason for this is the fact, that the copper(I) complex is kind of preorganized for the uptake of dioxygen and does not really change in its overall structure when being oxidized.

Structurally Characterized μ-1,2-Peroxo/Superoxo Dicopper(II) Pair

Superoxo complexes of copper are primary adducts in several O₂-activating Cu-containing metalloenzymes as well as in other Cu-mediated oxidation and oxygenation reactions. Because of their intrinsically high reactivity, however, isolation of Cu_x(O₂^•-) species is challenging. Recent work (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 9831; 2019, 141, 12682) established fundamental thermochemical data for the H atom abstraction reactivity of dicopper(II) superoxo complexes, but structural characterization of these important intermediates was so far lacking. Here we report the first crystallographic structure determination of a superoxo dicopper(II) species (3) together with the structure of its 1e^- reduced peroxo congener (2; a rare cis-μ-1,2-peroxo dicopper(II) complex). Interconversion of 2 and 3 occurs at low potential (-0.58 V vs Fc/Fc⁺) and is reversible both chemically and electrochemically. Comparison of metric parameters (d(O-O) = 1.441(2) Å for 2 vs 1.329(7) Å for 3) and of spectroscopic signatures (ν̃(¹⁶O-¹⁶O) = 793 cm^-1 for 2 vs 1073 cm^-1 for 3) reflects that the redox process occurs at the bridging O₂-derived unit. The Cu^II-O₂^•--Cu^II complex has an S = 1/2 spin ground state according to magnetic and EPR data, in agreement with density functional theory calculations. Computations further show that the potential associated with changes of the Cu-O-O-Cu dihedral angle is shallow for both 2 and 3. These findings provide a structural basis for the low reorganization energy of the kinetically facile 1e^- interconversion of μ-1,2-superoxo/peroxo dicopper(II) couples, and they open the door for comprehensive studies of these key intermediates in Cu_x/O₂ chemistry.

The fate of compound with AgF2:AgO stoichiometry-A theoretical study

Metal oxyfluorides constitute a broad group of chemical compounds with a rich spectrum of crystal structures and properties. Surprisingly though, none of the ternary oxyfluorides contains a cation from group 11 of the periodic table. Intending to find one, we focused on the silver derivative, the Ag₂OF₂ system, which may be considered as the 1:1 "adduct" of AgF₂ (i.e., an antiferromagnetic positive U charge transfer insulator) and AgO (i.e., a diamagnetic disproportionated negative charge transfer insulator). Here, possible crystal structures of the silver oxyfluoride were studied using evolutionary algorithms based on the density functional theory approach. We analyzed the oxidation states of silver in the low-energy structures, possible magnetic interactions, and energetic stability with respect to the available substrates. Our findings suggest that silver oxyfluoride, if obtained, may form a metastable crystal with cations in three different oxidation states of the same element. Due to the small energy difference, existence of a fully disproportionated metallic compound cannot be ruled out. Finally, we outlined a prospect for the synthesis of polytypes of interest using diverse synthetic approaches, starting from the direct fluorination of Ag₂O.

On the metal-ligand bonding in dinuclear complexes with redox-active guanidine ligands

Coordination compounds with redox-active ligands are currently intensively studied. Within this research theme, redox-active guanidines have been established as a new, eminent class of redox-active ligands. In this work the variation of metal-guanidine bonding in dinuclear transition metal complexes with bridging redox-active tetrakisguanidine ligands is analysed. A series of dinuclear complexes with different metals (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn) is synthesized, using either newly prepared redox-active tetrakisguanidino-dioxine or previously reported tetrakisguanidino-benzene ligands. The discussion of the bond properties in this work is predominantly based on the trends of structural parameters, derived from determination of single-crystal structures by X-ray diffraction and quantum chemical calculations. In addition, the trends in the redox potentials and magnetometric (SQUID) measurements on some of the complexes are included. Due to their combined σ- and π-electron donor capability, redox-active guanidine ligands are weak-field ligands; the σ- and π-bonding contributions vary with the metal. The results highlight the peculiarity of copper-guanidine bonding with a high π-bond contribution to metal-guanidine bonding, enabled by structural distortion of the coordination mode from tetrahedral in the direction of square-planar, short copper-guanidine bonds and minor displacement of the copper atoms from the ligand aromatic plane.

