Catalytic alcohol oxidation by an unsymmetrical 5-coordinate copper complex: electronic structure and mechanism

Density functional theory reveals the detailed mechanism of alcohol oxidation by a model copper complex, Cu(II)L, L = cis-1-(3',5'-dimethoxy-benzylideneamino)-3,5-[2-hydroxy-(3',5'-di-tert-butyl)benzylideneimino]cyclohexane. Despite the obvious structural and functional parallels between the title compound and the enzyme galactose oxidase, the details of the catalytic pathway are fundamentally different. In the enzyme, coordination of the substrate produces an active form containing a Cu(II) centre and a tyrosyl radical, the latter being responsible for the abstraction of hydrogen from the substrate. In the model system, in marked contrast, the active form contains a Cu(II) centre, but the ligand radical character is localised on the substrate (alcoholate) oxygen, rather than the phenolate ligand. The result is a significantly higher barrier to hydrogen-atom abstraction compared to the enzyme itself. The origin of these significant differences is traced to the rigid nature of the pentadentate ligand, which resists changes in coordination number during the catalytic cycle.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of copper complex of 7,16-bis(2-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-nitrobenzyl)-1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diazacyclooctadecane

A lariat crown ether compound 7,16-bis(2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl)-1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diazacyclooctadecane has been prepared via one-pot Mannich reaction. A copper(II) complex with the ligand 7,16-bis(2-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-nitrobenzyl)-1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diazacyclooctadecane was unexpectedly synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV spectra. The crystal structure of the complex has been determined by X-ray diffraction. Both crystal structure analysis and spectroscopy study indicated that the side-arm phenols of lariat crown ether are nitrated while complexing with Cu(NO₃)₂. Structure shows that the copper(II) ion is coordinated to two nitrogen and four oxygen atoms, two from the crown ether and other two from the deprotonated phenolate groups. The coordination polyhedron is a distorted octahedron.     

Oxygen-Depleted Calixarenes as Ligands for Molecular Models of Galactose Oxidase

A calix[4]arene ligand, in which two of the phenol functions are replaced by pyrazole units has been employed to mimic the His₂–Tyr₂ (His: histidine, Tyr: tyrosine) ligand sphere within the active site of the galactose oxidase (GO). The calixarene backbone forces the corresponding copper(II) complex into a see-saw-type structure, which is hitherto unprecedented in GO modelling chemistry. It undergoes a one-electron oxidation that is centered at the phenolate donor leading to a copper-coordinated phenoxyl radical like in the GO. Accordingly, the complex was tested as a functional model and indeed proved capable of oxidizing benzyl alcohol to the respective aldehyde using two phenoxyl-radical equivalents as oxidants. Finally, the results show that the calixarene platform can be utilized to arrange donor functions to biomimetic binding pockets that allow for the creation of novel types of model compounds.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Copper(II) Complex with Mixed Bipyridine and 2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde Ligands

1 INTRODUCTION Galactose oxidase is a monomeric enzyme that catalyzes the stereospecific oxidation of a broad range of primary alcohol substrates and possesses a unique mononuclear copper site essential for catalyzing a two-electron transfer reaction during the oxidation of primary alcohol to corresponding aldehydes[1]. The catalytic reaction is shown in Eq. 1. RCH2OH + O2 RCHO + H2O2 (1) A recent report on the crystal structure of galactose oxidase reveals a unique mo…     

Protonation of the oxygen axial ligand in galactose oxidase model compounds as seen with high resolution X-ray emission experiments and FEFF simulations

X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (XES) crossover peaks were shown to be sensitive to the protonation state of solvent molecules in the Zn protein carbonic anhydrase and its model compounds. Here we extend such studies to galactose oxidase models i.e. Cu(ii) open d-shell systems, illustrating that XES combined with FEFF8 simulations reflect changes in the protonation state of the phenolate ligand for the copper center.     

