Structure of an iron(II) dioxygen complex; a model for oxygen carrying hemeproteins

Heme-copper and Heme O2-derived synthetic (bioinorganic) chemistry toward an understanding of cytochrome c oxidase dioxygen chemistry

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), also widely known as mitochondrial electron-transport-chain complex IV, is a multi-subunit transmembrane protein responsible for catalyzing the last step of the electron transport chain, dioxygen reduction to water, which is essential to the establishment and maintenance of the membrane proton gradient that drives ATP synthesis. Although many intermediates in the CcO catalytic cycle have been spectroscopically and/or computationally authenticated, the specifics regarding the IP intermediate, hypothesized to be a heme-Cu (hydro)peroxo species whose O-O bond homolysis is supported by a hydrogen-bonding network of water molecules, are largely obscured by the fast kinetics of the A (FeIII-O2•-/CuI/Tyr) → PM (FeIV=O/CuII-OH/Tyr•) step. In this review, we have focused on the recent advancements in the design, development, and characterization of synthetic heme-peroxo‑copper model complexes, which can circumvent the abovementioned limitation, for the investigation of the formation of IP and its O-O cleavage chemistry. Novel findings regarding (a) proton and electron transfer (PT/ET) processes, together with their contributions to exogenous phenol induced O-O cleavage, (b) the stereo-electronic tunability of the secondary coordination sphere (especially hydrogen-bonding) on the geometric and spin state alteration of the heme-peroxo‑copper unit, and (c) a plausible mechanism for the Tyr-His cofactor biogenesis, are discussed in great detail. Additionally, since the ferric-superoxide and the ferryl-oxo (Compound II) species are critically involved in the CcO catalytic cycle, this review also highlights a few fundamental aspects of these heme-only (i.e., without copper) species, including the structural and reactivity influences of electron-donating trans-axial ligands and Lewis acid-promoted H-bonding.

Cleavable collagenase-assistant nanosonosensitizer for tumor penetration and sonodynamic therapy

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), a combination of low-intensity ultrasound with a sonosensitizer, has been explored as a promising alternative for cancer therapy. However, condensed extracellular matrix (ECM) resulting in poor perfusion and extreme hypoxia in solid tumor potentially compromises effective SDT. Herein, we develop a novel cleavable collagenase-assistant and O₂-supplied nanosonosensitizer (FePO₂@HC), which is embedded through fusing collagenase (CLG) and human serum albumin (HSA), followed by encapsulating Ferric protoporphyrin (FeP) and dioxygen. As a smart carrier, HSA is stimuli-responsive and collapsed by reduced glutathione (GSH) overexpressed in tumor, resulting to the release of the components in FePO₂@HC. The released CLG acting as an artificial scissor, degrades the collagen fibers in tumor, thus, breaking tumor tissue and enhancing FePO₂ accumulation in tumor inner with higher than that without CLG. Simultaneously, oxygen molecules are released from FePO₂ in hypoxic environment and alleviate the tumor hypoxia. As a sonosensitizer, FeP is subsequently irradiated by ultrosound wave (US) and activates surrounding dioxygen to generate amount of singlet oxygen (¹O₂). Contributed from the ECM-degradation, such SDT-based nanosystem with increased sonosensitizer permeability and oxygen content highly improved the tumor inhibition efficacy without toxic effects. This study presents a new paradigm for ECM depletion-based strategy of deep-seated penetration, and will expand the nanomedicine application of metalloporphyrin sonosensitizers in SDT.

Identification of the Catalytically Dominant Iron Environment in Iron- and Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

For large-scale utilization of fuel cells in a future hydrogen-based energy economy, affordable and environmentally benign catalysts are needed. Pyrolytically obtained metal- and nitrogen-doped carbon (MNC) catalysts are key contenders for this task. Their systematic improvement requires detailed knowledge of the active site composition and degradation mechanisms. In FeNC catalysts, the active site is an iron ion coordinated by nitrogen atoms embedded in an extended graphene sheet. Herein, we build an active site model from in situ and operando ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and quantum chemistry. A Mössbauer signal newly emerging under operando conditions, D4, is correlated with the loss of other Mössbauer signatures (D2, D3a, D3b), implying a direct structural correspondence. Pyrrolic N-coordination, i.e., FeN₄C₁₂, is found as a spectroscopically and thermodynamically consistent model for the entire catalytic cycle, in contrast to pyridinic nitrogen coordination. These findings thus overcome the previously conflicting structural assignments for the active site and, moreover, identify and structurally assign a previously unknown intermediate in the oxygen reduction reaction at FeNC catalysts.

