Fluorination of porphyrin β-periphery boosts nickel(II)-catalyzed hydrogen evolution reaction

Tunichlorin, the naturally occurring chlorophyll cofactor containing Ni(II) ion, sets up a golden standard for designing the electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via β-peripheral modification. Besides the fine-tuning of the porphyrin β-periphery such as adjusting the aromatics (the saturated level of tetrapyrrole) or installing hydroxyl group (hydrogen bond network) to enhance the catalytic HER efficiency, here we report that β-fluorination of porphyrin is also an important approach to increase the reactivity of Ni(II) center. Benefiting the previously reported derivatization of β-fluorinated porpholactones, we constructed a β-fluorinated tunichlorin mimic (6). Compared with the non-fluorinated analogs (1, 3, and 5), we found that 2, 4, and 6 exhibit significant electrocatalytic HER reactivity acceleration (in terms of turnover frequencies, TOF, s-1) of ca. 37, 170, 133-fold, respectively. Mechanism studies suggested that β-fluorination negatively shifts the metal complexes' reduction potentials and accelerates the electron transfer process, both contributing to the boosting of HER reaction. Notably, 6 showed an 890-fold increase of TOFs than 1, demonstrating the combining advantages of the of fluorination, hydrogenation, and hydroxylation at porphyrin β-periphery.

Peroxymonosulfate activation by trace iron(III) porphyrin for facile degradation of organic pollutants via nonradical oxidation

Nonradical species with great resistance to interference have shown great advantages in complex wastewater treatment. Herein, a novel system constructed by biodegradable tetrakis-(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphyrinatoiron(III) (FeIII-TCPP) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) was proposed for facile decontamination. Nonradical pathway is observed in FeIII-TCPP/PMS, where 1O2 and high-valent iron-oxo species play dominant roles. The genres and valence of high-valent iron-oxo species, including iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin radical-cationic species [OFeIV-TCPP•+] and iron(IV)-hydroxide species [FeIV-TCPP(OH)], are ascertained, along with their generation mechanism. The axial ligand on the iron axial site affects the ground spin state of FeIII-TCPP, further influencing the thermodynamic reaction pathway of active species. With trace catalyst in micromoles, FeIII-TCPP exhibits high efficiency by degrading bisphenol S (BPS) completely within 5 min, while Co2+/PMS can only achieve a maximum of 26.2% under identical condition. Beneficial from nonradical pathways, FeIII-TCPP/PMS demonstrates a wide pH range of 3-10 and exhibits minimal sensitivity to interference of concomitant materials. BPS is primarily eliminated through β-scission and hydroxylation. Specifically, 1O2 electrophilically attacks the C-S bond of BPS, while high-valent iron-oxo species interacts with BPS through an oxygen-bound mechanism. This study provides novel insights into efficient activation of PMS by iron porphyrin, enabling the removal of refractory pollutants through nonradical pathway.

Exploring the Reactivity of Flavins with Nucleophiles Using a Theoretical and Experimental Approach

Covalent adducts of flavin cofactors with nucleophiles play an important role in non-canonical function of flavoenzymes as well as in flavin-based catalysis. Herein, the interaction of flavin derivatives including substituted flavins (isoalloxazines), 1,10-ethylene-bridged flavinium salts, and non-substituted alloxazine and deazaflavin with selected nucleophiles was investigated using an experimental and computational approach. Triphenylphosphine or trimethylphosphine, 1-nitroethan-1-ide, and methoxide were selected as representatives of neutral soft, anionic soft, and hard nucleophiles, respectively. The interactions were investigated using UV/Vis and 1 H NMR spectroscopy as well as by DFT calculations. The position of nucleophilic attack estimated using the calculated Gibbs free energy values was found to correspond with the experimental data, favouring the addition of phosphine and 1-nitroethan-1-ide into position N(5) and methoxide into position C(10a) of 1,10-ethylene-bridged flavinium salts. The calculated Gibbs free energy values were found to correlate with the experimental redox potentials of the flavin derivatives tested. These findings can be utilized as valuable tools for the design of artificial flavin-based catalytic systems or investigating the mechanism of flavoenzymes.

