Geometric and Electronic Structure of the Heme−Peroxo−Copper Complex [(F8TPP)FeIII−(O22-)−CuII(TMPA)](ClO4)

Intermolecular Interactions and Intramolecular Couplings of Binuclear Porphyrin Models for Cytochrome c Oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) has a binuclear active site composed of a high-spin heme group and a tris-histidine-ligated copper ion (Cu_B). By using two different porphyrin models derived by Gunter (H₂TPyPP) and us (H₂TImPP), we have isolated several mono- and binuclear complexes including one carbonyl and three chloride derivatives which are determined by 100 K single-crystal X-ray. Low-temperature (4 K) EPR and multitemperature (295-25 K) Mössbauer investigations on the products not only confirmed the spin states of the two metal ions (S = 5/2 Fe³⁺ and S = 1/2 Cu²⁺) but also revealed the intermolecular interactions and intramolecular couplings which are in accordance with the crystal structural features.

Heme-Cu Binucleating Ligand Supports Heme/O2 and FeII-CuI/O2 Reactivity Providing High- and Low-Spin FeIII-Peroxo-CuII Complexes

The focus of this study is in the description of synthetic heme/copper/O₂ chemistry employing a heme-containing binucleating ligand which provides a tridentate chelate for copper ion binding. The addition of O₂ (-80 °C, tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvent) to the reduced heme compound (P^ImH)Fe^II (1), gives the oxy-heme adduct, formally a heme-superoxide complex Fe^III-(O₂^•-) (2) (resonance Raman spectroscopy (rR): ν_O-O, 1171 cm^-1 (Δ¹⁸O₂, -61 cm^-1); ν_Fe-O, 575 cm^-1 (Δ¹⁸O₂, -24 cm^-1)). Simple warming of 2 to room temperature regenerates reduced complex 1; this reaction is reversible, as followed by UV-vis spectroscopy. Complex 2 is electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-silent and exhibits upfield-shifted pyrrole resonances (δ 9.12 ppm) in ²H NMR spectroscopy, indicative of a six-coordinate low-spin heme. The coordination of the tethered imidazolyl arm to the heme-superoxide complex as an axial base ligand is suggested. We also report the new fully reduced heme-copper complex [(P^ImH)Fe^IICu^I]⁺ (3), where the copper ion is bound to the tethered tridentate portion of P^ImH. This reacts with O₂ to give a distinctive low-temperature-stable, high-spin (S = 2, overall) peroxo-bridged complex [(P^ImH)Fe^III-(O₂^2-)-Cu^II]⁺ (3a): λ_max, 420 (Soret), 545, 565 nm; δ_pyrr, 93 ppm; ν_O-O, 799 cm^-1 (Δ¹⁸O₂, -48 cm^-1); ν_Fe-O, 524 cm^-1 (Δ¹⁸O₂, -23 cm^-1). To 3a, the addition of dicyclohexylimidazole (DCHIm), which serves as a heme axial base, leads to low-spin (S = 0 overall) species complex [(DCHIm)(P^ImH)Fe^III-(O₂^2-)-Cu^II]⁺ (3b): λ_max, 425 (Soret), 538 nm; δ_pyrr, 10.2 ppm; ν_O-O, 817 cm^-1 (Δ¹⁸O₂, -55 cm^-1); ν_Fe-O, 610 cm^-1 (Δ¹⁸O₂, -26 cm^-1). These investigations into the characterization of the O₂-adducts from (P^ImH)Fe^II (1) with/without additional copper chelation advance our understanding of the dioxygen reactivity of heme-only and heme/Cu-ligand heterobinuclear system, thus potentially relevant to O₂ reduction in heme-copper oxidases or fuel-cell chemistry.