Isolating Fe-O2 Intermediates in Dioxygen Activation by Iron Porphyrin Complexes

Dioxygen (O₂) is an environmentally benign and abundant oxidant whose utilization is of great interest in the design of bioinspired synthetic catalytic oxidation systems to reduce energy consumption. However, it is unfortunate that utilization of O₂ is a significant challenge because of the thermodynamic stability of O₂ in its triplet ground state. Nevertheless, nature is able to overcome the spin state barrier using enzymes, which contain transition metals with unpaired d-electrons facilitating the activation of O₂ by metal coordination. This inspires bioinorganic chemists to synthesize biomimetic small-molecule iron porphyrin complexes to carry out the O₂ activation, wherein Fe-O₂ species have been implicated as the key reactive intermediates. In recent years, a number of Fe-O₂ intermediates have been synthesized by activating O₂ at iron centers supported on porphyrin ligands. In this review, we focus on a few examples of these advances with emphasis in each case on the particular design of iron porphyrin complexes and particular reaction environments to stabilize and isolate metal-O₂ intermediates in dioxygen activation, which will provide clues to elucidate structures of reactive intermediates and mechanistic insights in biological processes.

π-π Stacking Interaction of Metal Phenoxyl Radical Complexes

π-π stacking interaction is well-known to be one of the weak interactions. Its importance in the stabilization of protein structures and functionalization has been reported for various systems. We have focused on a single copper oxidase, galactose oxidase, which has the π-π stacking interaction of the alkylthio-substituted phenoxyl radical with the indole ring of the proximal tryptophan residue and catalyzes primary alcohol oxidation to give the corresponding aldehyde. This stacking interaction has been considered to stabilize the alkylthio-phenoxyl radical, but further details of the interaction are still unclear. In this review, we discuss the effect of the π-π stacking interaction of the alkylthio-substituted phenoxyl radical with an indole ring.

Ferric Heme Superoxide Reductive Transformations to Ferric Heme (Hydro)Peroxide Species: Spectroscopic Characterization and Thermodynamic Implications for H-Atom Transfer (HAT)

A new end-on low-spin ferric heme peroxide, [(PIm )FeIII -(O22- )]- (PIm -P), and subsequently formed hydroperoxide species, [(PIm )FeIII -(OOH)] (PIm -HP) are generated utilizing the iron-porphyrinate PIm with its tethered axial base imidazolyl group. Measured thermodynamic parameters, the ferric heme superoxide [(PIm )FeIII -(O2⋅- )] (PIm -S) reduction potential (E°') and the PIm -HP pKa value, lead to the finding of the OO-H bond-dissociation free energy (BDFE) of PIm -HP as 69.5 kcal mol-1 using a thermodynamic square scheme and Bordwell relationship. The results are validated by the observed oxidizing ability of PIm -S via hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) compared to that of the F8 superoxide complex, [(F8 )FeIII -(O2.- )] (S) (F8 =tetrakis(2,6-difluorophenyl)porphyrinate, without an internally appended axial base imidazolyl), as determined from reactivity comparison of superoxide complexes PIm -S and S with the hydroxylamine (O-H) substrates TEMPO-H and ABNO-H.

Synthetic heme protein models that function in aqueous solution

Supramolecular porphyrin–cyclodextrin complexes act as biomimetic heme protein models in aqueous solution.

Heme-FeIII Superoxide, Peroxide and Hydroperoxide Thermodynamic Relationships: FeIII-O2•- Complex H-Atom Abstraction Reactivity

