Triple resonance EPR spectroscopy determines the Mn2+ coordination to ATP

Mn²⁺ often serves as a paramagnetic substitute to Mg²⁺, providing means for exploring the close environment of Mg²⁺ in many biological systems where it serves as an essential co-factor. This applies to proteins with ATPase activity, where the ATP hydrolysis requires the binding of Mg²⁺-ATP to the ATPase active site. In this context, it is important to distinguish between the Mn²⁺ coordination mode with free ATP in solution as compared to the protein bound case. In this work, we explore the Mn²⁺ complexes with ATP, the non-hydrolysable ATP analog, AMPPNP, and ADP free in solution. Using W-band ³¹P electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) we obtained information about the coordination to the phosphates, whereas from electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR) - detected NMR (EDNMR) we determined the coordination to an adenosine nitrogen. The coordination to these ligands has been reported earlier, but whether the nitrogen and phosphate coordination is within the same nucleotide molecules or different ones is still under debate. By applying the correlation technique, THYCOS (triple hyperfine correlation spectroscopy), and measuring ¹⁵N-³¹P correlations we establish that in Mn-ATP in solution both phosphates and a nitrogen are coordinated to the Mn²⁺ ion. We also carried out DFT calculations to substantiate this finding. In addition, we expanded the understanding of the THYCOS experiment by comparing it to 2D-EDNMR for ⁵⁵Mn-³¹P correlation experiments and through simulations of THYCOS and 2D-EDNMR spectra with ¹⁵N-³¹P correlations.

MnAPO-5 as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for selective liquid phase partial oxidation reactions

Heterogeneous catalysts play a key role in addressing the economic and environmental issues of the chemical industry due to their several advantages, like ease of product separation, work-up and high recycling efficiency. Herein, we report the synthesis of a robust manganese(iv)-containing aluminophosphate material (MnAPO-5), with an AFI framework topology. This material has been characterized thoroughly by powder XRD, XPS, UHR TEM, FE SEM, ³¹P CP MAS NMR, atomic absorption spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and TGA. The Mn-containing microporous material has been employed as a heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of styrene and the synthesis of adipic acid from cyclohexanone in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as the oxidant in air and it displayed very high recycling efficiency.

Orientation selection in high-field RIDME and PELDOR experiments involving low-spin CoII ions

Orientation selective pulse dipolar electron paramagnetic resonance unravels relative geometries of spin centres from RIDME and PELDOR data.

(55)Mn pulsed ENDOR spectroscopy of Mn(2+) ions in ZnO thin films and single crystal

(55)Mn pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiments were performed at X-band on high spin S=5/2 Mn(2+) ions incorporated at zinc lattice sites in heteroepitaxial ZnO thin films. The films have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition and the manganese ions were doped during the growth process. We examine how the c/a lattice axes ratio of the ZnO films influences the (55)Mn hyperfine (hf) and nuclear quadrupole (nq) coupling parameters of the Mn(2+) probe ions. The results are compared with those obtained for Mn(2+) ions present as impurities in ZnO single crystals and revealed that the (55)Mn nq coupling monitors sensitively the structural distortions in the bonding environment of the Mn(2+) ions. The experiments provided the full axially symmetric (55)Mn hf and nq interaction tensors. The latter is found to be very sensitive to small axial distortions of the MnO4 tetrahedrons. In particular, the (55)Mn pulsed ENDOR spectra of the ZnO:Mn thin films are strongly subjected to strain effects in the nq coupling parameter indicating a variation of the local structural parameters for the heteroepitaxial films. In the analysis of the (55)Mn pulsed ENDOR spectra the axial and cubic zero field splitting of the Mn(2+) ions was taken into account and intensity effects in the ENDOR spectra due to the zero field splitting effects were discussed.

