Stopped-flow Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of nitromethane oxidation by the diiron(IV) intermediate of methane monooxygenase

The hydroxylase component (MMOH) of soluble methane monooxygenase from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) was reduced to the diiron(II) form and then allowed to react with dioxygen to generate the diiron(IV) intermediate Q in the first phase of a double-mixing stopped-flow experiment. CD3NO2 was then introduced in the second phase of the experiment, which was carried out in D2O at 25 degrees C. The kinetics of the reaction of the substrate with Q were monitored by stopped-flow Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, observing the disappearance of the asymmetric NO2 bending vibration at 1548 cm-1. The data were fit to a single-exponential function, which yielded a kobs of 0.45 +/- 0.07 s-1. This result is in quantitative agreement with a kobs of 0.39 +/- 0.01 s-1 obtained by observing the disappearance of Q by double-mixing stopped-flow optical spectroscopy at its absorption maximum of 420 nm. These results provide for the first time direct monitoring of the hydroxylation of a methane-derived substrate in the MMOH reaction pathway and demonstrate that Q decay occurs concomitantly with substrate consumption.     

Electron-transfer kinetics of copper(II/I) tripodal ligand complexes

The electron-transfer kinetics for each of three copper(II/I) tripodal ligand complexes reacting with multiple reducing and oxidizing counter reagents have been examined in aqueous solution at 25 degrees C, mu = 0.10 M. For all of the ligands studied, an amine nitrogen serves as the bridgehead atom. Two of the ligands (PMMEA and PEMEA) contain two thioether sulfurs and one pyridyl nitrogen as donor atoms on the appended legs while the third ligand (BPEMEA) has two pyridyl nitrogens and one thioether sulfur. Very limited kinetic studies were also conducted on two additional closely related tripodal ligand complexes. The results are compared to our previous kinetic study on a Cu(II/I) system involving a tripodal ligand (TMMEA) with thioether sulfur donor atoms on all three legs. In all systems, the Cu(II/I) electron self-exchange rate constants (k(11)) are surprisingly small, ranging approximately 0.03-50 M(-)(1) s(-)(1). The results are consistent with earlier studies reported by Yandell involving the reduction of Cu(II) complexes with four similar tripodal ligand systems, and it is concluded that the dominant reaction pathway involves a metastable Cu(II)L intermediate species (designated as pathway B). Since crystal structures suggest that the ligand reorganization accompanying electron transfer is relatively small compared to our earlier studies on macrocyclic ligand complexes of Cu(II/I), it is unclear why the k(11) values for the tripodal ligand systems are of such small magnitude.     

Secondary ion yields produced by keV atomic and polyatomic ion impacts on a self-assembled monolayer surface

A suite of keV polyatomic or 'cluster' projectiles was used to bombard unoxidized and oxidized self-assembled monolayer surfaces. Negative secondary ion yields, collected at the limit of single ion impacts, were measured and compared for both molecular and fragment ions. In contrast to targets that are orders of magnitude thicker than the penetration range of the primary ions, secondary ion yields from polyatomic projectile impacts on self-assembled monolayers show little to no enhancement when compared with monatomic projectiles at the same velocity. This unusual trend is most likely due to the structural arrangement and bonding characteristics of the monolayer molecules with the Au(111). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.