Establishing redox and thermodynamic relationships between metal-ion-bound O₂ and its reduced (and protonated) derivatives is critically important for a full understanding of (bio)chemical processes involving dioxygen processing. Here, a ferric heme peroxide complex, [(F₈)Fe^III-(O₂^2-)]^- (P) (F₈ = tetrakis(2,6-difluorophenyl)porphyrinate), and a superoxide complex, [(F₈)Fe^III-(O₂^•-)] (S), are shown to be redox interconvertible. Using Cr(η-C₆H₆)₂, an equilibrium state where S and P are present is established in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at -80 °C, allowing determination of the reduction potential of S as -1.17 V vs Fc^+/0. P could be protonated with 2,6-lutidinium triflate, yielding the low-spin ferric hydroperoxide species, [(F₈)Fe^III-(OOH)] (HP). Partial conversion of HP back to P using a derivatized phosphazene base gave a P/HP equilibrium mixture, leading to the determination of pK_a = 28.8 for HP (THF, -80 °C). With the measured reduction potential and pK_a, the O-H bond dissociation free energy (BDFE) of hydroperoxide species HP was calculated to be 73.5 kcal/mol, employing the thermodynamic square scheme and Bordwell relationship. This calculated O-H BDFE of HP, in fact, lines up with an experimental demonstration of the oxidizing ability of S via hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from TEMPO-H (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperdine-N-hydroxide, BDFE = 66.5 kcal/mol in THF), forming the hydroperoxide species HP and TEMPO radical. Kinetic studies carried out with TEMPO-H(D) reveal second-order behavior, k_H = 0.5, k_D = 0.08 M^-1 s^-1 (THF, -80 °C); thus, the hydrogen/deuterium kinetic isotope effect (KIE) = 6, consistent with H-atom abstraction by S being the rate-determining step. This appears to be the first case where experimentally derived thermodynamics lead to a ferric heme hydroperoxide OO-H BDFE determination, that Fe^III-OOH species being formed via HAT reactivity of the partner ferric heme superoxide complex.

Resonance Raman Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Calculations on Ferrous Porphyrin Dioxygen Adducts with Different Axial Ligands: Correlation of Ground State Wave Function and Geometric Parameters with Experimental Vibrational Frequencies

A dioxygen adduct of ferrous porphyrin is an important chemical species in nature as it is a common intermediate in all oxygen transfer, storage, reducing, and activating heme enzymes. The ground state (GS) wave function of this complex has been investigated using several techniques like resonance Raman (rR), Mossbauer, and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. The Fe-O and O-O vibrations of these six-coordinated diamagnetic species show a positive correlation with each other in contrast to analogous ferrous carbonyl complexes where the Fe-CO vibration correlates negatively with the C-O vibration due to a synergistic effect. In this Article, three Fe-porphyrins with different axial ligands (imidazole, phenolate, and thiolate) are investigated using rR spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The GS wave functions of these species are analyzed, and the contribution of the three primary bonding interactions in the Fe-O₂ unit (a σ interaction from the in-plane π* of the superoxide to the vacant d_z² of Fe, a π donation from the out of plane (oop) π* to the d_π orbital of Fe, and a π back bonding interaction from the d_π orbital of Fe to the oop π* of the superoxide) to the calculated Fe-O and O-O vibrations and bond lengths are deconvoluted using a MO theory framework. The GS wave function provides a basis for the correlations observed between different vibrational and geometric parameters of these dioxygen adducts. Furthermore, the correlations obtained allows estimation of the GS wave function and geometry of these species (both natural and artificial) using their experimentally observed Fe-O/O-O vibrations. The wave functions thus extracted from the experimental vibrational data reported offer insight into the role of the axial ligand and hydrogen bonding on the geometric and electronic structures of these crucial chemical species in different protein active sites.

Structure and reactivity of the first-row d-block metal-superoxo complexes

This review discusses the structure and reactivity of metal-superoxo complexes covering all ten first-row d-block metals from Sc to Zn.

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.

Stabilization of synthetic heme-superoxo complexes by hydrogen bonding: a still on-going quest

The design of various types of synthetic heme models has allowed the fine tuning of the location of hydrogen bond donors around the ferrous coordination site. Through the years, it has migrated from a lateral to a quasi-apical position. Still, the unambiguous existence of an actual H-bond with the dioxygen adduct remains to be established.

Polymorphism and metal-induced structural transformation in 5,5′-bis(4-pyridyl)(2,2′-bispyrimidine) adlayers on Au(111)

Addition of iron to a self-assembled molecular network can lift polymorphism and leads to the expression of one single metal–organic structure on a surface.

