[Cu(aq)]2+ is structurally plastic and the axially elongated octahedron goes missing.

High resolution (k = 18 Å-1 or k = 17 Å-1) copper K-edge EXAFS and MXAN (Minuit X-ray Absorption Near Edge) analyses have been used to investigate the structure of dissolved [Cu(aq)]2+ in 1,3-propanediol (1,3-P) or 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-P) aqueous frozen glasses. EXAFS analysis invariably found a single axially asymmetric 6-coordinate (CN6) site, with 4×Oeq = 1.97 Å, Oax1 = 2.22 Å, and Oax2 = 2.34 Å, plus a second-shell of 4×Owater = 3.6 Å. However, MXAN analysis revealed that [Cu(aq)]2+ occupies both square pyramidal (CN5) and axially asymmetric CN6 structures. The square pyramid included 4×H2O = 1.95 Å and 1×H2O = 2.23 Å. The CN6 sites included either a capped, near perfect, square pyramid with 5×H2O = 1.94 ± 0.04 Å and H2Oax = 2.22 Å (in 1,3-P) or a split axial configuration with 4×H2O = 1.94, H2Oax1 = 2.14 Å, and H2Oax2 = 2.28 Å (in 1,5-P). The CN6 sites also included an 8-H2O second-shell near 3.7 Å, which was undetectable about the strictly pyramidal sites. Equatorial angles averaging 94° ± 5° indicated significant departures from tetragonal planarity. MXAN assessment of the solution structure of [Cu(aq)]2+ in 1,5-P prior to freezing revealed the same structures as previously found in aqueous 1M HClO4, which have become axially compressed in the frozen glasses. [Cu(aq)]2+ in liquid and frozen solutions is dominated by a 5-coordinate square pyramid, but with split axial CN6 appearing in the frozen glasses. Among these phases, the Cu-O axial distances vary across 1 Å, and the equatorial angles depart significantly from the square plane. Although all these structures remove the dx2-y2 , dz2 degeneracy, no structure can be described as a Jahn-Teller (JT) axially elongated octahedron. The JT-octahedral description for dissolved [Cu(aq)]2+ should thus be abandoned in favor of square pyramidal [Cu(H2O)5]2+. The revised ligand environments have bearing on questions of the Cu(i)/Cu(ii) self-exchange rate and on the mechanism for ligand exchange with bulk water. The plasticity of dissolved Cu(ii) complex ions falsifies the foundational assumption of the rack-induced bonding theory of blue copper proteins and obviates any need for a thermodynamically implausible protein constraint.

Structure of the Reduced Copper Active Site in Preprocessed Galactose Oxidase: Ligand Tuning for One-Electron O2 Activation in Cofactor Biogenesis.

Galactose oxidase (GO) is a copper-dependent enzyme that accomplishes 2e- substrate oxidation by pairing a single copper with an unusual cysteinylated tyrosine (Cys-Tyr) redox cofactor. Previous studies have demonstrated that the post-translational biogenesis of Cys-Tyr is copper- and O2-dependent, resulting in a self-processing enzyme system. To investigate the mechanism of cofactor biogenesis in GO, the active-site structure of Cu(I)-loaded GO was determined using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on this model. Our results show that the active-site tyrosine lowers the Cu potential to enable the thermodynamically unfavorable 1e- reduction of O2, and the resulting Cu(II)-O2•- is activated toward H atom abstraction from cysteine. The final step of biogenesis is a concerted reaction involving coordinated Tyr ring deprotonation where Cu(II) coordination enables formation of the Cys-Tyr cross-link. These spectroscopic and computational results highlight the role of the Cu(I) in enabling O2 activation by 1e- and the role of the resulting Cu(II) in enabling substrate activation for biogenesis.

Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study of Cu(I) Binding to His111 in the Human Prion Protein Fragment 106-115.

