X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Nickel(II) Azurin

Mechanism of L2,3-edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism intensity from quantum chemical calculations and experiment-A case study on V(IV)/V(III) complexes

In this work, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study on the V L_2,3-edge x-ray absorption (XAS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectra of V^IVO(acac)₂ and V^III(acac)₃ prototype complexes. The recorded V L_2,3-edge XAS and XMCD spectra are richly featured in both V L₃ and L₂ spectral regions. In an effort to predict and interpret the nature of the experimentally observed spectral features, a first-principles approach for the simultaneous prediction of XAS and XMCD spectra in the framework of wavefunction based ab initio methods is presented. The theory used here has previously been formulated for predicting optical absorption and MCD spectra. In the present context, it is applied to the prediction of the V L_2,3-edge XAS and XMCD spectra of the V^IVO(acac)₂ and V^III(acac)₃ complexes. In this approach, the spin-free Hamiltonian is computed on the basis of the complete active space configuration interaction (CASCI) in conjunction with second order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) as well as the density functional theory (DFT)/restricted open configuration interaction with singles configuration state functions based on a ground state Kohn-Sham determinant (ROCIS/DFT). Quasi-degenerate perturbation theory is then used to treat the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) operator variationally at the many particle level. The XAS and XMCD transitions are computed between the relativistic many particle states, considering their respective Boltzmann populations. These states are obtained from the diagonalization of the SOC operator along with the spin and orbital Zeeman operators. Upon averaging over all possible magnetic field orientations, the XAS and XMCD spectra of randomly oriented samples are obtained. This approach does not rely on the validity of low-order perturbation theory and provides simultaneous access to the calculation of XMCD A, B, and C terms. The ability of the method to predict the XMCD C-term signs and provide access to the XMCD intensity mechanism is demonstrated on the basis of a generalized state coupling mechanism based on the type of the excitations dominating the relativistically corrected states. In the second step, the performance of CASCI, CASCI/NEVPT2, and ROCIS/DFT is evaluated. The very good agreement between theory and experiment has allowed us to unravel the complicated XMCD C-term mechanism on the basis of the SOC interaction between the various multiplets with spin S' = S, S ± 1. In the last step, it is shown that the commonly used spin and orbital sum rules are inadequate in interpreting the intensity mechanism of the XAS and XMCD spectra of the V^IVO(acac)₂ and V^III(acac)₃ complexes as they breakdown when they are employed to predict their magneto-optical properties. This conclusion is expected to hold more generally.

Electrochemical, Spectroscopic, and Density Functional Theory Characterization of Redox Activity in Nickel-Substituted Azurin: A Model for Acetyl-CoA Synthase

Nickel-containing enzymes are key players in global hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane cycles. Many of these enzymes rely on Ni(I) oxidation states in critical catalytic intermediates. However, due to the highly reactive nature of these species, their isolation within metalloenzymes has often proved elusive. In this report, we describe and characterize a model biological Ni(I) species that has been generated within the electron transfer protein, azurin. Replacement of the native copper cofactor with nickel is shown to preserve the redox activity of the protein. The Ni(II/I) couple is observed at -590 mV versus NHE, with an interfacial electron transfer rate of 70 s(-1). Chemical reduction of Ni(II)Az generates a stable species with strong absorption features at 350 nm and a highly anisotropic, axial EPR signal with principal g-values of 2.56 and 2.10. Density functional theory calculations provide insight into the electronic and geometric structure of the Ni(I) species, suggesting a trigonal planar coordination environment. The predicted spectroscopic features of this low-coordinate nickel site are in good agreement with the experimental data. Molecular orbital analysis suggests potential for both metal-centered and ligand-centered reactivity, highlighting the covalency of the metal-thiolate bond. Characterization of a stable Ni(I) species within a model protein has implications for understanding the mechanisms of complex enzymes, including acetyl coenzyme A synthase, and developing scaffolds for unique reactivity.