Structure and function of haemoglobins

Haemoglobin (Hb) is widely known as the iron-containing protein in blood that is essential for O₂ transport in mammals. Less widely recognised is that erythrocyte Hb belongs to a large family of Hb proteins with members distributed across all three domains of life-bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. This review, aimed chiefly at researchers new to the field, attempts a broad overview of the diversity, and common features, in Hb structure and function. Topics include structural and functional classification of Hbs; principles of O₂ binding affinity and selectivity between O₂/NO/CO and other small ligands; hexacoordinate (containing bis-imidazole coordinated haem) Hbs; bacterial truncated Hbs; flavohaemoglobins; enzymatic reactions of Hbs with bioactive gases, particularly NO, and protection from nitrosative stress; and, sensor Hbs. A final section sketches the evolution of work on the structural basis for allosteric O₂ binding by mammalian RBC Hb, including the development of newer kinetic models. Where possible, reference to historical works is included, in order to provide context for current advances in Hb research.

What Can Be Learned from Nuclear Resonance Vibrational Spectroscopy: Vibrational Dynamics and Hemes

Nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS; also known as nuclear inelastic scattering, NIS) is a synchrotron-based method that reveals the full spectrum of vibrational dynamics for Mössbauer nuclei. Another major advantage, in addition to its completeness (no arbitrary optical selection rules), is the unique selectivity of NRVS. The basics of this recently developed technique are first introduced with descriptions of the experimental requirements and data analysis including the details of mode assignments. We discuss the use of NRVS to probe ⁵⁷Fe at the center of heme and heme protein derivatives yielding the vibrational density of states for the iron. The application to derivatives with diatomic ligands (O₂, NO, CO, CN^–) shows the strong capabilities of identifying mode character. The availability of the complete vibrational spectrum of iron allows the identification of modes not available by other techniques. This permits the correlation of frequency with other physical properties. A significant example is the correlation we find between the Fe–Im stretch in six-coordinate Fe(XO) hemes and the trans Fe–N(Im) bond distance, not possible previously. NRVS also provides uniquely quantitative insight into the dynamics of the iron. For example, it provides a model-independent means of characterizing the strength of iron coordination. Prediction of the temperature-dependent mean-squared displacement from NRVS measurements yields a vibrational “baseline” for Fe dynamics that can be compared with results from techniques that probe longer time scales to yield quantitative insights into additional dynamical processes.

New Insights of the Fenton Reaction Using Glycerol as the Experimental Model. Effect of O2, Inhibition by Mg(2+), and Oxidation State of Fe

The use of iron ions as catalyst of oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, known as the Fenton reaction, is important for industry and biological systems. It has been widely studied since its discovery in the 19th century, but important aspects of the reaction as which is the oxidant, the role of oxygen, and the oxidation state of Fe still remain unclear. In this work new mechanistic insights of the oxidation of carbohydrates by the Fenton reaction using glycerol as experimental model are described. The reaction was studied by means of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) measures. The stoichiometry was measured, showing the important role of oxygen for lowering H2O2 consumption under aerobic conditions. Evidence is provided to demonstrate that in this system Fe(2+) generates a catalyst by reacting with a substrate to produce a complex, which gives rise to singlet oxygen after reacting with H2O2. This is the first time that the inhibitor effect of Mg(2+) is reported in this reaction, and its participation in the mechanism is described. A rational mechanism for the oxidation of glycerol using the Fenton reaction under these specific conditions is proposed. The role of oxygen, the participation of Fe(2+), and the inhibition by Mg(2+) are fully demonstrated experimentally.

A High-Valent Iron(IV) Peroxo Core Derived from O2

Dioxygen-tolerant [NiFe] hydrogenases catalyze not only the conversion of H2 into 2 H(+) and 2 e(-) but also the reduction of O2 to H2O. Chemists have sought to mimic such bifunctional catalysts with structurally simpler compounds to facilitate analysis and improvement. Herein, we report a new [NiFe]-based catalyst for O2 reduction via an O2 adduct. Structural investigations reveal the first example of a side-on iron(IV) peroxo complex.

Synthesis and characterization of a modified "picket fence" porphyrin complex - stronger π bonding interactions between Fe(ii) and axial ligands

A new, modified "picket fence" porphyrin is synthesized and its bis(imidazole)-ligated iron(ii) derivative [Fe(MbenTpivPP)(1-MeIm)(2)] is investigated. X-ray structure determinations demonstrate that [Fe(MbenTpivPP)(1-MeIm)(2)] has structural features of a near planar porphyrin plane, a relative perpendicular ligand orientation, and one unusually large absolute ligand orientation (φ). The combination of these features leads to a new type of species that is different from previously reported analogues. Further structural examination reveals a strong correlation between the mutual ligand orientations (θ) and the axial Fe-N(Im) bond distances, which is detailed for the first time. Mössbauer spectroscopic characterization shows that the low spin derivative has a quadrupole splitting of 0.99 mm s(-1) at 100 K.