Structural and functional mimic of galactose oxidase by a copper complex of a sterically demanding [N2O2] ligand

A structural and functional mimic of the galactose oxidase (GOase) enzyme active-site by a copper complex supported over a sterically demanding ligand having [N2O2] donor sites is reported. Specifically, the binding of the histidine (496 and 581) and tyrosine (272 and 495) residues to the copper center in a square-pyramidal fashion in the active-site of galactose oxidase (GOase) enzyme has been modeled in a copper complex, ([(3-tert-butyl-5-methyl-2-hydoxybenzyl)(3'-tert-butyl-5'-methyl-2'-oxobenzyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)]amine)Cu(OAc)) (1b), stabilized over a sterically demanding ligand in which the two phenolate-O atoms mimicked the tyrosine binding while an amine-N and pyridyl-N atoms emulated the histidine binding to the metal center, similar to that in the enzyme active-site. Furthermore, the copper complex 1b is found to be an effective functional model of the enzyme as it efficiently catalyzed the chemoselective oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes in high turnover numbers under ambient conditions. An insight into the nature of the active-species was obtained by EPR and CV studies, which in conjunction with the DFT studies, revealed that the active-species is an anti-ferromagnetically coupled diamagnetic radical cation, (1)1b+, obtained by one electron oxidation at the equatorial phenolate-O atom of the ligand in the 1b complex.     

Electrocatalytic O2 Reduction at a Bio‐inspired Mononuclear Copper Phenolato Complex Immobilized on a Carbon Nanotube Electrode

An original copper‐phenolate complex, mimicking the active center of galactose oxidase, featuring a pyrene group was synthesized. Supramolecular pi‐stacking allows its efficient and soft immobilization at the surface of a Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) electrode. This MWCNT‐supported galactose oxidase model exhibits a 4 H⁺/4 e^? electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction at a redox potential of 0.60 V vs. RHE at pH 5.     

C-S bond formation reaction between a phenolate and disulfide-bridged dicopper(I) complexes

A novel C-S bond formation reaction took place, when a lithium phenolate derivative was treated with a disulfide-bridged dicopper(I) complex or a bis(micro-thiolato)dicopper(II) complex under very mild conditions. The reaction has been suggested to proceed via a disulfide-bridged (micro-phenoxo)dicopper(I) complex as the common reaction intermediate. Copper(II) complexes of the modified ligands containing a thioether group (products of the C-S bond formation reaction) have been isolated and structurally characterized by X-ray analysis as model compounds of the active site of galactose oxidase. Mechanism of the C-S bond formation reaction is also discussed in relation to the biosynthetic mechanism of the organic cofactor Tyr-Cys of galactose oxidase.     

Copper(II) complexes of mono-condensed N,O-donor Schiff base ligands: Synthesis,crystal structures,and antibacterial activity

Two new copper(II) complexes, [Cu(L¹)₂] (I) and [Cu(L²)₂] (II), where L¹ = 2-bromo-4-chloro- 6-(isopropyliminomethyl)phenolate and L² = 2-bromo-4-chloro-6-[(2-hydroxyethylimino)methyl]phenolate, have been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography (CIF files CCDC nos. 1445936 (I) and 1445935 (II)). In both complexes, the Cu atoms are coordinated by two phenolate oxygen and two imino nitrogen, giving square planar geometry. The complexes have been tested on various strains of bacteria to study their antibacterial effects.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of the Copper Complex of 7，16-Bis（2-hyd roxy-5-met hylbenzyl）-1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diazacyclooctadecane

A lariat crown ether ligand 7,16-bis (2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl)- 1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diazacyclooctadeeane (L1) has been prepared via one-pot Mannich reaction. Its copper(Ⅱ) complex Cu-L1 was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV-visible spectroscopy. The crystal structure of the complex has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The result shows that the copper(Ⅱ) ion is six-coordinated by two nitrogen and four oxygen atoms, two from the crown ether and the other two from the deprotonated phenolate anions, forming an elongated octahedral complex. Electrochemical study indicates that the complex undergoes reversible reduction in DMF solution.     