Spin Interconversion of Heme-Peroxo-Copper Complexes Facilitated by Intramolecular Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions

Synthetic peroxo-bridged high-spin (HS) heme-(μ-η2:η1-O22-)-Cu(L) complexes incorporating (as part of the copper ligand) intramolecular hydrogen-bond (H-bond) capabilities and/or steric effects are herein demonstrated to affect the complex's electronic and geometric structure, notably impacting the spin state. An H-bonding interaction with the peroxo core favors a low-spin (LS) heme-(μ-η1:η1-O22-)-Cu(L) structure, resulting in a reversible temperature-dependent interconversion of spin state (5 coordinate HS to 6 coordinate LS). The LS state dominates at low temperatures, even in the absence of a strong trans-axial heme ligand. Lewis base addition inhibits the H-bond facilitated spin interconversion by competition for the H-bond donor, illustrating the precise H-bonding interaction required to induce spin-crossover (SCO). Resonance Raman spectroscopy (rR) shows that the H-bonding pendant interacts with the bridging peroxide ligand to stabilize the LS but not the HS state. The H-bond (to the Cu-bound O atom) acts to weaken the O-O bond and strengthen the Fe-O bond, exhibiting ν(M-O) and ν(O-O) values comparable to analogous known LS complexes with a strong donating trans-axial ligand, 1,5-dicyclohexylimidazole, (DCHIm)heme-(μ-η1:η1-O22-)-Cu(L). Variable-temperature (-90 to -130 °C) UV-vis and 2H NMR spectroscopies confirm the SCO process and implicate the involvement of solvent binding. Examining a case of solvent binding without SCO, thermodynamic parameters were obtained from a van't Hoff analysis, accounting for its contribution in SCO. Taken together, these data provide evidence for the H-bond group facilitating a core geometry change and allowing solvent to bind, stabilizing a LS state. The rR data, complemented by DFT analysis, reveal a stronger H-bonding interaction with the peroxo core in the LS compared to the HS complexes, which enthalpically favors the LS state. These insights enhance our fundamental understanding of secondary coordination sphere influences in metalloenzymes.

Influence of intramolecular secondary sphere hydrogen-bonding interactions on cytochrome c oxidase inspired low-spin heme-peroxo-copper complexes

Dioxygen reduction by heme-copper oxidases is a critical biochemical process, wherein hydrogen bonding is hypothesized to participate in the critical step involving the active-site reductive cleavage of the O-O bond. Sixteen novel synthetic heme-(μ-O2 2-)-Cu(XTMPA) complexes, whose design is inspired by the cytochrome c oxidase active site structure, were generated in an attempt to form the first intramolecular H-bonded complexes. Derivatives of the "parent" ligand (XTMPA, TMPA = (tris((2-pyridyl)methyl)amine)) possessing one or two amine pendants preferentially form an H-bond with the copper-bound O-atom of the peroxide bridge. This is evidenced by a characteristic blue shift in the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) bands observed in UV-vis spectroscopy (consistent with lowering of the peroxo π* relative to the iron orbitals) and a weakening of the O-O bond determined by resonance Raman spectroscopy (rR), with support from Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Remarkably, with the TMPA-based infrastructure (versus similar heme-peroxo-copper complexes with different copper ligands), the typically undetected Cu-O stretch for these complexes was observed via rR, affording critical insights into the nature of the O-O peroxo core for the complexes studied. While amido functionalities have been shown to have greater H-bonding capabilities than their amino counterparts, in these heme-peroxo-copper complexes amido substituents distort the local geometry such that H-bonding with the peroxo core only imparts a weak electronic effect; optimal H-bonding interactions are observed by employing two amino groups on the copper ligand. The amino-substituted systems presented in this work reveal a key orientational anisotropy in H-bonding to the peroxo core for activating the O-O bond, offering critical insights into effective O-O cleavage chemistry. These findings indirectly support computational and protein structural studies suggesting the presence of an interstitial H-bonding water molecule in the CcO active site, which is critical for the desired reactivity. The results are evaluated with appropriate controls and discussed with respect to potential O2-reduction capabilities.