Synthetic mononuclear nonheme iron-oxygen intermediates

Mononuclear nonheme iron-oxygen species, such as iron-superoxo, -peroxo, -hydroperoxo, and -oxo, are key intermediates involved in dioxygen activation and oxidation reactions catalyzed by nonheme iron enzymes. Because these iron-oxygen intermediates are short-lived due to their thermal instability and high reactivity, it is challenging to investigate their structural and spectroscopic properties and reactivity in the catalytic cycles of the enzymatic reactions themselves. One way to approach such problems is to synthesize biomimetic iron-oxygen complexes and to tune their geometric and electronic structures for structural characterization and reactivity studies. Indeed, a number of biologically important iron-oxygen species, such as mononuclear nonheme iron(III)-superoxo, iron(III)-peroxo, iron(III)-hydroperoxo, iron(IV)-oxo, and iron(V)-oxo complexes, were synthesized recently, and the first X-ray crystal structures of iron(III)-superoxo, iron(III)-peroxo, and iron(IV)-oxo complexes in nonheme iron models were successfully obtained. Thus, our understanding of iron-oxygen intermediates in biological reactions has been aided greatly from the studies of the structural and spectroscopic properties and the reactivities of the synthetic biomimetic analogues. In this Account, we describe our recent results on the synthesis and characterization of mononuclear nonheme iron-oxygen complexes bearing simple macrocyclic ligands, such as N-tetramethylated cyclam ligand (TMC) and tetraamido macrocyclic ligand (TAML). In the case of iron-superoxo complexes, an iron(III)-superoxo complex, [(TAML)Fe(III)(O2)](2-), is described, including its crystal structure and reactivities in electrophilic and nucleophilic oxidative reactions, and its properties are compared with those of a chromium(III)-superoxo complex, [(TMC)Cr(III)(O2)(Cl)](+), with respect to its reactivities in hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reactions. In the case of iron-peroxo intermediates, an X-ray crystal structure of an iron(III)-peroxo complex binding the peroxo ligand in a side-on (η(2)) fashion, [(TMC)Fe(III)(O2)](+), is described. In addition, iron(III)-peroxo complexes binding redox-inactive metal ions are described and discussed in light of the role of redox-inactive metal ions in O-O bond activation in cytochrome c oxidase and O2-evolution in photosystem II. In the case of iron-hydroperoxo intermediates, mononuclear nonheme iron(III)-hydroperoxo complexes can be generated upon protonation of iron(III)-peroxo complexes or by hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) of hydrocarbon C-H bonds by iron(III)-superoxo complexes. Reactivities of the iron(III)-hydroperoxo complexes in both electrophilic and nucleophilic oxidative reactions are described along with a discussion of O-O bond cleavage mechanisms. In the last section of this Account, a brief summary is presented of developments in mononuclear nonheme iron(IV)-oxo complexes since the first structurally characterized iron(IV)-oxo complex, [(TMC)Fe(IV)(O)](2+), was reported. Although the field of nonheme iron-oxygen intermediates (e.g., Fe-O2, Fe-O2H, and Fe-O) has been developed greatly through intense synthetic, structural, spectroscopic, reactivity, and theoretical studies in the communities of bioinorganic and biomimetic chemistry over the past 10 years, there is still much to be explored in trapping, characterizing, and understanding the chemical properties of the key iron-oxygen intermediates involved in dioxygen activation and oxidation reactions by nonheme iron enzymes and their biomimetic compounds.