Longitudinal detection of ferromagnetic resonance using x-ray transmission measurements

We describe a setup for the x-ray detection of ferromagnetic resonance in the longitudinal geometry using element-specific transmission measurements. Thin magnetic film samples are placed in a static magnetic field collinear with the propagation direction of a polarized soft x-ray beam and driven to ferromagnetic resonance by a continuous wave microwave magnetic field perpendicular to it. The transmitted photon flux is measured both as a function of the x-ray photon energy and as a function of the applied static magnetic field. We report experiments performed on a 15 nm film of doped Permalloy (Ni(73)Fe(18)Gd(7)Co(2)) at the L(3)/L(2)-edges of Fe, Co, and Ni. The achieved ferromagnetic resonance sensitivity is about 0.1 monolayers/square root(Hz). The obtained results are interpreted in the framework of a conductivity tensor based formalism. The factors limiting the sensitivity as well as different approaches for the x-ray detection of ferromagnetic resonance are discussed.

Metal–thiolate bonds in bioinorganic chemistry

Metal-thiolate active sites play major roles in bioinorganic chemistry. The M--S(thiolate) bonds can be very covalent, and involve different orbital interactions. Spectroscopic features of these active sites (intense, low-energy charge transfer transitions) reflect the high covalency of the M--S(thiolate) bonds. The energy of the metal-thiolate bond is fairly insensitive to its ionic/covalent and pi/sigma nature as increasing M--S covalency reduces the charge distribution, hence the ionic term, and these contributions can compensate. Thus, trends observed in stability constants (i.e., the Irving-Williams series) mostly reflect the dominantly ionic contribution to bonding of the innocent ligand being replaced by the thiolate. Due to high effective nuclear charges of the Cu(II) and Fe(III) ions, the cupric- and ferric-thiolate bonds are very covalent, with the former having strong pi and the latter having more sigma character. For the blue copper site, the high pi covalency couples the metal ion into the protein for rapid directional long range electron transfer. For rubredoxins, because the redox active molecular orbital is pi in nature, electron transfer tends to be more localized in the vicinity of the active site. Although the energy of hydrogen bonding of the protein environment to the thiolate ligands tends to be fairly small, H-bonding can significantly affect the covalency of the metal-thiolate bond and contribute to redox tuning by the protein environment.

Spectroscopic and DFT investigation of [M{HB(3,5-iPr2pz)3}(SC6F5)] (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) model complexes: periodic trends in metal-thiolate bonding

A series of metal-varied [ML(SC6F5)] model complexes (where L = hydrotris(3,5-diisopropyl-1-pyrazolyl)borate and M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) related to blue copper proteins has been studied by a combination of absorption, MCD, resonance Raman, and S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopies. Density functional calculations have been used to characterize these complexes and calculate their spectra. The observed variations in geometry, spectra, and bond energies are interpreted in terms of changes in the nature of metal-ligand bonding interactions. The metal 3d-ligand orbital interaction, which contributes to covalent bonding in these complexes, becomes stronger going from Mn(II) to Co(II) (the sigma contribution) and to Cu(II) (the pi contribution). This change in the covalency results from the increased effective nuclear charge of the metal atom in going from Mn(II) to Zn(II) and the change in the 3d orbital populations (d5-->d10). Ionic bonding also plays an important role in determining the overall strength of the ML(+)-SC6F5(-) interaction. However, there is a compensating effect: as the covalent contribution to the metal-ligand bonding increases, the ionic contribution decreases. These results provide insight into the Irving-Williams series, where it is found that the bonding of the ligand being replaced by the thiolate makes a major contribution to the observed order of the stability constants over the series of metal ions.

Crystallographic evidence for a CO/CO(2) tunnel gating mechanism in the bifunctional carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl coenzyme A synthase from Moorella thermoacetica

Acetyl coenzyme A synthase (ACS) acts in concert with carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) to catalyze the formation of acetyl-coenzyme A from CO(2)-derived CO and CH(3)(+) molecules. Recent crystal structures have shown that the three globular domains constituting the ACS subunit may be arranged in either a closed or an open conformation. A long hydrophobic tunnel network allows diffusion of CO between the CODH and the ACS active sites in the closed form, but it is blocked in the open form. On the other hand, the active site of ACS is only accessible for coenzyme A and the methyl donating protein in the open domain conformation. Although several metal compositions have been observed for this active site, present consensus is that it consists of a Ni-Ni-[Fe(4)S(4)] cluster. The observed conformational changes of ACS and the resulting different substrate accessibilities of the catalytic central nickel are reviewed here in the context of a putative CO(2)/CO tunnel gating mechanism.