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

Cooperative Co-Activation of Water and Hypochlorite by a Non-Heme Diiron(III) Complex

Aqueous solutions of the iron(III) complex of N,N,N'-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine-N'-acetate (tpena) react with hypochlorite (ClO^-) to produce the reactive high-valent [Fe^IV(O)(tpena)]⁺. Under catalytic conditions, in bicarbonate-buffered media (pH 8) with a set ionic strength (10 mM NaCl), kinetic analysis shows that two equivalents of [Fe^IV(O)(tpena)]⁺ per one ClO^- are produced, with benign chloride ions the only byproduct. An unprecedented supramolecular activation of ClO^- by {(HCO₃)⊂[(tpena)Fe^III(μ-O)Fe^III(Htpena)]}²⁺ is proposed. This mode of activation has great advantage for use in the catalytic oxidation of C-H bonds in water since: (i) the catalyst scaffold is protected from oxidative degradation and (ii) undesirable radical side reactions which produce toxic chlorinated compounds are circumvented by this novel coactivation of water and ClO^-. The unique activation mechanism by the Fe-tpena system makes possible the destruction of organic contaminants as an add-on technology to water disinfection by chlorination, demonstrated here through (i) the catalytic oxidation of micropollutant metaldehyde, and (ii) mineralization of the model substrate formate. The resting-state speciation at pH 3, 5, 7, and 9, as well as the catalytically active iron speciation are characterized with Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopy and supported by DFT calculations. Our study provides fundamentally new insights into the design and activation mode of iron-based catalysts relevant to applications in water remediation.

Activation of Dioxygen by a Mononuclear Nonheme Iron Complex: Sequential Peroxo, Oxo, and Hydroxo Intermediates

The activation of dioxygen by Fe^II(Me₃TACN)(S₂SiMe₂) (1) is reported. Reaction of 1 with O₂ at -135 °C in 2-MeTHF generates a thiolate-ligated (peroxo)diiron complex Fe^III₂(O₂)(Me₃TACN)₂(S₂SiMe₂)₂ (2) that was characterized by UV-vis (λ_max = 300, 390, 530, 723 nm), Mössbauer (δ = 0.53, |ΔE_Q| = 0.76 mm s^-1), resonance Raman (RR) (ν(O-O) = 849 cm^-1), and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies. Complex 2 is distinct from the outer-sphere oxidation product 1^ox (UV-vis (λ_max = 435, 520, 600 nm), Mössbauer (δ = 0.45, |ΔE_Q| = 3.6 mm s^-1), and EPR (S = 5/2, g = [6.38, 5.53, 1.99])), obtained by one-electron oxidation of 1. Cleavage of the peroxo O-O bond can be initiated either photochemically or thermally to produce a new species assigned as an Fe^IV(O) complex, Fe^IV(O)(Me₃TACN)(S₂SiMe₂) (3), which was identified by UV-vis (λ_max = 385, 460, 890 nm), Mössbauer (δ = 0.21, |ΔE_Q| = 1.57 mm s^-1), RR (ν(Fe^IV═O) = 735 cm^-1), and X-ray absorption spectroscopies, as well as reactivity patterns. Reaction of 3 at low temperature with H atom donors gives a new species, Fe^III(OH)(Me₃TACN)(S₂SiMe₂) (4). Complex 4 was independently synthesized from 1 by the stoichiometric addition of a one-electron oxidant and a hydroxide source. This work provides a rare example of dioxygen activation at a mononuclear nonheme iron(II) complex that produces both Fe^III-O-O-Fe^III and Fe^IV(O) species in the same reaction with O₂. It also demonstrates the feasibility of forming Fe/O₂ intermediates with strongly donating sulfur ligands while avoiding immediate sulfur oxidation.

Dioxygen Activation by Nonheme Diiron Enzymes: Diverse Dioxygen Adducts, High-Valent Intermediates, and Related Model Complexes

A growing subset of metalloenzymes activates dioxygen with nonheme diiron active sites to effect substrate oxidations that range from the hydroxylation of methane and the desaturation of fatty acids to the deformylation of fatty aldehydes to produce alkanes and the six-electron oxidation of aminoarenes to nitroarenes in the biosynthesis of antibiotics. A common feature of their reaction mechanisms is the formation of O2 adducts that evolve into more reactive derivatives such as diiron(II,III)-superoxo, diiron(III)-peroxo, diiron(III,IV)-oxo, and diiron(IV)-oxo species, which carry out particular substrate oxidation tasks. In this review, we survey the various enzymes belonging to this unique subset and the mechanisms by which substrate oxidation is carried out. We examine the nature of the reactive intermediates, as revealed by X-ray crystallography and the application of various spectroscopic methods and their associated reactivity. We also discuss the structural and electronic properties of the model complexes that have been found to mimic salient aspects of these enzyme active sites. Much has been learned in the past 25 years, but key questions remain to be answered.