Electrochemical study of a nonheme Fe(ii) complex in the presence of dioxygen. Insights into the reductive activation of O2 at Fe(ii) centers

Recent efforts to model the reactivity of iron oxygenases have led to the generation of nonheme FeIII(OOH) and FeIV(O) intermediates from FeII complexes and O2 but using different cofactors. This diversity emphasizes the rich chemistry of nonheme Fe(ii) complexes with dioxygen. We report an original mechanistic study of the reaction of [(TPEN)FeII]2+ with O2 carried out by cyclic voltammetry. From this FeII precursor, reaction intermediates such as [(TPEN)FeIV(O)]2+, [(TPEN)FeIII(OOH)]2+ and [(TPEN)FeIII(OO)]+ have been chemically generated in high yield, and characterized electrochemically. These electrochemical data have been used to analyse and perform simulation of the cyclic voltammograms of [(TPEN)FeII]2+ in the presence of O2. Thus, several important mechanistic informations on this reaction have been obtained. An unfavourable chemical equilibrium between O2 and the FeII complex occurs that leads to the FeIII-peroxo complex upon reduction, similarly to heme enzymes such as P450. However, unlike in heme systems, further reduction of this latter intermediate does not result in O-O bond cleavage.

Crystallographic and spectroscopic characterization and reactivities of a mononuclear non-haem iron(III)-superoxo complex

Mononuclear non-haem iron(III)-superoxo species (Fe(III)-O2(-·)) have been implicated as key intermediates in the catalytic cycles of dioxygen activation by non-haem iron enzymes. Although non-haem iron(III)-superoxo species have been trapped and characterized spectroscopically in enzymatic and biomimetic reactions, no structural information has yet been obtained. Here we report the isolation, spectroscopic characterization and crystal structure of a mononuclear side-on (η(2)) iron(III)-superoxo complex with a tetraamido macrocyclic ligand. The non-haem iron(III)-superoxo species undergoes both electrophilic and nucleophilic oxidation reactions, as well as O2-transfer between metal complexes. In the O2-transfer reaction, the iron(III)-superoxo complex transfers the bound O2 unit to a manganese(III) analogue, resulting in the formation of a manganese(IV)-peroxo complex, which is characterized structurally and spectroscopically as a mononuclear side-on (η(2)) manganese(IV)-peroxo complex. The difference in the redox distribution between the metal ions and O2 in iron(III)-superoxo and manganese(IV)-peroxo complexes is rationalized using density functional theory calculations.

Biomimic O2 activation hydroxylates a meso-carbon of the porphyrin ring regioselectively under mild conditions

The reaction site of the Co(II) porphyrin created by an amide group and coordinating 1,2-dimethylimidazole at the fifth site activated an O2 molecule, and then hydroxylated the meso-carbon of the ligand. The biomimic O2 activation under mild conditions is described.

Correlated ligand dynamics in oxyiron picket fence porphyrins: structural and Mössbauer investigations

Disorder in the position of the dioxygen ligand is a well-known problem in dioxygen complexes and, in particular, those of picket fence porphyrin species. The dynamics of Fe-O2 rotation and tert-butyl motion in three different picket fence porphyrin derivatives has been studied by a combination of multitemperature X-ray structural studies and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Structural studies show that the motions of the dioxygen ligand also require motions of the protecting pickets of the ligand binding pocket. The two motions appear to be correlated, and the temperature-dependent change in the O2 occupancies cannot be governed by a simple Boltzmann distribution. The three [Fe(TpivPP)(RIm)(O2)] derivatives studied have RIm = 1-methyl-, 1-ethyl-, or 2-methylimidazole. In all three species there is a preferred orientation of the Fe-O2 moiety with respect to the trans imidazole ligand and the population of this orientation increases with decreasing temperature. In the 1-MeIm and 1-EtIm species the Fe-O2 unit is approximately perpendicular to the imidazole plane, whereas in the 2-MeHIm species the Fe-O2 unit is approximately parallel. This reflects the low energy required for rotation of the Fe-O2 unit and the small energy differences in populating the possible pocket quadrants. All dioxygen complexes have a crystallographically required 2-fold axis of symmetry that limits the accuracy of the determined Fe-O2 geometry. However, the 80 K structure of the 2-MeHIm derivative allowed for resolution of the two bonded oxygen atom positions and provided the best geometric description for the Fe-O2 unit. The values determined are Fe-O = 1.811(5) Å, Fe-O-O = 118.2(9)°, O-O = 1.281(12) Å, and an off-axis tilt of 6.2°. Demonstration of the off-axis tilt is a first. We present detailed temperature-dependent simulations of the Mössbauer spectra that model the changing value of the quadrupole splitting and line widths. Residuals to fits are poorer at higher temperature. We believe that this is consistent with the idea that population of the two conformers is related to the concomitant motions of both Fe-O2 rotations and motions of the protecting tert-butyl pickets.

