Transition metal cations catalyze 16O/18O exchange of catechol motifs with H218O.

ABSTRACT

Catechol motifs are ubiquitous in nature, as part of plant, animal and microbial metabolites, and are known to form complexes with various metal cations. Here, we report for the first time that complexation with transition metal cations, especially Fe(III), results in rapid 16O/18O exchange of the catecholic hydroxyl groups with H218O. We discuss the implications of this finding for mechanistic studies using H218O and potential relevance for production of 18O-labeled catechol derivatives.