Hydrogen-Atom Transfer Oxidation with H2O2 Catalyzed by [FeII(1,2-bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-6-yl)ethane(H2O)2]2+: Likely Involvement of a (μ-Hydroxo)(μ-1,2-peroxo)diiron(III) Intermediate

The iron(II) triflate complex (1) of 1,2-bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-6-yl)ethane, with two bipyridine moieties connected by an ethane bridge, was prepared. Addition of aqueous 30% H₂O₂ to an acetonitrile solution of 1 yielded 2, a green compound with λ_max=710 nm. Moessbauer measurements on 2 showed a doublet with an isomer shift (δ) of 0.35 mm/s and a quadrupole splitting (ΔE_Q) of 0.86 mm/s, indicative of an antiferromagnetically coupled diferric complex. Resonance Raman spectra showed peaks at 883, 556 and 451 cm^-1 that downshifted to 832, 540 and 441 cm^-1 when 1 was treated with H₂¹⁸O₂. All the spectroscopic data support the initial formation of a (μ-hydroxo)(μ-1,2-peroxo)diiron(III) complex that oxidizes carbon-hydrogen bonds. At 0°C 2 reacted with cyclohexene to yield allylic oxidation products but not epoxide. Weak benzylic C-H bonds of alkylarenes were also oxidized. A plot of the logarithms of the second order rate constants versus the bond dissociation energies of the cleaved C-H bond showed an excellent linear correlation. Along with the observation that oxidation of the probe substrate 2,2-dimethyl-1-phenylpropan-1-ol yielded the corresponding ketone but no benzaldehyde, and the kinetic isotope effect, k_H/k_D , of 2.8 found for the oxidation of xanthene, the results support the hypothesis for a metal-based H-atom abstraction mechanism. Complex 2 is a rare example of a (μ-hydroxo)(μ-1,2-peroxo)diiron(III) complex that can elicit the oxidation of carbon-hydrogen bonds.

Nitric oxide activation by distal redox modulation in tetranuclear iron nitrosyl complexes

A series of tetranuclear iron complexes displaying a site-differentiated metal center was synthesized. Three of the metal centers are coordinated to our previously reported ligand, based on a 1,3,5-triarylbenzene motif with nitrogen and oxygen donors. The fourth (apical) iron center is coordinatively unsaturated and appended to the trinuclear core through three bridging pyrazolates and an interstitial μ4-oxide moiety. Electrochemical studies of complex [LFe3(PhPz)3OFe][OTf]2 revealed three reversible redox events assigned to the Fe(II)4/Fe(II)3Fe(III) (-1.733 V), Fe(II)3Fe(III)/Fe(II)2Fe(III)2 (-0.727 V), and Fe(II)2Fe(III)2/Fe(II)Fe(III)3 (0.018 V) redox couples. Combined Mössbauer and crystallographic studies indicate that the change in oxidation state is exclusively localized at the triiron core, without changing the oxidation state of the apical metal center. This phenomenon is assigned to differences in the coordination environment of the two metal sites and provides a strategy for storing electron and hole equivalents without affecting the oxidation state of the coordinatively unsaturated metal. The presence of a ligand-binding site allowed the effect of redox modulation on nitric oxide activation by an Fe(II) metal center to be studied. Treatment of the clusters with nitric oxide resulted in binding of NO to the apical iron center, generating a {FeNO}(7) moiety. As with the NO-free precursors, the three reversible redox events are localized at the iron centers distal from the NO ligand. Altering the redox state of the triiron core resulted in significant change in the NO stretching frequency, by as much as 100 cm(-1). The increased activation of NO is attributed to structural changes within the clusters, in particular, those related to the interaction of the metal centers with the interstitial atom. The differences in NO activation were further shown to lead to differential reactivity, with NO disproportionation and N2O formation performed by the more electron-rich cluster.