The ability of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to bind copper in vivo points to a physiological role for PrP(C) in copper transport. Six copper binding sites have been identified in the nonstructured N-terminal region of human PrP(C). Among these sites, the His111 site is unique in that it contains a MKHM motif that would confer interesting Cu(I) and Cu(II) binding properties. We have evaluated Cu(I) coordination to the PrP(106-115) fragment of the human PrP protein, using NMR and X-ray absorption spectroscopies and electronic structure calculations. We find that Met109 and Met112 play an important role in anchoring this metal ion. Cu(I) coordination to His111 is pH-dependent: at pH >8, 2N1O1S species are formed with one Met ligand; in the range of pH 5-8, both methionine (Met) residues bind to Cu(I), forming a 1N1O2S species, where N is from His111 and O is from a backbone carbonyl or a water molecule; at pH <5, only the two Met residues remain coordinated. Thus, even upon drastic changes in the chemical environment, such as those occurring during endocytosis of PrP(C) (decreased pH and a reducing potential), the two Met residues in the MKHM motif enable PrP(C) to maintain the bound Cu(I) ions, consistent with a copper transport function for this protein. We also find that the physiologically relevant Cu(I)-1N1O2S species activates dioxygen via an inner-sphere mechanism, likely involving the formation of a copper(II) superoxide complex. In this process, the Met residues are partially oxidized to sulfoxide; this ability to scavenge superoxide may play a role in the proposed antioxidant properties of PrP(C). This study provides further insight into the Cu(I) coordination properties of His111 in human PrP(C) and the molecular mechanism of oxygen activation by this site.

Spectroscopic and computational insight into the activation of O2 by the mononuclear Cu center in polysaccharide monooxygenases.

Strategies for O2 activation by copper enzymes were recently expanded to include mononuclear Cu sites, with the discovery of the copper-dependent polysaccharide monooxygenases, also classified as auxiliary-activity enzymes 9-11 (AA9-11). These enzymes are finding considerable use in industrial biofuel production. Crystal structures of polysaccharide monooxygenases have emerged, but experimental studies are yet to determine the solution structure of the Cu site and how this relates to reactivity. From X-ray absorption near edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies, we observed a change from four-coordinate Cu(II) to three-coordinate Cu(I) of the active site in solution, where three protein-derived nitrogen ligands coordinate the Cu in both redox states, and a labile hydroxide ligand is lost upon reduction. The spectroscopic data allowed for density functional theory calculations of an enzyme active site model, where the optimized Cu(I) and (II) structures were consistent with the experimental data. The O2 reactivity of the Cu(I) site was probed by EPR and stopped-flow absorption spectroscopies, and a rapid one-electron reduction of O2 and regeneration of the resting Cu(II) enzyme were observed. This reactivity was evaluated computationally, and by calibration to Cu-superoxide model complexes, formation of an end-on Cu-AA9-superoxide species was found to be thermodynamically favored. We discuss how this thermodynamically difficult one-electron reduction of O2 is enabled by the unique protein structure where two nitrogen ligands from His1 dictate formation of a T-shaped Cu(I) site, which provides an open coordination position for strong O2 binding with very little reorganization energy.

Stepwise protonation and electron-transfer reduction of a primary copper-dioxygen adduct.

The protonation­reduction of a dioxygen adduct with [LCu(I)][B(C6F5)4], cupric superoxo complex [LCu(II)(O2(•­))]+ (1) (L = TMG3tren (1,1,1-tris[2-[N(2)-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidino)]ethyl]amine)) has been investigated. Trifluoroacetic acid (HOAcF) reversibly associates with the superoxo ligand in ([LCu(II)(O2(•­))]+) in a 1:1 adduct [LCu(II)(O2(•­))(HOAcF)](+) (2), as characterized by UV­visible, resonance Raman (rR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies, along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Chemical studies reveal that for the binding of HOAcF with 1 to give 2, Keq = 1.2 × 10(5) M(­1) (−130 °C) and ΔH° = −6.9(7) kcal/mol, ΔS° = −26(4) cal mol(­1) K(­1)). Vibrational (rR) data reveal a significant increase (29 cm(­1)) in vO­O (= 1149 cm(­1)) compared to that known for [LCu(II)(O2(•­))](+) (1). Along with results obtained from XAS and DFT calculations, hydrogen bonding of HOAcF to a superoxo O-atom in 2 is established. Results from NMR spectroscopy of 2 at −120 °C in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran are also consistent with 1/HOAcF = 1:1 formulation of 2 and with this complex possessing a triplet (S = 1) ground state electronic configuration, as previously determined for 1. The pre-equilibrium acid association to 1 is followed by outer-sphere electron-transfer reduction of 2 by decamethylferrocene (Me10Fc) or octamethylferrocene (Me8Fc), leading to the products H2O2, the corresponding ferrocenium salt, and [LCu(II)(OAcF)](+). Second-order rate constants for electron transfer (ket) were determined to be 1365 M(­1) s(­1) (Me10Fc) and 225 M(­1) s(­1) (Me8Fc) at −80 °C. The (bio)chemical relevance of the proton-triggered reduction of the metal-bound dioxygen-derived fragment is discussed.