A Thioether-Ligated Cupric Superoxide Model with Hydrogen Atom Abstraction Reactivity

The central role of cupric superoxide intermediates proposed in hormone and neurotransmitter biosynthesis by noncoupled binuclear copper monooxygenases like dopamine-β-monooxygenase has drawn significant attention to the unusual methionine ligation of the Cu_M ("Cu_B") active site characteristic of this class of enzymes. The copper-sulfur interaction has proven critical for turnover, raising still-unresolved questions concerning Nature's selection of an oxidizable Met residue to facilitate C-H oxygenation. We describe herein a model for Cu_M, [(^TMGN₃S)Cu^I]⁺ ([1]⁺), and its O₂-bound analog [(^TMGN₃S)Cu^II(O₂^•-)]⁺ ([1·O₂]⁺). The latter is the first reported cupric superoxide with an experimentally proven Cu-S bond which also possesses demonstrated hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) reactivity. Introduction of O₂ to a precooled solution of the cuprous precursor [1]B(C₆F₅)₄ (-135 °C, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF)) reversibly forms [1·O₂]B(C₆F₅)₄ (UV/vis spectroscopy: λ_max 442, 642, 742 nm). Resonance Raman studies (413 nm) using ¹⁶O₂ [¹⁸O₂] corroborated the identity of [1·O₂]⁺ by revealing Cu-O (446 [425] cm^-1) and O-O (1105 [1042] cm^-1) stretches, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy showed a Cu-S interatomic distance of 2.55 Å. HAA reactivity between [1·O₂]⁺ and TEMPO-H proceeds rapidly (1.28 × 10^-1 M^-1 s^-1, -135 °C, 2-MeTHF) with a primary kinetic isotope effect of k_H/k_D = 5.4. Comparisons of the O₂-binding behavior and redox activity of [1]⁺ vs [2]⁺, the latter a close analog of [1]⁺ but with all N atom ligation (i.e., N₃S vs N₄), are presented.

A Promising Approach for Controlling the Second Coordination Sphere of Biomimetic Metal Complexes: Encapsulation in a Dynamic Hydrogen-Bonded Capsule

The design of biomimetic models of metalloenzymes needs to take into account many factors and is therefore a challenging task. We propose in this work an original strategy to control the second coordination sphere of a metal centre and its distal environment. A biomimetic complex, reproducing the first coordination sphere, is encapsulated in a self-assembled hydrogen-bonded capsule. The cationic complex is co-encapsulated with its counter-anion or with solvent molecules. The capsule is dynamic, allowing a fast in/out exchange of the co-encapsulated species. It also provides both a hydrogen-bonding site in the second coordination sphere and a source of proton as it can be deprotonated in the presence of the complex, providing a globally neutral host-guest assembly. This simple and broad scope strategy is unprecedented in biomimetic studies. The approach appears to be a very promising method for the stabilisation of reactive species and for the study of their reactivity.

Aerobic intramolecular carbon-hydrogen bond oxidation promoted by Cu(I) complexes

The oxidation of C-H bonds by copper centres in enzymes with molecular oxygen takes place in nature under ambient conditions. Herein we report a similar transformation in which under ambient pressure and temperature (1 atm, 25 °C) the complex TpMsCu(THF) (TpMs = hydrotris(3-mesityl-pyrazol-1-yl)borate) undergoes the intramolecular oxidation of an alkylic C-H bond with O2, leading to the formation of a trinuclear compound where alkoxy and hydroxyl ligands are bonded to the copper centres, as inferred from X-ray studies. The presence of adventitious Cu(0) derived from the partial decomposition of initial TpMsCu(THF) facilitates the formation of such a trinuclear compound. DFT studies support the reaction taking place through a Cu(iii) alkoxy-hydroxyl copper intermediate.

Fluorescein-Containing Superoxide Probes with a Modular Copper-Based Trigger

Fluorescein-derived superoxide probes featuring a copper(II) complex that can be activated by superoxide to initiate ether bond cleavage and uncage a fluorescein reporter for imaging in live cells are described. Compared to other superoxide sensing moieties, this bond cleavage strategy can be modularly adapted to fluorescent reporters with different properties without compromising the superoxide reactivity and selectivity. A green-emitting probe and its lysosome-targeting analogue have been successfully developed. Both probes are sensitive with more than 30-fold fluorescence enhancement towards superoxide and are highly selective with no significant response towards other reactive oxygen species. A structure-activity relationship study of the copper-based superoxide trigger showed that the secondary coordination environment of the copper(II) center is important for the superoxide reactivity and selectivity. The probes have been applied in imaging changes in intracellular superoxide level in live HeLa and HEK293T cells upon menadione stimulation and also in a cellular inflammation model in RAW 264.7 cells.

Mechanistic dichotomies in redox reactions of mononuclear metal–oxygen intermediates

This review article focuses on various mechanistic dichotomies in redox reactions of metal–oxygen intermediates with the emphasis on understanding and controlling their redox reactivity from experimental and theoretical points of view.