Syntheses,crystal structures,and physical properties of dinuclear copper(I) and tetranuclear mixed-valence copper(I,II) complexes with hydroxylated bipyridyl-like ligands

Four copper complexes with hydroxylated bipyridyl-like ligands, namely [Cu(2)(ophen)(2)] (1), [Cu(4)(ophen)(4)(tp)] (2), [Cu(4)(obpy)(4)(tp)] (3), and [Cu(4)(obpy)(4)(dpdc)].2H(2)O (4), (Hophen=2-hydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline, Hobpy=6-hydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine, tp=terephthalate, dpdc=diphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate) have been synthesized hydrothermally. X-ray single-crystal structural analyses of these complexes reveal that 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) or 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) ligands are hydroxylated into ophen or obpy during the reaction, which provides structural evidence for the long-time argued Gillard mechanism. The dinuclear copper(I) complex 1 has three supramolecular isomers in the solid state, in which short copper-copper distances (2.66-2.68 A) indicate weak metal-metal bonding interactions. Each of the mixed-valence copper(i,ii) complexes 2-4 consists of a pair of [Cu(2)(ophen)(2)](+) or [Cu(2)(obpy)(2)](+) fragments bridged by a dicarboxylate ligand into a neutral tetranuclear dumbbell structure. Dinuclear 1 is an intermediate in the formation of 2 and can be converted into 2 in the presence of additional copper(II) salt and tp ligands under hydrothermal conditions. In addition to the ophen-centered pi-->pi* excited-state emission, 1 shows strong emissions at ambient temperature, which may be tentatively assigned as an admixture of copper-centered d-->s,p and MLCT excited states.     

Synthesis,crystal structures,and antibacterial activities of two copper(II) complexes derived from 1-[(2-morpholin-4-ylethylimino)methyl]-naphthalen-2-ol

A trinuclear complex, [Cu(Cu(μ-Br)₂L)₂], and a dinuclear complex, [Cu₂(μ-Cl)₂L₂], have been synthesized with the tridentate Schiff base 1-[(2-morpholin-4-ylethylimino)methyl]-naphthalen-2-ol (HL), derived from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthyaldehyde and 4-(2-aminoethyl)morpholine. Both complexes have been characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. [Cu(Cu(μ-Br)₂L)₂] is a centrosymmetric bromide and phenolate oxygen-bridged trinuclear compound, while complex [Cu₂(μ-Cl)₂L₂] is a centrosymmetric-chloride-bridged dinuclear compound. The central Cu(II) atom in [Cu(Cu(μ-Br)₂L)₂] is six-coordinated in an octahedral coordination, while other Cu(II) atoms in both complexes are five-coordinated in square-pyramidal coordinations. Both complexes and HL were tested in vitro for their antibacterial activities.     

A Diphenoxo-bridged Ferromagnetic Copper（Ⅱ） Dimer Based on N-（2-Hydroxybenzyl）salicylaldimine

A new dinuclear copper（Ⅱ） complex, [Cu（L）（py）]2 1 （H2L = N-（2-hydroxybenzyl）- salicylaldimine, py = pyridine）, has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV spectra. 1 crystallizes in space group P2 1/n with a = 8.2106, b = 10.715, c = 17.864A, β = 99.365°, V = 1550.7A3, Z = 4, C19H16CuN2O2, Mr = 367.88, Dc = 1.576 g/cm3,μ（MoKα） = 1.422 mm-1, F（000） = 756, the final R = 0.0280 and wR = 0.0746. Complex 1 is a centrosymmetric dimer with two copper（H） centers, two py ligands and two L2- ligands. Each L2- ligand donates its azomethine nitrogen and one of the phenolate groups to one copper（Ⅱ） ion and shares the other phenolate group between the two copper（H） ions, affording a Cu2O2 plane. Each copper（Ⅱ） center has a slightly distorted square pyramidal geometry with a bridging phenolate group at the apex. Magnetic studies suggest the presence of a weak ferromagnetic interaction Via two phenoxo bridges. The magnetic susceptibility data （2-300 K） of complex 1 were analyzed by means of H = -2JS1S2 -DSz. The least-squares fitting of the data to the theoretical equation leads to J = 10.3 cm-1, g = 2.03, D = 0.67 cm-1 and R = ∑（Xobsd -Xcalcd）2/∑Xobsd2= 2.76 × 10^-3.     

