O-Heterocycle Synthesis via Intramolecular C-H Alkoxylation Catalyzed by Iron Acetylacetonate.

Intramolecular alkoxylation of C-H bonds can rapidly introduce structural and functional group complexities into seemingly simple or inert precursors. The transformation is particularly important due to the ubiquitous presence of tetrahydrofuran (THF) motifs as fundamental building blocks in a wide range of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and natural products. Despite the various synthetic methodologies known for generating functionalized THFs, most show limited functional group tolerance and lack demonstration for the preparation of spiro or fused bi- and tricyclic ether units prevalent in molecules for pharmacological purposes. Herein we report an intramolecular C-H alkoxylation to furnish oxacycles from easily prepared α-diazo-ß-ketoesters using commercially available iron acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)2) as a catalyst. The reaction is proposed to proceed through the formation of a vinylic carboradical arising from N2 extrusion, which mediates a proximal H-atom abstraction followed by a rapid C-O bond forming radical recombination step. The radical mechanism is probed using an isotopic labeling study (vinyl C-D incorporation), ring opening of a radical clock substrate, and Hammett analysis and is further corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Heightened reactivity is observed for electron-rich C-H bonds (tertiary, ethereal), while greater catalyst loadings or elevated reaction temperatures are required to fully convert substrates with benzylic, secondary, and primary C-H bonds. The transformation is highly functional group tolerant and operates under mild reaction conditions to provide rapid access to complex structures such as spiro and fused bi-/tricyclic O-heterocycles from readily available precursors.

A pyridinic Fe-N4 macrocycle models the active sites in Fe/N-doped carbon electrocatalysts.

Iron- and nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe-N-C) materials are leading candidates to replace platinum catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells; however, their active site structures remain poorly understood. A leading postulate is that the iron-containing active sites exist primarily in a pyridinic Fe-N4 ligation environment, yet, molecular model catalysts generally feature pyrrolic coordination. Herein, we report a molecular pyridinic hexaazacyclophane macrocycle, (phen2N2)Fe, and compare its spectroscopic, electrochemical, and catalytic properties for ORR to a typical Fe-N-C material and prototypical pyrrolic iron macrocycles. N 1s XPS and XAS signatures for (phen2N2)Fe are remarkably similar to those of Fe-N-C. Electrochemical studies reveal that (phen2N2)Fe has a relatively high Fe(III/II) potential with a correlated ORR onset potential within 150 mV of Fe-N-C. Unlike the pyrrolic macrocycles, (phen2N2)Fe displays excellent selectivity for four-electron ORR, comparable to Fe-N-C materials. The aggregate spectroscopic and electrochemical data demonstrate that (phen2N2)Fe is a more effective model of Fe-N-C active sites relative to the pyrrolic iron macrocycles, thereby establishing a new molecular platform that can aid understanding of this important class of catalytic materials.

Direct Comparison of C-H Bond Amination Efficacy through Manipulation of Nitrogen-Valence Centered Redox: Imido versus Iminyl.

Reduction of previously reported iminyl radical (ArL)FeCl(•N(C6H4-p-tBu)) (2) with potassium graphite furnished the corresponding high-spin (S = 5/2) imido (ArL)Fe(N(C6H4-p-tBu)) (3) (ArL = 5-mesityl-1,9-(2,4,6-Ph3C6H2)dipyrrin). Oxidation of the three-coordinate imido (ArL)Fe(NAd) (5) with chlorotriphenylmethane afforded (ArL)FeCl(•NAd) (6) with concomitant expulsion of Ph3C(C6H5)CPh2. The respective aryl/alkyl imido/iminyl pairs (3, 2; 5, 6) have been characterized by EPR, zero-field 57Fe Mössbauer, magnetometry, single crystal X-ray diffraction, XAS, and EXAFS for 6. The high-spin (S = 5/2) imidos exhibit characteristically short Fe-N bonds (3: 1.708(4) Å; 5: 1.674(11) Å), whereas the corresponding iminyls exhibit elongated Fe-N bonds (2: 1.768(2) Å; 6: 1.761(6) Å). Comparison of the pre-edge absorption feature (1s → 3d) in the X-ray absorption spectra reveals that the four imido/iminyl complexes share a common iron oxidation level consistent with a ferric formulation (3: 7111.5 eV, 2: 7111.5 eV; 5: 7112.2 eV, 6: 7112.4 eV) as compared with a ferrous amine adduct (ArL)FeCl(NH2Ad) (7: 7110.3 eV). N K-edge X-ray absorption spectra reveal a common low-energy absorption present only for the iminyl species 2 (394.5 eV) and 6 (394.8 eV) that was assigned as a N 1s promotion into a N-localized, singly occupied iminyl orbital. Kinetic analysis of the reaction between the respective iron imido and iminyl complexes with toluene yielded the following activation parameters: Ea (kcal/mol) 3: 12.1, 2: 9.2; 5: 11.5, 6: 7.1. The attenuation of the Fe-N bond interaction on oxidation from an imido to an iminyl complex leads to a reduced enthalpic barrier [Δ(ΔH‡) ≈ 5 kcal/mol]; the alkyl iminyl 6 has a reduced enthalpic barrier (1.84 kcal/mol) as compared with the aryl iminyl 2 (3.84 kcal/mol), consistent with iminyl radical delocalization into the aryl substituent in 2 as compared with 6.