Synthetic Fe/Cu Complexes: Toward Understanding Heme-Copper Oxidase Structure and Function

Heme-copper oxidases (HCOs) are terminal enzymes on the mitochondrial or bacterial respiratory electron transport chain, which utilize a unique heterobinuclear active site to catalyze the 4H+/4e- reduction of dioxygen to water. This process involves a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) from a tyrosine (phenolic) residue and additional redox events coupled to transmembrane proton pumping and ATP synthesis. Given that HCOs are large, complex, membrane-bound enzymes, bioinspired synthetic model chemistry is a promising approach to better understand heme-Cu-mediated dioxygen reduction, including the details of proton and electron movements. This review encompasses important aspects of heme-O2 and copper-O2 (bio)chemistries as they relate to the design and interpretation of small molecule model systems and provides perspectives from fundamental coordination chemistry, which can be applied to the understanding of HCO activity. We focus on recent advancements from studies of heme-Cu models, evaluating experimental and computational results, which highlight important fundamental structure-function relationships. Finally, we provide an outlook for future potential contributions from synthetic inorganic chemistry and discuss their implications with relevance to biological O2-reduction.

Oxygen Activation and Radical Transformations in Heme Proteins and Metalloporphyrins

As a result of the adaptation of life to an aerobic environment, nature has evolved a panoply of metalloproteins for oxidative metabolism and protection against reactive oxygen species. Despite the diverse structures and functions of these proteins, they share common mechanistic grounds. An open-shell transition metal like iron or copper is employed to interact with O2 and its derived intermediates such as hydrogen peroxide to afford a variety of metal-oxygen intermediates. These reactive intermediates, including metal-superoxo, -(hydro)peroxo, and high-valent metal-oxo species, are the basis for the various biological functions of O2-utilizing metalloproteins. Collectively, these processes are called oxygen activation. Much of our understanding of the reactivity of these reactive intermediates has come from the study of heme-containing proteins and related metalloporphyrin compounds. These studies not only have deepened our understanding of various functions of heme proteins, such as O2 storage and transport, degradation of reactive oxygen species, redox signaling, and biological oxygenation, etc., but also have driven the development of bioinorganic chemistry and biomimetic catalysis. In this review, we survey the range of O2 activation processes mediated by heme proteins and model compounds with a focus on recent progress in the characterization and reactivity of important iron-oxygen intermediates. Representative reactions initiated by these reactive intermediates as well as some context from prior decades will also be presented. We will discuss the fundamental mechanistic features of these transformations and delineate the underlying structural and electronic factors that contribute to the spectrum of reactivities that has been observed in nature as well as those that have been invented using these paradigms. Given the recent developments in biocatalysis for non-natural chemistries and the renaissance of radical chemistry in organic synthesis, we envision that new enzymatic and synthetic transformations will emerge based on the radical processes mediated by metalloproteins and their synthetic analogs.

Phenol-Induced O-O Bond Cleavage in a Low-Spin Heme-Peroxo-Copper Complex: Implications for O2 Reduction in Heme-Copper Oxidases

This study evaluates the reaction of a biomimetic heme-peroxo-copper complex, {[(DCHIm)(F8)FeIII]-(O22-)-[CuII(AN)]}+ (1), with a phenolic substrate, involving a net H-atom abstraction to cleave the bridging peroxo O-O bond that produces FeIV═O, CuII-OH, and phenoxyl radical moieties, analogous to the chemistry carried out in heme-copper oxidases (HCOs). A 3D potential energy surface generated for this reaction reveals two possible reaction pathways: one involves nearly complete proton transfer (PT) from the phenol to the peroxo ligand before the barrier; the other involves O-O homolysis, where the phenol remains H-bonding to the peroxo OCu in the transition state (TS) and transfers the H+ after the barrier. In both mechanisms, electron transfer (ET) from phenol occurs after the PT (and after the barrier); therefore, only the interaction with the H+ is involved in lowering the O-O cleavage barrier. The relative barriers depend on covalency (which governs ET from Fe), and therefore vary with DFT functional. However, as these mechanisms differ by the amount of PT at the TS, kinetic isotope experiments were conducted to determine which mechanism is active. It is found that the phenolic proton exhibits a secondary kinetic isotope effect, consistent with the calculations for the H-bonded O-O homolysis mechanism. The consequences of these findings are discussed in relation to O-O cleavage in HCOs, supporting a model in which a peroxo intermediate serves as the active H+ acceptor, and both the H+ and e- required for O-O cleavage derive from the cross-linked Tyr residue present at the active site.