L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations on Cu2O2 species: direct electrophilic aromatic attack by side-on peroxo bridged dicopper(II) complexes.

The hydroxylation of aromatic substrates catalyzed by coupled binuclear copper enzymes has been observed with side-on-peroxo-dicopper(II) (P) and bis-µ-oxo-dicopper(III) (O) model complexes. The substrate-bound-O intermediate in [Cu(II)2(DBED)2(O)2](2+) (DBED = N,N'-di-tert-butyl-ethylenediamine) was shown to perform aromatic hydroxylation. For the [Cu(II)2(NO2-XYL)(O2)](2+) complex, only a P species was spectroscopically observed. However, it was not clear whether this O-O bond cleaves to proceed through an O-type structure along the reaction coordinate for hydroxylation of the aromatic xylyl linker. Accurate evaluation of these reaction coordinates requires reasonable quantitative descriptions of the electronic structures of the P and O species. We have performed Cu L-edge XAS on two well-characterized P and O species to experimentally quantify the Cu 3d character in their ground state wave functions. The lower per-hole Cu character (40 ± 6%) corresponding to higher covalency in the O species compared to the P species (52 ± 4%) reflects a stronger bonding interaction of the bis-µ-oxo core with the Cu(III) centers. DFT calculations show that 10-20% Hartree-Fock (HF) mixing for P and ~38% for O species are required to reproduce the Cu-O bonding; for the P species this HF mixing is also required for an antiferromagnetically coupled description of the two Cu(II) centers. B3LYP (with 20% HF) was, therefore, used to calculate the hydroxylation reaction coordinate of P in [Cu(II)2(NO2-XYL)(O2)](2+). These experimentally calibrated calculations indicate that the electrophilic attack on the aromatic ring does not involve formation of a Cu(III)2(O(2-))2 species. Rather, there is direct electron donation from the aromatic ring into the peroxo σ* orbital of the Cu(II)2(O2(2-)) species, leading to concerted C-O bond formation with O-O bond cleavage. Thus, species P is capable of direct hydroxylation of aromatic substrates without the intermediacy of an O-type species.

Modified reactivity toward O2 in first shell variants of Fet3p: geometric and electronic structure requirements for a functioning trinuclear copper cluster.

Multicopper oxidases (MCOs) carry out the most energy efficient reduction of O2 to H2O known, i.e., with the lowest overpotential. This four-electron process requires an electron mediating type 1 (T1) Cu site and an oxygen reducing trinuclear Cu cluster (TNC), consisting of a binuclear type 3 (T3)- and a mononuclear type 2 (T2) Cu center. The rate-determining step in O2 reduction is the first two-electron transfer from one of the T3 Cu's (T3ß) and the T2 Cu, forming a bridged peroxide intermediate (PI). This reaction has been investigated in T3ß Cu variants of the Fet3p, where a first shell His ligand is mutated to Glu or Gln. This converts the fast two-electron reaction of the wild-type (WT) enzyme to a slow one-electron oxidation of the TNC. Both variants initially react to form a common T3ß Cu(II) intermediate that converts to the Glu or Gln bound resting state. From spectroscopic evaluation, the nonmutated His ligands coordinate linearly to the T3ß Cu in the reduced TNCs in the two variants, in contrast to the trigonal arrangement observed in the WT enzyme. This structural perturbation is found to significantly alter the electronic structure of the reduced TNC, which is no longer capable of rapidly transferring two electrons to the two perpendicular half occupied π*-orbitals of O2, in contrast to the WT enzyme. This study provides new insight into the geometric and electronic structure requirements of a fully functional TNC for the rate determining two-electron reduction of O2 in the MCOs.