Theory Demonstrated a "Coupled" Mechanism for O2 Activation and Substrate Hydroxylation by Binuclear Copper Monooxygenases

Multiscale simulations have been performed to address the longstanding issue of "dioxygen activation" by the binuclear copper monooxygenases (PHM and DβM), which have been traditionally classified as "noncoupled" binuclear copper enzymes. Our QM/MM calculations rule out that Cu_M(II)-O₂^• is an active species for H-abstraction from the substrate. In contrast, Cu_M(II)-O₂^• would abstract an H atom from the cosubstrate ascorbate to form a Cu_M(II)-OOH intermediate in PHM and DβM. Consistent with the recently reported structural features of DβM, the umbrella sampling shows that the "open" conformation of the Cu_M(II)-OOH intermediate could readily transform into the "closed" conformation in PHM, in which we located a mixed-valent μ-hydroperoxodicopper(I,II) intermediate, (μ-OOH)Cu(I)Cu(II). The subsequent O-O cleavage and OH moiety migration to Cu_H generate the unexpected species (μ-O^•)(μ-OH)Cu(II)Cu(II), which is revealed to be the reactive intermediate responsible for substrate hydroxylation. We also demonstrate that the flexible Met ligand is favorable for O-O cleavage reactions, while the replacement of Met with the strongly bound His ligand would inhibit the O-O cleavage reactivity. As such, the study not only demonstrates a "coupled" mechanism for O₂ activation by binuclear copper monooxygenases but also deciphers the full catalytic cycle of PHM and DβM in accord with the available experimental data. These findings of O₂ activation and substrate hydroxylation by binuclear copper monooxygenases could expand our understanding of the reactivities of the synthetic monocopper complexes.

Impact of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding on the Reactivity of Cupric Superoxide Complexes with O-H and C-H Substrates

The dioxygen reactivity of a series of TMPA-based copper(I) complexes (TMPA=tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine), with and without secondary-coordination-sphere hydrogen-bonding moieties, was studied at -135 °C in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF). Kinetic stabilization of the H-bonded [( ( X 1 ) ( X 2 ) TMPA)Cu^II (O₂ ^.- )]⁺ cupric superoxide species was achieved, and they were characterized by resonance Raman (rR) spectroscopy. The structures and physical properties of [( ( X 1 ) ( X 2 ) TMPA)Cu^II (N₃ ^- )]⁺ azido analogues were compared, and the O₂ ^.- reactivity of ligand-Cu^I complexes when an H-bonding moiety is replaced by a methyl group was contrasted. A drastic enhancement in the reactivity of the cupric superoxide towards phenolic substrates as well as oxidation of substrates possessing moderate C-H bond-dissociation energies is observed, correlating with the number and strength of the H-bonding groups.

Oxygenation of Phenanthriporphyrin and Copper(III) Phenanthriporphyrin: An Efficient Route to Phenanthribilinones

Photooxidation of copper(III) 5,6-dimethoxyphenathriporphyrin and copper(III) 5,6-dioxophenanthriporphyrin, which contain phenanthrene or dioxophenathrene moieties built into the macrocyclic frameworks, resulted in the regioselective cleavage that afforded organometallic copper(III) complexes of open-chain phenanthribilinone-type acyclic ligands terminated by carbonyl groups. The copper(III) coordinates two carbon atoms of phenantherene (dioxophenanthrene) and two nitrogen atoms of pyrrole and pyrrolone units, preserving the donor sets of the paternal complexes. The primary dioxygen attack is located at the meso carbon atom adjacent to the phenanthrene moiety. Demetalation of copper(III) 21-benzoyl-phenanthribilin-1-one and copper(III) 21-benzoyl-dioxophenanthribilin-1-one yielded mainly two diastereomers [15Z, 20E] and [15Z, 20Z], which differ in the configurations at two C_α-C_meso double bonds. The regioselectivity of the cleavage, detected in the course of experimental studies, has been substantiated by DFT investigations. The regioselective cleavage of 5,6-dimethoxyphenanthriporphyrin in reaction with basic iron(III) acetate was detected, providing the synthetically efficient methodology to produce 21-benzoyl-dioxophenanthribilin-1-one.

Directed Hydroxylation of sp2 and sp3 C-H Bonds Using Stoichiometric Amounts of Cu and H2O2

The use of copper for C-H bond functionalization, compared to other metals, is relatively unexplored. Herein, we report a synthetic protocol for the regioselective hydroxylation of sp² and sp³ C-H bonds using a directing group, stoichiometric amounts of Cu and H₂O₂. A wide array of aromatic ketones and aldehydes are oxidized in the carbonyl γ-position with remarkable yields. We also expanded this methodology to hydroxylate the β-position of alkylic ketones. Spectroscopic characterization, kinetics, and density functional theory calculations point toward the involvement of a mononuclear LCu^II(OOH) species, which oxidizes the aromatic sp² C-H bonds via a concerted heterolytic O-O bond cleavage with concomitant electrophilic attack on the arene system.