A "naked" Fe(III)-(O₂²⁻)-Cu(II) species allows for structural and spectroscopic tuning of low-spin heme-peroxo-Cu complexes

Here we describe a new approach for the generation of heme-peroxo-Cu compounds, using a “naked” complex synthon, [(F₈)Fe^III-(O₂^2–)-Cu^II(MeTHF)₃]⁺ (MeTHF = 2-methyltetrahydrofuran; F₈ = tetrakis(2,6-difluorophenyl)porphyrinate). Addition of varying ligands (L) for Cu allows the generation and spectroscopic characterization of a family of high- and low-spin Fe^III-(O₂^2–)-Cu^II(L) complexes. These possess markedly varying Cu^II coordination geometries, leading to tunable Fe-O, O-O, and Cu-O bond strengths. DFT calculations accompanied by vibrational data correlations give detailed structural insights.

Reactions of a heme-superoxo complex toward a cuprous chelate and •NO(g): CcO and NOD chemistry

Following up on the characterization of a new (heme)FeIII-superoxide species formed from the cryogenic oxygenation of a ferrous-heme (PPy)FeII (1) (PPy = a tetraarylporphyrinate with a covalently tethered pyridine group as a potential axial base), giving (PPy)FeIII-O2•- (2) (Li Y et al., Polyhedron 2013; 58: 60-64), we report here on (i) its use in forming a cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) model compound, or (ii) in a reaction with nitrogen monoxide (•NO; nitric oxide) to mimic nitric oxide dioxygenase (NOD) chemistry. Reaction of (2) with the cuprous chelate [CuI(AN)][B(C6F5)4] (AN = bis[3-(dimethylamino) propyl]amine) gives a meta-stable product [(PPy)FeIII-([Formula: see text])-CuII(AN)][B(C6F5)4] (3a), possessing a high-spin iron(III) and Cu(II) side-on bridged peroxo moiety with a μ-η2:η2-binding motif. This complex thermally decays to a corresponding μ-oxo complex [(PPy)FeIII-(O2-)-CuII(AN)][B(C6F5)4] (3). Both (3) and (3a) have been characterized by UV-vis, 2H NMR and EPR spectroscopies. When (2) is exposed to •NO(g), a ferric heme nitrato compound forms; if 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol is added prior to •NO(g) exposure, phenol ortho-nitration occurs with the iron product being the ferric hydroxide complex (PPy) FeIII(OH) (5). The latter reactions mimic the action of NOD's.

Electronic structure of a low-spin heme/Cu peroxide complex: spin-state and spin-topology contributions to reactivity

This study details the electronic structure of the heme–peroxo–copper adduct {[(F8)Fe(DCHIm)]-O2-[Cu(AN)]}+ (LS(AN)) in which O2(2–) bridges the metals in a μ-1,2 or “end-on” configuration. LS(AN) is generated by addition of coordinating base to the parent complex {[(F8)Fe]-O2-[Cu(AN)]}+ (HS(AN)) in which the O2(2–) bridges the metals in an μ-η2:η2 or “side-on” mode. In addition to the structural change of the O2(2–) bridging geometry, coordination of the base changes the spin state of the heme fragment (from S = 5/2 in HS(AN) to S = 1/2 in LS(AN)) that results in an antiferromagnetically coupled diamagnetic ground state in LS(AN). The strong ligand field of the porphyrin modulates the high-spin to low-spin effect on Fe–peroxo bonding relative to nonheme complexes, which is important in the O–O bond cleavage process. On the basis of DFT calculations, the ground state of LS(AN) is dependent on the Fe–O–O–Cu dihedral angle, wherein acute angles (<~150°) yield an antiferromagnetically coupled electronic structure while more obtuse angles yield a ferromagnetic ground state. LS(AN) is diamagnetic and thus has an antiferromagnetically coupled ground state with a calculated Fe–O–O–Cu dihedral angle of 137°. The nature of the bonding in LS(AN) and the frontier molecular orbitals which lead to this magneto-structural correlation provide insight into possible spin topology contributions to O–O bond cleavage by cytochrome c oxidase.