X-ray absorption spectroscopic investigation of the electronic structure differences in solution and crystalline oxyhemoglobin

Hemoglobin (Hb) is the heme-containing O2 transport protein essential for life in all vertebrates. The resting high-spin (S = 2) ferrous form, deoxy-Hb, combines with triplet O2, forming diamagnetic (S = 0) oxy-Hb. Understanding this electronic structure is the key first step in understanding transition metal-O2 interaction. However, despite intense spectroscopic and theoretical studies, the electronic structure description of oxy-Hb remains elusive, with at least three different descriptions proposed by Pauling, Weiss, and McClure-Goddard, based on theory, spectroscopy, and crystallography. Here, a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, supported by density functional theory calculations, help resolve this debate. X-ray absorption spectroscopy data on solution and crystalline oxy-Hb indicate both geometric and electronic structure differences suggesting that two of the previous descriptions are correct for the Fe-O2 center in oxy-Hb. These results support the multiconfigurational nature of the ground state developed by theoretical results. Additionally, it is shown here that small differences in hydrogen bonding and solvation effects can tune the ground state, tipping it into one of the two probable configurations. These data underscore the importance of solution spectroscopy and show that the electronic structure in the crystalline form may not always reflect the true ground-state description in solution.

Iron L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy of oxy-picket fence porphyrin: experimental insight into Fe-O2 bonding

The electronic structure of the Fe-O(2) center in oxy-hemoglobin and oxy-myoglobin is a long-standing issue in the field of bioinorganic chemistry. Spectroscopic studies have been complicated by the highly delocalized nature of the porphyrin, and calculations require interpretation of multideterminant wave functions for a highly covalent metal site. Here, iron L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, interpreted using a valence bond configuration interaction multiplet model, is applied to directly probe the electronic structure of the iron in the biomimetic Fe-O(2) heme complex [Fe(pfp)(1-MeIm)O(2)] (pfp ("picket fence porphyrin") = meso-tetra(α,α,α,α-o-pivalamidophenyl)porphyrin or TpivPP). This method allows separate estimates of σ-donor, π-donor, and π-acceptor interactions through ligand-to-metal charge transfer and metal-to-ligand charge transfer mixing pathways. The L-edge spectrum of [Fe(pfp)(1-MeIm)O(2)] is further compared to those of [Fe(II)(pfp)(1-MeIm)(2)], [Fe(II)(pfp)], and [Fe(III)(tpp)(ImH)(2)]Cl (tpp = meso-tetraphenylporphyrin) which have Fe(II)S = 0, Fe(II)S = 1, and Fe(III)S = 1/2 ground states, respectively. These serve as references for the three possible contributions to the ground state of oxy-pfp. The Fe-O(2) pfp site is experimentally determined to have both significant σ-donation and a strong π-interaction of the O(2) with the iron, with the latter having implications with respect to the spin polarization of the ground state.

Partially oxidized porphyrazines

Magnesium porphyrazinate substituted with eight (1-naphthyl) groups on the peripheral positions has been synthesized by cyclotetramerization of 3,4-(1-naphthyl)pyrroline-2,5-diimine, 4-(1-naphthyl)pyrroline-2,5-diimine in the presence of magnesium butanolate. Its demetalation by treatment with trifluoroacetic acid, resulted in a partially oxidized product, namely, octakis(1-naphthyl)-2-seco-porphyrazine-2,3-dione. Further reaction of this product with copper(II) acetate, zinc(II) acetate and cobalt(II) acetate led to the metallo derivatives, [octakis(1-naphthyl)-2-seco-2,3-dioxoporphyrazinato]M(II) ( M = Cu , Zn or Co ). These new compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, together with FT-IR, 1 H NMR, UV-vis and mass spectral data.