Geometric and electronic structure of [{Cu(MeAN)}2(µ-η2:η2(O2(2-)))]2+ with an unusually long O-O bond: O-O bond weakening vs activation for reductive cleavage.

Certain side-on peroxo-dicopper(II) species with particularly low ν(O-O) (710-730 cm(-1)) have been found in equilibrium with their bis-µ-oxo-dicopper(III) isomer. An issue is whether such side-on peroxo bridges are further activated for O-O cleavage. In a previous study (Liang, H.-C., et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2002, 124, 4170), we showed that oxygenation of the three-coordinate complex [Cu(I)(MeAN)](+) (MeAN = N-methyl-N,N-bis[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]amine) leads to a low-temperature stable [{Cu(II)(MeAN)}(2)(µ-η(2):η(2)-O(2)(2-))](2+) peroxo species with low ν(O-O) (721 cm(-1)), as characterized by UV-vis absorption and resonance Raman (rR) spectroscopies. Here, this complex has been crystallized as its SbF(6)(-) salt, and an X-ray structure indicates the presence of an unusually long O-O bond (1.540(5) Å) consistent with the low ν(O-O). Extended X-ray absorption fine structure and rR spectroscopic and reactivity studies indicate the exclusive formation of [{Cu(II)(MeAN)}(2)(µ-η(2):η(2)-O(2)(2-))](2+) without any bis-µ-oxo-dicopper(III) isomer present. This is the first structure of a side-on peroxo-dicopper(II) species with a significantly long and weak O-O bond. DFT calculations show that the weak O-O bond results from strong σ donation from the MeAN ligand to Cu that is compensated by a decrease in the extent of peroxo to Cu charge transfer. Importantly, the weak O-O bond does not reflect an increase in backbonding into the σ* orbital of the peroxide. Thus, although the O-O bond is unusually weak, this structure is not further activated for reductive cleavage to form a reactive bis-µ-oxo dicopper(III) species. These results highlight the necessity of understanding electronic structure changes associated with spectral changes for correlations to reactivity.

Spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization of "alternative resting" and "resting oxidized" enzyme forms of bilirubin oxidase: implications for activity and electrochemical behavior of multicopper oxidases.

While there is broad agreement on the catalytic mechanism of multicopper oxidases (MCOs), the geometric and electronic structures of the resting trinuclear Cu cluster have been variable, and their relevance to catalysis has been debated. Here, we present a spectroscopic characterization, complemented by crystallographic data, of two resting forms occurring in the same enzyme and define their interconversion. The resting oxidized form shows similar features to the resting form in Rhus vernicifera and Trametes versicolor laccase, characterized by "normal" type 2 Cu electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) features, 330 nm absorption shoulder, and a short type 3 (T3) Cu-Cu distance, while the alternative resting form shows unusually small A(||) and high g(||) EPR features, lack of 330 nm absorption intensity, and a long T3 Cu-Cu distance. These different forms are evaluated with respect to activation for catalysis, and it is shown that the alternative resting form can only be activated by low-potential reduction, in contrast to the resting oxidized form which is activated via type 1 Cu at high potential. This difference in activity is correlated to differences in redox states of the two forms and highlights the requirement for efficient sequential reduction of resting MCOs for their involvement in catalysis.

A codeposition route to CuI-pyridine coordination complexes for organic light-emitting diodes.

We demonstrate a new approach for utilizing CuI coordination complexes as emissive layers in organic light-emitting diodes that involves in situ codeposition of CuI and 3,5-bis(carbazol-9-yl)pyridine (mCPy). With a simple three-layer device structure, pure green electroluminescence at 530 nm from a Cu(I) complex was observed. A maximum luminance and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9700 cd/m(2) and 4.4%, respectively, were achieved. The luminescent species was identified as [CuI(mCPy)(2)](2) on the basis of photophysical studies of model complexes and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Systematic perturbation of the trinuclear copper cluster in the multicopper oxidases: the role of active site asymmetry in its reduction of O2 to H2O.