Crystals in which some metal atoms are more equal than others: inequalities from crystal packing and their spectroscopic/magnetic consequences

Crystal structures of the heterometallic compounds CrCrFe(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (1), CrCrMn(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (2), and MoMoMn(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (3) (dpa = 2,2'-dipyridylamide) show disorder in the metal atom positions such that the linear M(A)[quadruple bond]M(A)···M(B) array for a given molecule in the crystal is oriented in one of two opposing directions. Despite the fact that the direct coordination sphere of the metals in the two crystallographically independent orientations is identical, subtle differences in some metal-ligand bond distances are observed in 1 and 3 due to differences in the orientation of a solvent molecule of crystallization. The Fe(II) and Mn(II) ions serve as sensitive local spectroscopic probes that have been interrogated by Mössbauer spectroscopy and high-field EPR spectroscopy, respectively. The subtle differences in the two independent Fe and Mn sites in 1 and 3 unexpectedly give rise to unusually large differences in the measured Fe quadrupole splitting (ΔE(Q)) in 1 and Mn zero-field splitting (D) in 3. Variable-temperature/single-crystal EPR spectroscopy has allowed us to determine that the temperature-dependent D tensors in 3 are oriented along the metal-metal axis and that they show significantly different dynamic behavior with temperature. The differences in ΔE(Q) and D are reproduced by density functional calculations on truncated models for 1 and 3 that lack the quadruply bonded M(A)[quadruple bond]M(A) groups, though the magnitude of the calculated effect is not as large as that observed experimentally. We suggest that the large observed differences in ΔE(Q) and D for the individual sites could be due to the influence of the strong diamagnetic anisotropy of the quadruply bonded M[quadruple bond]M unit.

Heme-copper-dioxygen complexes: toward understanding ligand-environmental effects on the coordination geometry, electronic structure, and reactivity

The nature of the ligand is an important aspect of controlling the structure and reactivity in coordination chemistry. In connection with our study of heme-copper-oxygen reactivity relevant to cytochrome c oxidase dioxygen-reduction chemistry, we compare the molecular and electronic structures of two high-spin heme-peroxo-copper [Fe(III)O(2)(2-)Cu(II)](+) complexes containing N(4) tetradentate (1) or N(3) tridentate (2) copper ligands. Combining previously reported and new resonance Raman and EXAFS data coupled to density functional theory calculations, we report a geometric structure and more complete electronic description of the high-spin heme-peroxo-copper complexes 1 and 2, which establish mu-(O(2)(2-)) side-on to the Fe(III) and end-on to Cu(II) (mu-eta(2):eta(1)) binding for the complex 1 but side-on/side-on (mu-eta(2):eta(2)) mu-peroxo coordination for the complex 2. We also compare and summarize the differences and similarities of these two complexes in their reactivity toward CO, PPh(3), acid, and phenols. The comparison of a new X-ray structure of mu-oxo complex 2a with the previously reported 1a X-ray structure, two thermal decomposition products respectively of 2 and 1, reveals a considerable difference in the Fe-O-Cu angle between the two mu-oxo complexes ( angleFe-O-Cu = 178.2 degrees in 1a and angleFe-O-Cu = 149.5 degrees in 2a). The reaction of 2 with 1 equiv of an exogenous nitrogen-donor axial base leads to the formation of a distinctive low-temperature-stable, low-spin heme-dioxygen-copper complex (2b), but under the same conditions, the addition of an axial base to 1 leads to the dissociation of the heme-peroxo-copper assembly and the release of O(2). 2b reacts with phenols performing H-atom (e(-) + H(+)) abstraction resulting in O-O bond cleavage and the formation of high-valent ferryl [Fe(IV)=O] complex (2c). The nature of 2c was confirmed by a comparison of its spectroscopic features and reactivity with those of an independently prepared ferryl complex. The phenoxyl radical generated by the H-atom abstraction was either (1) directly detected by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using phenols that produce stable radicals or (2) indirectly detected by the coupling product of two phenoxyl radicals.