Preparation of racemic α-amino acid standards for accurate mass spectrometric analysis via racemization catalyzed by a hydrophobic pyridoxal derivative

Racemic α-amino acid standards for chiral metabolomics were prepared from l-α-amino acids using a hydrophobic pyridoxal derivative, namely 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-5-((octyloxy)methyl)isonicotinaldehyde (OPy), as the racemization catalyst. Among the 19 tested proteinogenic amino acids, 13 (including the generally unstable asparagine, glutamine, and tryptophan) underwent efficient racemization/epimerization under mildly basic conditions at room temperature, while solid-phase extraction allowed for effective and simple catalyst removal and amino acid recovery, obviating the need for chromatographic separation and recrystallization. Isotopically labeled racemic amino acids are commonly employed as internal standards for highly accurate mass spectrometric analysis. However, as isotopically labeled d-amino acids are often unavailable or highly expensive, the developed method was used to prepare racemic labeled amino acids, which were shown to enhance the repeatability and accuracy of d,l-amino acid quantitation in human urine by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Given that our method should also be applicable to non-proteinogenic α-amino acids and the N-termini of peptides, the present study is expected to accelerate the development of LC-MS-based chiral metabolomics.

Design and catalytic studies of structural and functional models of the catechol oxidase enzyme

The catechol oxidase activity of three copper/bicompartmental salen derivatives has been studied. One mononuclear, [CuL] (1), one homometallic, [Cu₂L(NO₃)₂] (2), and one heterometallic, [CuMnL(NO₃)₂] (3) complexes were obtained using the ligand H₂L = N,N'-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine through different synthetic methods (electrochemical, chemical and solid state reaction). The structural data indicate that the metal ion disposition models the active site of type-3 copper enzymes, such as catechol oxidase. In this way, their ability to act as functional models of the enzyme has been spectrophotometrically determined by monitorization of the oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (3,5-DTBC) to 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (3,5-DTBQ). All the complexes show significant catalytic activity with ratio constants (k_obs) lying in the range (223-294) × 10^-4 min^-1. A thorough kinetic study was carried out for complexes 2 and 3, since they show structural similarities with the catechol oxidase enzyme. The greatest catalytic activity was found for the homonuclear dicopper compound (2) with a turnover value (k_cat) of (3.89 ± 0.05) × 10⁶ h^-1, which it is the higher reported to date, comparable to the enzyme itself (8.25 × 10⁶ h^-1).

Influence of ancillary ligands on preferential geometry and biomimetic catalytic activity in manganese(III)-catecholate systems: A combined experimental and theoretical study

The present report describes the synthesis and structural characterizations of six new manganese(III) complexes with redox-active tetrachlorocatecholate ligand in the presence of different ancillary ligands (pyridines and imidazole). X-ray crystal structure analysis reveals that the geometry of manganese(III) centres in 1 and 2 is essentially square pyramidal, while it is discrete octahedron in compounds 3-6. These preferential structural diversities in these systems have been critically analysed by theoretical calculations. Remarkably, the characterization of both π⋯π stacking interactions and MnMn bonds in the supramolecular dimeric aggregates in the solid state in 1 and 2 by means of the Bader's theory of "atoms in molecules" (AIM) is quite interesting as that nicely corroborates the experimental fact. All the complexes are active toward the phenoxazinone synthase like activity and the detailed kinetic analysis was performed to get better insight into their catalytic efficiency. Electrochemical property of these complexes as well as different donor property of the ancillary ligands clearly establish that the ease of reduction of the metal centre i.e., the catalytic ability is favoured when the metal centre is bonded to the electron deficient pyridyl systems. EPR spectroscopy and theoretical study are further helpful to get insight into origin of the catalytic activity in these compounds. The present report overall highlights that tuning of the geometry and catalytic activity of manganese(III) complexes with tetrachlorocatecholate ligand can be attained by the introduction of different substitutions in ancillary pyridine ligands.

Effect of L-cysteine on the oxidation of cyclohexane catalyzed by manganeseporphyrin

Effect of L-cysteine as the cocatalyst on the oxidation of cyclohexane by tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) catalyzed by manganese tetraphenylporphyrin (MnTPP) has been investigated. The results showed that L-cysteine could moderately improve the catalytic activity of MnTPP and significantly increase the selectivity of cyclohexanol. Different from imidazole and pyridine, the L-cysteine may perform dual roles in the catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane. Besides as the axial ligand for MnTPP, the L-cysteine could also react with cyclohexyl peroxide formed as the intermediate to produce alcohol as the main product.