Stabilisation of μ-peroxido-bridged Fe(III) intermediates with non-symmetric bidentate N-donor ligands

The spectroscopic characterisation of the (μ-1,2-peroxido)diiron(iii) species formed transiently upon reaction of [Fe(ii)(NN)3](2+) complexes with H2O2 by UV/vis absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopy is reported. The intermediacy of such species in the disproportionation of H2O2 is demonstrated.

Roles of carboxylate donors in O–O bond scission of peroxodi-iron(iii) to high-spin oxodi-iron(iv) with a new carboxylate-containing dinucleating ligand

Carboxylate donor stabilizes the peroxo state in dioxygen activation via reversible O–O bond scission of peroxodi-iron(iii) to high spin oxodi-iron(iv).

An Iron(II)(1,3-bis(2'-pyridylimino)isoindoline) Complex as a Catalyst for Substrate Oxidation with H2O2. Evidence for a Transient Peroxodiiron(III) Species

The complex [Fe(indH)(solvent)3](ClO4)2 (1) has been isolated from the reaction of equimolar amounts of 1,3-bis(2'-pyridylimino)isoindoline (indH) and Fe(ClO4)2 in acetonitrile and characterized by X-ray crystallography and several spectroscopic techniques. It is a suitable catalyst for the oxidation of thioanisoles and benzyl alcohols with H2O2 as the oxidant. Hammett correlations and kinetic isotope effect experiments support the involvement of an electrophilic metal-based oxidant. A metastable green species (2) is observed when 1 is reacted with H2O2 at -40 °C, which has been characterized to have a FeIII(μ-O)(μ-O2)FeIII core on the basis of UV-Vis, electron paramagnetic resonance, resonance Raman, and X-ray absorption spectroscopic data.

Triptycene-based Bis(benzimidazole) Carboxylate-Bridged Biomimetic Diiron(II) Complexes

A triptycene-based bis(benzimidazole) ester ligand, L3, was designed to enhance the electron donating ability of the heterocyclic nitrogen atoms relative to those of the first generation bis(benzoxazole) analogs, L1 and L2. A convergent synthesis of L3 was designed and executed. Three-component titration experiments using UV-visible spectroscopy revealed that the desired diiron(II) complex could be obtained with a 1:2:1 ratio of L3:Fe(OTf)2(MeCN)2:external carboxylate reactants. X-ray crystallographic studies of two diiron complexes derived in this manner from L3 revealed their formulas to be [Fe2L3(μ-OH)(μ-O2CR)(OTf)2], where R = 2,6-bis(p-tolyl)benzoate (7) or triphenylacetate (8). The structures are similar to that of a diiron complex derived from L1, [Fe2L1(μ-OH)(μ-O2CArTol)(OTf)2] (9) with a notable difference being that, in 7 and 8, the geometry at iron more closely resembles square-pyramidal than trigonal-bipyramidal. Mössbauer spectroscopic analyses of 7 and 8 indicate the presence of high-spin diiron(II) cores. These results demonstrate the importance of substituting benzimidazole for benzoxazole for assembling biomimetic diiron complexes with syn disposition of two N-donor ligands, as found in O2-activating carboxylate-bridged diiron centers in biology.

Protonation of a peroxodiiron(III) complex and conversion to a diiron(III/IV) intermediate: implications for proton-assisted O-O bond cleavage in nonheme diiron enzymes

Oxygenation of a diiron(II) complex, [Fe(II)(2)(μ-OH)(2)(BnBQA)(2)(NCMe)(2)](2+) [2, where BnBQA is N-benzyl-N,N-bis(2-quinolinylmethyl)amine], results in the formation of a metastable peroxodiferric intermediate, 3. The treatment of 3 with strong acid affords its conjugate acid, 4, in which the (μ-oxo)(μ-1,2-peroxo)diiron(III) core of 3 is protonated at the oxo bridge. The core structures of 3 and 4 are characterized in detail by UV-vis, Mössbauer, resonance Raman, and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. Complex 4 is shorter-lived than 3 and decays to generate in ~20% yield of a diiron(III/IV) species 5, which can be identified by electron paramagnetic resonance and Mössbauer spectroscopies. This reaction sequence demonstrates for the first time that protonation of the oxo bridge of a (μ-oxo)(μ-1,2-peroxo)diiron(III) complex leads to cleavage of the peroxo O-O bond and formation of a high-valent diiron complex, thereby mimicking the steps involved in the formation of intermediate X in the activation cycle of ribonucleotide reductase.