High resolution crystal structure of Paracoccus denitrificans cytochrome c oxidase: new insights into the active site and the proton transfer pathways

The structure of the two-subunit cytochrome c oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans has been refined using X-ray cryodata to 2.25 A resolution in order to gain further insights into its mechanism of action. The refined structural model shows a number of new features including many additional solvent and detergent molecules. The electron density bridging the heme a(3) iron and Cu(B) of the active site is fitted best by a peroxo-group or a chloride ion. Two waters or OH(-) groups do not fit, one water (or OH(-)) does not provide sufficient electron density. The analysis of crystals of cytochrome c oxidase isolated in the presence of bromide instead of chloride appears to exclude chloride as the bridging ligand. In the D-pathway a hydrogen bonded chain of six water molecules connects Asn131 and Glu278, but the access for protons to this water chain is blocked by Asn113, Asn131 and Asn199. The K-pathway contains two firmly bound water molecules, an additional water chain seems to form its entrance. Above the hemes a cluster of 13 water molecules is observed which potentially form multiple exit pathways for pumped protons. The hydrogen bond pattern excludes that the Cu(B) ligand His326 is present in the imidazolate form.

Reactivity studies on Fe(III)-(O2(2-))-Cu(II) compounds: influence of the ligand architecture and copper ligand denticity

Heme-Cu/O2 adducts are of interest in the elucidation of the fundamental metal-O2 chemistry occurring in heme-Cu enzymes which effect reductive O-O cleavage of dioxygen to water. In this report, the chemistry of four heme-peroxo-copper [FeIII-(O22-)-CuII]+ complexes (1-4), varying in their ligand architecture, copper-ligand denticity, or both and thus their structures and physical properties are compared in their reactivity toward CO, PPh3, acids, cobaltocene, and phenols. In 1 and 2, the copper(II) ligand is N4-tetradentate, and the peroxo unit is bound side-on to iron(III) and end-on to the copper(II). In contrast, 3 and 4 contain a N3-tridentate copper(II) ligand, and the peroxo unit is bound side-on to both metal ions. CO "displaces" the peroxo ligand from 2-4 to form reduced CO-FeII and CO-CuI species. PPh3 reacts with 3 and 4 displacing the peroxide ligand from copper, forming (porphyrinate)FeIII-superoxide plus CuI-PPh3 species. Complex 2 does not react with PPh3, and surprisingly, 1 reacts neither with PPh3 nor CO, exhibiting remarkable stability toward these reagents. The behavior of 1 and 2 compared to that of 3 and 4 correlates with the different denticity of the copper ligand (tetra vs tridentate). Complexes 1-4 react with HCl releasing H2O2, demonstrating the basic character of the peroxide ligand. Cobaltocene causes the two-electron reduction of 1-4 giving the corresponding micro-oxo [FeIII-(O2-)-CuII]+ complexes, in contrast to the findings for other heme-peroxo-copper species of different design. With t-butyl-substituted phenols, no reaction occurs with 1-4. The results described here emphasize how ligand design and variations influence and control not only the structure and physical properties but also the reactivity patterns for heme-Cu/O2 adducts. Implications for future investigations of protonated heme/Cu-peroxo complexes, low-spin analogues, and ultimately O-O cleavage chemistry are discussed.

Heme-copper/dioxygen adduct formation, properties, and reactivity

This Account focuses on our recent developments in synthetic heme/copper/O 2 chemistry, potentially relevant to the mechanism of action of heme-copper oxidases (e.g., cytochrome c oxidase) and to dioxygen activation chemistry. Methods for the generation of O 2 adducts, which are high-spin heme(Fe (III))-peroxo-Cu (II) complexes, are described, along with a detailed structural/electronic characterization of one example. The coordination mode of the O 2-derived heme-Cu bridging group depends upon the copper-ligand environment, resulting in micro-(O 2 (2-)) side-on to Fe (III) and end-on to Cu (II) (micro-eta (2):eta (1)) binding for cases having N 4 tetradentate ligands but side-on/side-on (micro-eta (2):eta (2)) micro-peroxo coordination with tridentate copper chelates. The dynamics of the generation of Fe (III)-(O 2 (2-))-Cu (II) complexes are known in some cases, including the initial formation of a short-lived superoxo (heme)Fe (III)(O 2 -) intermediate. Complexes with cross-linked imidazole-phenol "cofactors" adjacent to the copper centers have also been described. Essential investigations of heme-copper-mediated reductive O-O bond cleavage chemistry are ongoing.