The multicopper oxidase Fet3p catalyzes the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water, coupled to the one-electron oxidation of four equivalents of substrate. To carry out this process, the enzyme utilizes four Cu atoms: a type 1, a type 2, and a coupled binuclear, type 3 site. Substrates are oxidized at the T1 Cu, which rapidly transfers electrons, 13 A away, to a trinuclear copper cluster composed of the T2 and T3 sites, where dioxygen is reduced to water in two sequential 2e(-) steps. This study focuses on two variants of Fet3p, H126Q and H483Q, that perturb the two T3 Cu's, T3alpha and T3beta, respectively. The variants have been isolated in both holo and type 1 depleted (T1D) forms, T1DT3alphaQ and T1DT3betaQ, and their trinuclear copper clusters have been characterized in their oxidized and reduced states. While the variants are only mildly perturbed relative to T1D in the resting oxidized state, in contrast to T1D they are both found to have lost a ligand in their reduced states. Importantly, T1DT3alphaQ reacts with O(2), but T1DT3betaQ does not. Thus loss of a ligand at T3beta, but not at T3alpha, turns off O(2) reactivity, indicating that T3beta and T2 are required for the 2e(-) reduction of O(2) to form the peroxide intermediate (PI), whereas T3alpha remains reduced. This is supported by the spectroscopic features of PI in T1DT3alphaQ, which are identical to T1D PI. This selective redox activity of one edge of the trinuclear cluster demonstrates its asymmetry in O(2) reactivity. The structural origin of this asymmetry between the T3alpha and T3beta is discussed, as is its contribution to reactivity.

Heme-copper-dioxygen complexes: toward understanding ligand-environmental effects on the coordination geometry, electronic structure, and reactivity.

The nature of the ligand is an important aspect of controlling the structure and reactivity in coordination chemistry. In connection with our study of heme-copper-oxygen reactivity relevant to cytochrome c oxidase dioxygen-reduction chemistry, we compare the molecular and electronic structures of two high-spin heme-peroxo-copper [Fe(III)O(2)(2-)Cu(II)](+) complexes containing N(4) tetradentate (1) or N(3) tridentate (2) copper ligands. Combining previously reported and new resonance Raman and EXAFS data coupled to density functional theory calculations, we report a geometric structure and more complete electronic description of the high-spin heme-peroxo-copper complexes 1 and 2, which establish mu-(O(2)(2-)) side-on to the Fe(III) and end-on to Cu(II) (mu-eta(2):eta(1)) binding for the complex 1 but side-on/side-on (mu-eta(2):eta(2)) mu-peroxo coordination for the complex 2. We also compare and summarize the differences and similarities of these two complexes in their reactivity toward CO, PPh(3), acid, and phenols. The comparison of a new X-ray structure of mu-oxo complex 2a with the previously reported 1a X-ray structure, two thermal decomposition products respectively of 2 and 1, reveals a considerable difference in the Fe-O-Cu angle between the two mu-oxo complexes ( angleFe-O-Cu = 178.2 degrees in 1a and angleFe-O-Cu = 149.5 degrees in 2a). The reaction of 2 with 1 equiv of an exogenous nitrogen-donor axial base leads to the formation of a distinctive low-temperature-stable, low-spin heme-dioxygen-copper complex (2b), but under the same conditions, the addition of an axial base to 1 leads to the dissociation of the heme-peroxo-copper assembly and the release of O(2). 2b reacts with phenols performing H-atom (e(-) + H(+)) abstraction resulting in O-O bond cleavage and the formation of high-valent ferryl [Fe(IV)=O] complex (2c). The nature of 2c was confirmed by a comparison of its spectroscopic features and reactivity with those of an independently prepared ferryl complex. The phenoxyl radical generated by the H-atom abstraction was either (1) directly detected by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using phenols that produce stable radicals or (2) indirectly detected by the coupling product of two phenoxyl radicals.