Spectroscopic and electronic structure studies of phenolate Cu(II) complexes: phenolate ring orientation and activation related to cofactor biogenesis

A combination of spectroscopies and DFT calculations have been used to define the electronic structures of two crystallographically defined Cu(II)-phenolate complexes. These complexes differ in the orientation of the phenolate ring which results in different bonding interactions of the phenolate donor orbitals with the Cu(II), which are reflected in the very different spectroscopic properties of the two complexes. These differences in electronic structures lead to significant differences in DFT calculated reactivities with oxygen. These calculations suggest that oxygen activation via a Cu(I) phenoxyl ligand-to-metal charge transfer complex is highly endergonic (>50 kcal/mol), hence an unlikely pathway. Rather, the two-electron oxidation of the phenolate forming a bridging Cu(II) peroxoquinone complex is more favorable (11.3 kcal/mol). The role of the oxidized metal in mediating this two-electron oxidation of the coordinated phenolate and its relevance to the biogenesis of the covalently bound topa quinone in amine oxidase are discussed.     

Models for the active site in galactose oxidase: Structure, spectra and redox of copper(II) complexes of certain phenolate ligands

Galactose oxidase (GOase) is a fungal enzyme which is unusual among metalloenzymes in appearing to catalyse the two electron oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes and H₂O₂. The crystal structure of the enzyme reveals that the coordination geometry of mononuclear copper(II) ion is square pyramidal, with two histidine imidazoles, a tyrosinate, and either H₂O (pH 7.0) or acetate (from buffer,pH 4-5) in the equatorial sites and a tyrosinate ligand weakly bound in the axial position. This paper summarizes the results of our studies on the structure, spectral and redox properties of certain novel models for the active site of the inactive form of GOase. The monophenolato Cu(II) complexes of the type [Cu(L1)X][H(L1) = 2-(bis(pyrid-2-ylmethyl)aminomethyl)-4-nitrophenol and X⁻ = Cl⁻ 1, NCS⁻ 2, CH₃COO⁻ 3, ClO₄ ⁻ 4] reveal a distorted square pyramidal geometry around Cu(II) with an unusual axial coordination of phenolate moiety. The coordination geometry of 3 is reminiscent of the active site of GOase with an axial phenolate and equatorial CH₃COO⁻ ligands. All the present complexes exhibit several electronic and EPR spectral features which are also similar to the enzyme. Further, to establish the structural and spectroscopic consequences of the coordination of two tyrosinates in GOase enzyme, we studied the monomeric copper(II) complexes containing two phenolates and imidazole/pyridine donors as closer structural models for GOase. N,N-dimethylethylenediamine and N,N’-dimethylethylenediamine have been used as starting materials to obtain a variety of 2,4-disubstituted phenolate ligands. The X-ray crystal structures of the complexes [Cu(L5)(py)], (8) [H₂(L5) = N,N-dimethyl-N’,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-nitrobenzyl) ethylenediamine, py = pyridine] and [Cu(L8)(H₂O)] (11), [H₂(L8) = N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-nitrobenzyl)ethylenediamine] reveal distorted square pyramidal geometries around Cu(II) with the axial tertiary amine nitrogen and water coordination respectively. Interestingly, for the latter complex there are two different molecules present in the same unit cell containing the methyl groups of the ethylenediamine fragmentcis to each other in one molecule andtrans to each other in the other. The ligand field and EPR spectra of the model complexes reveal square-based geometries even in solution. The electrochemical and chemical means of generating novel radical species of the model complexes, analogous to the active form of the enzyme is presently under investigation.     