Further Insights into the Spectroscopic Properties, Electronic Structure, and Kinetics of Formation of the Heme−Peroxo−Copper Complex [(F8TPP)FeIII−(O22-)−CuII(TMPA)]+

In the further development and understanding of heme-copper O2-reduction chemistry inspired by the active-site chemistry in cytochrome c oxidase, we describe a dioxygen adduct, [(F8TPP)FeIII-(O22-)-CuII(TMPA)](ClO4) (3), formed by addition of O2 to a 1:1 mixture of the porphyrinate-iron(II) complex (F8TPP)FeII (1a) {F8TPP = tetrakis(2,6-difluorophenyl)porphyrinate dianion} and the copper(I) complex [(TMPA)CuI(MeCN)](ClO4) (1b) {TMPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine}. Complex 3 forms in preference to heme-only or copper-only binuclear products, is remarkably stable {t1/2 (RT; MeCN) approximately 20 min; lambda max = 412 (Soret), 558 nm; EPR silent}, and is formulated as a peroxo complex on the basis of manometry {1a/1b/O2 = 1:1:1}, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry {16O2, m/z 1239 [(3 + MeCN)+]; 18O2, m/z 1243}, and resonance Raman spectroscopy {nu(O-O) = 808 cm-1; Delta16O2/18O2 = 46 cm-1; Delta16O2/16/18O2 = 23 cm-1}. Consistent with a mu-eta2:eta1 bridging peroxide ligand, two metal-O stretching frequencies are observed {nu(Fe-O) = 533 cm-1, nu(Fe-O-Cu) = 511 cm-1}, and supporting normal coordinate analysis is presented. 2H and 19F NMR spectroscopies reveal that 3 is high-spin {also muB = 5.1 +/- 0.2, Evans method} with downfield-shifted pyrrole and upfield-shifted TMPA resonances, similar to the pattern observed for the structurally characterized mu-oxo complex [(F8TPP)FeIII-O-CuII(TMPA)]+ (4) (known S = 2 system, antiferromagnetically coupled high-spin FeIII and CuII). Mössbauer spectroscopy exhibits a sharp quadrupole doublet (zero field; delta = 0.57 mm/s, |DeltaEQ| = 1.14 mm/s) for 3, with isomer shift and magnetic field dependence data indicative of a peroxide ligand and S = 2 formulation. Both UV-visible-monitored stopped-flow kinetics and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies reveal the formation of heme-only superoxide complex (S)(F8TPP)FeIII-(O2-) (2a) (S = solvent molecule) prior to 3. Thermal decomposition of mu-peroxo complex 3 yields mu-oxo complex 4 with concomitant release of approximately 0.5 mol O2 per mol 3. Characterization of the reaction 1a/1b + O2 --> 2 --> 3 --> 4, presented here, advances our understanding and provides new insights to heme/Cu dioxygen-binding and reduction.

Generation and Characterization of [(P)M−(X)−Co(TMPA)]n+ Assemblies; P = Porphyrinate, M = FeIII and CoIII, X = O2-, OH-, O22-, and TMPA = Tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine

With the established chemistry of bridged [(porphyrinate)FeIII-X-CuII(ligand)]n+ [X = O2- (oxo), OH- (hydroxo), O22- (peroxo)] complexes, we investigated the effect of cobalt ion substitution for copper or copper and iron. Thus, in this report, the generation and characterization of new mu-oxo, micro-hydroxo, and micro-peroxo (micro-X) assemblies of [(porphyrinate)MIII-X-CoII/III(TMPA)]n+ assemblies is described, where M = FeIII or CoIII and TMPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine. The mu-oxo complex [(F8TPP)FeIII-O-CoII(TMPA)]+ (1, F8TPP = tetrakis(2,6-difluorphenyl)porphyrinate) was isolated by an acid-base self-assembly reaction of a 1:1 mixture of (F8TPP)FeIII-OH and [CoII(TMPA)(MeCN)]2+ upon addition of triethylamine. The crystal structure of 1.2C4H10O proved the presence of an unsupported Fe-O-Co moiety; angleFe-O-Co = 171.6 degrees and d(Fe...Co) = 3.58 A. Complex 1 was further characterized by UV-vis (lambdamax = 437 (Soret) and 557 nm), 1H NMR [delta 40.6 (pyrrole-H), 8.8 and 8.7 (m-phenyl-H), 8.0 (p-phenyl-H), 4.4 (PY-4H), 2.6 (PY-3H), 1.0 (PY-5H), -1.1 (PY-6H), and -2.7 (TMPA-CH2-) ppm], electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometric methods, Evans method NMR (microeff = 3.1), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) susceptometry (J = -114 cm-1, S = 1). The micro-hydroxo analogue [(F8TPP)FeIII-(OH)-CoII(TMPA)]+ (2) [UV-vis lambdamax = 567 nm; delta 78 ppm (pyrrole-H); Evans NMR microeff = 3.7] was generated by addition of 1 equiv of triflic acid to 1. The protonation is completely reversible, and 1 is regenerated from 2 by addition of triethylamine. While (F8TPP)FeII/[CoII(TMPA)(MeCN)]2+/O2 chemistry does not lead to a stable micro-peroxo species, a dicobalt micro-peroxo complex [(TPP)CoIII-(O22-)-CoIII(TMPA)]2+ (3, TPP = meso-tetraphenylporphyrinate) forms from a reaction of O2 with a 1:1 mixture of the CoII precursor components at -80 degrees C [UV-vis lambdamax = 435 (Soret), 548, and 583 (weak) nm; silent EPR spectrum; diamagnetic NMR spectrum]. The oxygenation/deoxygenation equilibrium is reversible; warming solutions of 3 releases approximately 1 equiv of O2 and the reduced complexes are reformed.

A new dinuclear heme-copper complex derived from functionalized protoporphyrin IX

A new biomimetic model for the heterodinuclear heme/copper center of respiratory oxidases is described. It is derived from iron(III) protoporphyrin IX by covalent attachment of a Gly-L-His-OMe residue to one propionic acid substituent and an amino-bis(benzimidazole) residue to the other propionic acid substituent of the porphyrin ring, yielding the Fe(III) complex 1, and subsequent addition of a copper(II) or copper(I) ion, according to needs. The fully oxidized Fe(III)/Cu(II) complex, 2, binds azide more strongly than 1, and likely contains azide bound as a bridging ligand between Fe(III) and Cu(II). The two metal centers also cooperate in the reaction with hydrogen peroxide, as the peroxide adducts obtained at low temperature for 1 and 2 display different optical features. Support to this interpretation comes from the investigation of the peroxidase activity of the complexes, where the activation of hydrogen peroxide has been studied through the phenol coupling reaction of p-cresol. Here the presence of Cu(II) improves the catalytic performance of complex 2 with respect to 1 at acidic pH, where the positive charge of the Cu(II) ion is useful to promote O-O bond cleavage of the iron-bound hydroperoxide, but it depresses the activity at basic pH because it can stabilize an intramolecular hydroxo bridge between Fe(III) and Cu(II). The reactivity to dioxygen of the reduced complexes has been studied at low temperature starting from the carbonyl adducts of the Fe(II) complex, 3, and Fe(II)/Cu(I) complex, 4. Also in this case the adducts derived from the Fe(II) and Fe(II)/Cu(I) complexes, that we formulate as Fe(III)-superoxo and Fe(III)/Cu(II)-peroxo exhibit slightly different spectral properties, showing that the copper center participates in a weak interaction with the dioxygen moiety.

Built-in Axial Base Binding on Phenanthroline-Strapped Zinc(II) and Iron(III) Porphyrins

In addition to the need for functional models of cytochrome c oxidase, structural models are still required for a better understanding of the small reorganizations occurring during the catalytic cycle. An efficient synthetic approach has been designed to prepare several phenanthroline-strapped porphyrins, two of them bearing two pendant imidazoles. These built-in bases are both potentially able to act as axial bases for the metalloporphyrin and as complementary ligands for copper if necessary. Diamagnetic zinc(II) was used to demonstrate that the distal/proximal selectivity demonstrated by exogenic bases binding studies can be extended to the coordination of iron(III). Combination of EPR and paramagnetic 1H NMR shows that the imidazole binding on the zinc species can be further extended to the iron(III) species in dilute conditions.