NMR, IR, Mössbauer and quantum chemical investigations of metalloporphyrins and metalloproteins

We review contributions made towards the elucidation of CO and O2binding geometries in respiratory proteins. Nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and quantum chemistry have all been used to investigate the Fe –ligand interactions. Early experimental results showed linear correlations between17O chemical shifts and the infrared stretching frequency (νCO) of the CO ligand in carbonmonoxyheme proteins and between the17O chemical shift and the13CO shift. These correlations led to early theoretical investigations of the vibrational frequency of carbon monoxide and of the13C and17O NMR chemical shifts in the presence of uniform and non-uniform electric fields. Early success in modeling these spectroscopic observables then led to the use of computational methods, in conjunction with experiment, to evaluate ligand-binding geometries in heme proteins. Density functional theory results are described which predict57Fe chemical shifts and Mössbauer electric field gradient tensors,17O NMR isotropic chemical shifts, chemical shift tensors and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (e2qQ/h) as well as13C isotropic chemical shifts and chemical shift tensors in organometallic clusters, heme model metalloporphyrins and in metalloproteins. A principal result is that CO in most heme proteins has an essentially linear and untilted geometry (τ = 4 °, β = 7 °) which is in extremely good agreement with a recently published X-ray synchrotron structure. CO / O2discrimination is thus attributable to polar interactions with the distal histidine residue, rather than major Fe–C–O geometric distortions.

Proximal ligand effects on electronic structure and spectra of compound I of peroxidases

Computational studies exploring the extent to which differences in proximal axial ligands modulate structure, spectra, and function of peroxidases have been performed. To this end, three heme models of compound I were characterized differing only in the axial ligand. The axial ligands considered were L = ImH , Im-, that are alternative protonation models for a typical peroxidase with an imidazole ligand such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP-I), and L = SCH - that is a model for an unsual peroxidase, chloroperoxidase (CPO-I). Density functional calculations (DFTs) were performed to determine the optimized geometries and electronic structure of each of these three species. Their electronic spectra were also calculated at the DFT optimized geometries, using the INDO/S/CI method. The results of these studies led to the following conclusions: (1) the presence of the nearby Asp in a typical peroxidase does indeed decrease the energy required to deprotonate the imidazole making the two forms essentially degenerate, (2) neither the state of protonation of the imidazole ligand nor the change in axial ligand from an imidazole in typical peroxidases such as HRP to a mercaptide in CPO significantly alters the characteristics of the lowest energy spin state or the electronic structure of compound I in a way that can obviously affect function, (3) both the Im-and ImH forms of the peroxidase compound I (HRP-I) lead to the same dramatic reduction in intensity relative to the ferric resting form observed experimentally. However, only in the ImH form of HRP-I does the calculated relative shift of one component of the Soret bands relative to CPO-I agree with that observed in the transient spectra of HRP-I compared to CPO-I. These results taken together strongly indicate that factors other than the nature of the proximal axial ligand are the main determinants of function.

New perspectives on iron-ligand vibrations of oxyheme complexes

We report our studies of the vibrational dynamics of iron for three imidazole-ligated oxyheme derivatives that mimic the active sites of histidine-ligated heme proteins complexed with dioxygen. The experimental vibrational data are obtained from nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) measurements conducted on both powder samples and oriented single crystals, and which includes several in-plane (ip) and out-of-plane (oop) measurements. Vibrational spectral assignments have been made through a combination of the oriented sample spectra and predictions based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The two Fe-O(2) modes that have been previously observed by resonance Raman spectroscopy in heme proteins are clearly shown to be very strongly mixed and are not simply either a bending or stretching mode. In addition, a third Fe-O(2) mode, not previously reported, has been identified. The long-sought Fe-Im stretch, not observed in resonance Raman spectra, has been identified and compared with the frequencies observed for the analogous CO and NO species. The studies also suggest that the in-plane iron motion is anisotropic and is controlled by the orientation of the Fe-O(2) group and not sensitive to the in-plane Fe-N(p) bonds and/or imidazole orientations.

"Naked" gold nanoparticles supported on HOPG: melanin functionalization and catalytic activity

Reductive electrodesorption has been used to produce "naked" gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) 3 nm in size on HOPG from different thiolate-capped AuNPs. The clean AuNPs transform the electrocatalytic inert HOPG into an active surface for hydrogen peroxide electroreduction, causing a lowering of the cathodic overpotential of 0.25 V with respect to the Au(111) surface. Compared to the plain gold substrates, the nanostructures promote only a slight increase in the hydrogen evolution reaction. In a second modification step a ∼1 nm thick melanin-iron coating is electrochemically formed around the AuNPs. This ultrathin melanin-iron coating largely improves the catalytic activity of the bare AuNPs for both hydrogen peroxide electroreduction and hydrogen evolution reaction. This strategy, which integrates electrochemistry and nanotechnology, can be applied to the preparation of efficient "naked" AuNPs and organic-iron capped AuNPs catalysts.