Evolution of strategies to prepare synthetic mimics of carboxylate-bridged diiron protein active sites

We present a comprehensive review of research conducted in our laboratory in pursuit of the long-term goal of reproducing the structures and reactivity of carboxylate-bridged diiron centers used in biology to activate dioxygen for the conversion of hydrocarbons to alcohols and related products. This article describes the evolution of strategies devised to achieve these goals and illustrates the challenges in getting there. Particular emphasis is placed on controlling the geometry and coordination environment of the diiron core, preventing formation of polynuclear iron clusters, maintaining the structural integrity of model complexes during reactions with dioxygen, and tuning the ligand framework to stabilize desired oxygenated diiron species. Studies of the various model systems have improved our understanding of the electronic and physical characteristics of carboxylate-bridged diiron units and their reactivity toward molecular oxygen and organic moieties. The principles and lessons that have emerged from these investigations will guide future efforts to develop more sophisticated diiron protein model complexes.

The catalase activity of diiron adenine deaminase

Adenine deaminase (ADE) from the amidohydrolase superfamily (AHS) of enzymes catalyzes the conversion of adenine to hypoxanthine and ammonia. Enzyme isolated from Escherichia coli was largely inactive toward the deamination of adenine. Molecular weight determinations by mass spectrometry provided evidence that multiple histidine and methionine residues were oxygenated. When iron was sequestered with a metal chelator and the growth medium supplemented with Mn(2+) before induction, the post-translational modifications disappeared. Enzyme expressed and purified under these conditions was substantially more active for adenine deamination. Apo-enzyme was prepared and reconstituted with two equivalents of FeSO(4). Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy demonstrated that this protein contained two high-spin ferrous ions per monomer of ADE. In addition to the adenine deaminase activity, [Fe(II) /Fe(II) ]-ADE catalyzed the conversion of H(2)O(2) to O(2) and H(2)O. The values of k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) for the catalase activity are 200 s(-1) and 2.4 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. [Fe(II)/Fe(II)]-ADE underwent more than 100 turnovers with H(2)O(2) before the enzyme was inactivated due to oxygenation of histidine residues critical for metal binding. The iron in the inactive enzyme was high-spin ferric with g(ave) = 4.3 EPR signal and no evidence of anti-ferromagnetic spin-coupling. A model is proposed for the disproportionation of H(2)O(2) by [Fe(II)/Fe(II)]-ADE that involves the cycling of the binuclear metal center between the di-ferric and di-ferrous oxidation states. Oxygenation of active site residues occurs via release of hydroxyl radicals. These findings represent the first report of redox reaction catalysis by any member of the AHS.

Design and synthesis of a novel triptycene-based ligand for modeling carboxylate-bridged diiron enzyme active sites

A novel triptycene-based ligand with a preorganized framework was designed to model carboxylate-bridged diiron active sites in bacterial multicomponent monooxygenase (BMM) hydroxylase enzymes. The synthesis of the bis(benzoxazole)-appended ligand L1 depicted was accomplished in 11 steps. Reaction of L1 with iron(II) triflate and a carboxylate source afforded the desired diiron(II) complex [Fe(2)L1(μ-OH)(μ-O(2)CAr(Tol))(OTf)(2)].

Current challenges of modeling diiron enzyme active sites for dioxygen activation by biomimetic synthetic complexes

This tutorial review describes recent progress in modeling the active sites of carboxylate-rich non-heme diiron enzymes that activate dioxygen to carry out several key reactions in Nature. The chemistry of soluble methane monooxygenase, which catalyzes the selective oxidation of methane to methanol, is of particular interest for (bio)technological applications. Novel synthetic diiron complexes that mimic structural, and, to a lesser extent, functional features of these diiron enzymes are discussed. The chemistry of the enzymes is also briefly summarized. A particular focus of this review is on models that mimic characteristics of the diiron systems that were previously not emphasized, including systems that contain (i) aqua ligands, (ii) different substrates tethered to the ligand framework, (iii) dendrimers attached to carboxylates to mimic the protein environment, (iv) two N-donors in a syn-orientation with respect to the iron-iron vector, and (v) a N-rich ligand environment capable of accessing oxygenated high-valent diiron intermediates.