Reactivity of a stable copper-dioxygen complex.

We report the isolation of a room temperature stable dipyrromethene Cu(O2) complex featuring a side-on O2 coordination. Reactivity studies highlight the unique ability of the dioxygen adduct for both hydrogen-atom abstraction and acid/base chemistry towards phenols, demonstrating that side-on superoxide species can be reactive entities.

A Far-Red Emitting Probe for Unambiguous Detection of Mobile Zinc in Acidic Vesicles and Deep Tissue.

Imaging mobile zinc in acidic environments remains challenging because most small-molecule optical probes display pH-dependent fluorescence. Here we report a reaction-based sensor that detects mobile zinc unambiguously at low pH. The sensor responds reversibly and with a large dynamic range to exogenously applied Zn2+ in lysosomes of HeLa cells, endogenous Zn2+ in insulin granules of MIN6 cells, and zinc-rich mossy fiber boutons in hippocampal tissue from mice. This long-wavelength probe is compatible with the green-fluorescent protein, enabling multicolor imaging, and facilitates visualization of mossy fiber boutons at depths of >100 µm, as demonstrated by studies in live tissue employing two-photon microscopy.

A flexible glutamine regulates the catalytic activity of toluene o-xylene monooxygenase.

Toluene/o-xylene monooxygenase (ToMO) is a bacterial multicomponent monooxygenase capable of oxidizing aromatic substrates. The carboxylate-rich diiron active site is located in the hydroxylase component of ToMO (ToMOH), buried 12 Å from the surface of the protein. A small, hydrophilic pore is the shortest pathway between the diiron active site and the protein exterior. In this study of ToMOH from Pseudomonas sp. OX1, the functions of two residues lining this pore, N202 and Q228, were investigated using site-directed mutagenesis. Steady-state characterization of WT and the three mutant enzymes demonstrates that residues N202 and Q228 are critical for turnover. Kinetic isotope effects and pH profiles reveal that these residues govern the kinetics of water egress and prevent quenching of activated oxygen intermediates formed at the diiron active site. We propose that this activity arises from movement of these residues, opening and closing the pore during catalysis, as seen in previous X-ray crystallographic studies. In addition, N202 and Q228 are important for the interactions of the reductase and regulatory components to ToMOH, suggesting that they bind competitively to the hydroxylase. The role of the pore in the hydroxylase components of other bacterial multicomponent monooxygenases within the superfamily is discussed in light of these conclusions.

A fast and selective near-infrared fluorescent sensor for multicolor imaging of biological nitroxyl (HNO).

The first near-infrared fluorescent turn-on sensor for the detection of nitroxyl (HNO), the one-electron reduced form of nitric oxide (NO), is reported. The new copper-based probe, CuDHX1, contains a dihydroxanthene (DHX) fluorophore and a cyclam derivative as a Cu(II) binding site. Upon reaction with HNO, CuDHX1 displays a five-fold fluorescence turn-on in cuvettes and is selective for HNO over thiols and reactive nitrogen and oxygen species. CuDHX1 can detect exogenously applied HNO in live mammalian cells and in conjunction with the zinc-specific, green-fluorescent sensor ZP1 can perform multicolor/multianalyte microscopic imaging. These studies reveal that HNO treatment elicits an increase in the concentration of intracellular mobile zinc.