The catalytic Mn2+ sites in the enolase-inhibitor complex: crystallography, single-crystal EPR, and DFT calculations

Crystals of Zn2+/Mn2+ yeast enolase with the inhibitor PhAH (phosphonoacetohydroxamate) were grown under conditions with a slight preference for binding of Zn2+ at the higher affinity site, site I. The structure of the Zn2+/Mn2+-PhAH complex was solved at a resolution of 1.54 A, and the two catalytic metal binding sites, I and II, show only subtle displacement compared to that of the corresponding complex with the native Mg2+ ions. Low-temperature echo-detected high-field (W-band, 95 GHz) EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) and 1H ENDOR (electron-nuclear double resonance) were carried out on a single crystal, and rotation patterns were acquired in two perpendicular planes. Analysis of the rotation patterns resolved a total of six Mn2+ sites, four symmetry-related sites of one type and two out of the four of the other type. The observation of two chemically inequivalent Mn2+ sites shows that Mn2+ ions populate both sites I and II and the zero-field splitting (ZFS) tensors of the Mn2+ in the two sites were determined. The Mn2+ site with the larger D value was assigned to site I based on the 1H ENDOR spectra, which identified the relevant water ligands. This assignment is consistent with the seemingly larger deviation of site I from octahedral symmetry, compared to that of site II. The ENDOR results gave the coordinates of the protons of two water ligands, and adding them to the crystal structure revealed their involvement in a network of H bonds stabilizing the binding of the metal ions and PhAH. Although specific hyperfine interactions with the inhibitor were not determined, the spectroscopic properties of the Mn2+ in the two sites were consistent with the crystal structure. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations carried out on a cluster representing the catalytic site, with Mn2+ in site I and Zn2+ in site II, and vice versa, gave overestimated D values on the order of the experimental ones, although the larger D value was found for Mn2+ in site II rather than in site I. This discrepancy was attributed to the high sensitivity of the ZFS parameters to the Mn-O bond lengths and orientations, such that small, but significant, differences between the optimized and crystal structures alter the ZFS considerably, well above the difference between the two sites.

Single Crystal 55Mn ENDOR of Concanavalin A: Detection of Two Mn2+ Sites with Different 55Mn Quadrupole Tensors

Concanavalin A is a member of the plant hemeagglutinin (or plant lectin) family that contains two metal binding sites; one, called S1, is occupied by Mn2+ and the other, S2, by Ca2+. 55Mn electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) measurements were performed on a single crystal of concanavalin A at W-band (95 GHz, ~3.5 T) to determine the 55Mn nuclear quadrupole interaction in a protein binding site and its relation to structural parameters. Such measurements are easier at a high field because of the high sensitivity for size-limited samples and the reduction of second-order effects on the spectrum which simplifies spectral analysis. The analysis of the 55Mn ENDOR rotation patterns showed that two chemically inequivalent Mn2+ types are present at low temperatures, although the high-resolution X-ray structure reported only one site. Their quadrupole coupling constants, e2Qq/h, are significantly different; 10.7 +/- 0.6 MHz for Mand only -2.7 +/-0.6 MHz for M. The ENDOR data also refined the hyperfine coupling determined earlier by single-crystal EPR measurements, yielding a small but significant difference between the two: -262.5 MHz for M and -263.5 MHz for M. The principal z-axis for M is not aligned with any of the Mn-ligand directions, but is 25 off the Mn-asp10 direction, and its orientation is different than that of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) interaction. Because of the small quadrupole interaction of M the orientation dependence was very mild, leading to larger uncertainties in the asymmetry parameter. Nonetheless, there too z is not along the Mn-ligand bonds and is rotated 90 with respect to MnA. These results show, that similar to the ZFS, the quadrupolar interaction is highly sensitive to small differences in the coordination sphere of the Mn2+, and the resolution of the two types is in agreement with the earlier observation of a two-site conformational dynamic detected through the ZFS interaction, which is frozen out at low temperatures and averaged at room temperature. To account for the structural origin of the different e2Qq/h values, the electric field gradient tensor was calculated using the point-charge model. The calculations showed that a relatively small displacement of the oxygen ligand of asp10 can lead to differences on the order observed experimentally.

