Synthesis, Structure and Reactivity of a Mononuclear N,N,O-Bound Fe(II) α-Keto-Acid Complex.

A bulky, tridentate phenolate ligand (ImPh2 NNOtBu ) was used to synthesise the first example of a mononuclear, facial, N,N,O-bound iron(II) benzoylformate complex, [Fe(ImPh2 NNOtBu )(BF)] (2). The X-ray crystal structure of 2 reveals that the iron centre is pentacoordinate (τ=0.5), with a vacant site located cis to the bidentate BF ligand. The Mössbauer parameters of 2 are consistent with high-spin iron(II), and are very close to those reported for α-ketoglutarate-bound non-heme iron enzyme active sites. According to NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies, the structural integrity of 2 is retained in both coordinating and non-coordinating solvents. Cyclic voltammetry studies show that the iron centre has a very low oxidation potential and is more prone to electrochemical oxidation than the redox-active phenolate ligand. Complex 2 reacts with NO to form a S=3 /2 {FeNO}7 adduct in which NO binds directly to the iron centre, according to EPR, UV-vis, IR spectroscopies and DFT analysis. Upon O2 exposure, 2 undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to form a diiron(III) benzoate complex, [Fe2 (ImPh2 NNOtBu )2 (µ2 -OBz)(µ2 -OH)2 ]+ (3). A small amount of hydroxylated ligand was also observed by ESI-MS, hinting at the formation of a high-valent iron(IV)-oxo intermediate. Initial reactivity studies show that 2 is capable of oxygen atom transfer reactivity with O2 , converting methyl(p-tolyl)sulfide to sulfoxide.

Mechanistic Investigations into the Selective Reduction of Oxygen by a Multicopper Oxidase T3 Site-Inspired Dicopper Complex.

Understanding how multicopper oxidases (MCOs) reduce oxygen in the trinuclear copper cluster (TNC) is of great importance for development of catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we report a mechanistic investigation into the ORR activity of the dinuclear copper complex [Cu2L(µ-OH)]3+ (L = 2,7-bis[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl]-1,8-naphthyridine). This complex is inspired by the dinuclear T3 site found in the MCO active site and confines the Cu centers in a rigid scaffold. We show that the electrochemical reduction of [Cu2L(µ-OH)]3+ follows a proton-coupled electron transfer pathway and requires a larger overpotential due to the presence of the Cu-OH-Cu motif. In addition, we provide evidence that metal-metal cooperativity takes place during catalysis that is facilitated by the constraints of the rigid ligand framework, by identification of key intermediates along the catalytic cycle of [Cu2L(µ-OH)]3+ . Electrochemical studies show that the mechanisms of the ORR and hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction found for [Cu2L(µ-OH)]3+ differ from the ones found for analogous mononuclear copper catalysts. In addition, the metal-metal cooperativity results in an improved selectivity for the four-electron ORR of more than 70% because reaction intermediates can be stabilized better between both copper centers. Overall, the mechanism of the [Cu2L(µ-OH)]3+ -catalyzed ORR in this work contributes to the understanding of how the cooperative function of multiple metals in close proximity can affect ORR activity and selectivity.

Structurally Modelling the 2-His-1-Carboxylate Facial Triad with a Bulky N,N,O Phenolate Ligand.

We present the synthesis and coordination chemistry of a bulky, tripodal N,N,O ligand, ImPh2 NNOtBu (L), designed to model the 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad (2H1C) by means of two imidazole groups and an anionic 2,4-di-tert-butyl-subtituted phenolate. Reacting K-L with MCl2 (M = Fe, Zn) affords the isostructural, tetrahedral non-heme complexes [Fe(L)(Cl)] (1) and [Zn(L)(Cl)] (2) in high yield. The tridentate N,N,O ligand coordination observed in their X-ray crystal structures remains intact and well-defined in MeCN and CH2 Cl2 solution. Reacting 2 with NaSPh affords a tetrahedral zinc thiolate complex, [Zn(L)(SPh)] (4), that is relevant to isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) biomimicry. Cyclic voltammetry studies demonstrate the ligand's redox non-innocence, where phenolate oxidation is the first electrochemical response observed in K-L, 2 and 4. However, the first electrochemical oxidation in 1 is iron-centred, the assignment of which is supported by DFT calculations. Overall, ImPh2 NNOtBu provides access to well-defined mononuclear, monoligated, N,N,O-bound metal complexes, enabling more accurate structural modelling of the 2H1C to be achieved.

Bioinspired Non-Heme Iron Complexes: The Evolution of Facial N, N, O Ligand Design.

Iron-containing metalloenzymes that contain the 2-His-1-Carboxylate facial triad at their active site are well known for their ability to activate molecular oxygen and catalyse a broad range of oxidative transformations. Many of these reactions are synthetically challenging, and developing small molecular iron-based catalysts that can achieve similar reactivity and selectivity remains a long-standing goal in homogeneous catalysis. This review focuses on the development of bioinspired facial N,N,O ligands that model the 2-His-1-Carboxylate facial triad to a greater degree of structural accuracy than many of the polydentate N-donor ligands commonly used in this field. By developing robust, well-defined N,N,O facial ligands, an increased understanding could be gained of the factors governing enzymatic reactivity and selectivity.

Crystal structure of tetra-kis-(tetra-hydro-furan-κO)bis-(tri-fluoro-methane-sulfonato-κO)iron(II).

The title compound, [Fe(CF3SO3)2(C4H8O)4], is octa-hedral with two tri-fluoro-methane-sulfonate ligands in trans positions and four tetra-hydro-furane mol-ecules in the equatorial plane. By the conformation of the ligands the complex is chiral in the crystal packing. The compound crystallizes in the Sohncke space group P212121 and is enanti-omerically pure. The packing of the mol-ecules is determined by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The crystal studied was refined as a two-component inversion twin.