High field ENDOR as a characterization tool for functional sites in microporous materials

The determination of the details of the spatial and electronic structure of functional sites (centers) in any system, be it in materials chemistry or in biology, is the first step towards understanding their function. When such sites happen to be paramagnetic in any point of their activity cycle, the tool box offered by a variety of high resolution electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic techniques becomes very attractive for their characterization. This tool box has been considerably expanded by the developments in high field (HF) EPR in general, and HF electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), in particular. These have led to numerous new applications in the fields of biology, physics, chemistry and materials sciences. This overview focuses specifically on recent applications of pulsed HF ENDOR spectroscopy to microporous materials, such as zeotype materials, presenting the new opportunities it offers. First, a brief description of the theoretical basis required for the analysis of the HF ENDOR spectrum is given, followed by a description of the pulsed techniques used to record spectra and assign the signals, along with a brief presentation of the required instrumentation. Next, specific applications are given, including transition metal ions and complexes exchanged into zeolite cages, transition metal substitution into frameworks of zeolites, aluminophosphate molecular sieves, and silicious mesoporous materials, the interaction of NO with Lewis sites in zeolite cages and trapped S. We end with a discussion of the advantages and the shortcomings of the method and conclude with a future outlook.

Dynamics and structure in the Mn2+ site of concanavalin A as determined by high-field EPR and ENDOR spectroscopy

The properties of the Mn2+ site in the protein concanavalin A were investigated by single crystal W-band EPR/ENDOR (electron-nuclear double resonance) measurements. Initially, room temperature EPR measurements were carried out, one type of Mn2+ was identified and its zero-field splitting (ZFS) tensor was determined. In contrast, low temperature EPR measurements showed that two chemically inequivalent Mn2+ are present, Mn(A)2+ and Mn(B)2+, differing in their ZFS tensors. Variable temperature measurements revealed a two-site exchange between the two types. Although the dynamic process has been characterized by its rate and activation energy, just from the EPR measurements it was not possible to assign it to a specific residue. 1H ENDOR measurements of the water and imidazole protons, which are the main contributors to the ENDOR spectra, showed only one type of signals, namely, they were not sensitive to the differences between Mn(A)2+ and Mn(B)2+. 55Mn ENDOR spectra, which are dominated by the 55Mn isotropic hyperfine, a(iso), and the nuclear quadrupole interaction did sense the differences. Analysis of the spectra recorded with the magnetic field along the crystallographic axes showed that the two have the same a(iso) but different quadrupole tensors.

31P NMR as a Tool for Studying Incorporation of Ni, Co, Fe, and Mn into Aluminophosphate Zeotypes

The incorporation of moderate amounts of Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(II/III), and Mn(II/III) into aluminophosphate zeotype AlPO4-34 and Fe(II/III) into aluminophosphate zeotype AlPO4-36 was studied by broadline 31P NMR. The technique provided direct evidence on isomorphous substitution of framework aluminum by transition metals and allowed us to determine the extent of the substitution. 31P NMR proved to be complementary to other spectroscopic techniques such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), Mössbauer, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopies. The position of the NMR signal belonging to phosphorus in the P(OAl)3(OMe) environment depended mostly on the magnitude of the hyperfine interaction between a phosphorus nucleus and an unpaired electron, which was delocalized from the transition metal atom Me by covalent bonding. The width of the NMR signal was dominated by dipolar coupling among phosphorus nuclei and nearest paramagnetic centers. In addition, broadline NMR of ethylenediamine-templated manganese phosphate (C2H10N2)[Mn2(HPO4)3(H2O)], which was used as a model compound, showed that on the basis of line positions and line widths different 31P signals could easily be assigned to different phosphorus crystallographic sites. The technique could thus be applied to extract valuable structural information about metal phosphates as well.