A copper complex bearing a TEMPO moiety as catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of primary alcohols

A new bifunctional, triazine-based ligand has been designed with the aim to generate a copper(II) complex holding a TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy) moiety. The coordination compound obtained from the ligand 4-(2-(3-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethoxy)-6-(4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl)-N,N-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-amine (pypzt-1) and copper(II) bromide (i.e. complex 8) is capable of catalysing the selective, aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to 84% of benzaldehyde in 24 h. This "galactose oxidase activity" of the copper/TEMPO complex is observed as well for the conversion of the non-activated alkyl alcohol octan-1-ol to octanal with a yield of 29% after the same reaction time. The single-crystal X-ray structure of 8 shows that its crystal lattice contains [Cu(I)Br(2)](-) anions which appear to be stabilised by means of both anion-pi and hydrogen bonding interactions. In addition, the solid state structure of 8 exhibits (lone-pair)-pi interactions between the nitrogen atom of an acetonitrile molecule and a triazine ring. The magnetic properties of 8 have been investigated by EPR and magnetic susceptibility measurements.     

Snapshots of a metamorphosing Cu(II) ground state in a galactose oxidase-inspired complex

The novel ligand 2,6-bis[S-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylmethyl]pyridine (H(2)L1) and its copper(II) complex Cu(L1), 1, were synthesized with the aim of constructing a model of the active site of the enzyme galactose oxidase (GOase). Cyclic voltammetry studies show that 1 undergoes ligand-based quasi-reversible oxidations (phenolate/phenoxyl) and reversible metal-based reduction [copper(II)/copper(I)] similar to those of GOase, but at potentials much higher and lower, respectively, than those found for the enzyme. At room temperature, spectrophotometric titrations show that 1 binds strongly to 1 equiv of pyridine. In frozen solutions (77 K), 1 quantitatively binds both pyridine and ethers (e.g., 1,4-dioxane) as assessed by X- and Q-band EPR spectroscopy. Profound shifts in the pattern of g values result, from rhombic (g(1) > g(2) > g(3)) in toluene to either inverted axial patterns (g(1) = g(2) > g(3)) in the presence of ethers or a near-axial pattern (g(1) > g(2) > g(3)) in the presence of pyridine. Crystallographic analyses of the parent complex 1.MeCN, the dioxane-bridged dimer [(Cu(L1))(2)((mu-1,4)-1,4-dioxane)].(Me(2)CO)(2) (2), and the pyridine complex [Cu(L1)(pyridine)] (3) show that the pyridine and ether ligands bond to copper at a sixth octahedral position left vacant by the pentadentate NO(2)S(2) coordination mode of L1(2-) and induce perturbations of its geometry. Hybrid DFT calculations based on the crystallographic coordinates combined with perturbation theory expressions for the g values of a d(9) system correlate the results from EPR spectroscopy to the proportions of d(x)(2)(-)(y)(2) and d(z)(2) character in the relevant copper-centered unoccupied molecular orbital. The combination of spectroscopic, structural, and computational results for this set of copper(II) complexes provides a demonstrative example of the physical phenomena underlying rhombic EPR spectra of d(9) systems.     

Galactose oxidase models: tuning the properties of CuII-phenoxyl radicals

Four tripodal ligands with an N(3)O coordination sphere were synthesized: (2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl-5-nitrobenzyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (LNO(2)H), (2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl-5- fluorobenzyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (LFH), (2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (LtBuH) and (2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl-5-methoxybenzyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (LOMeH). Their square-pyramidal copper(II) complexes, in which the phenol subunit occupies an axial position, were prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography and UV/Vis and EPR spectroscopy. The phenolate moieties of the copper(II) complexes of LtBuH and LOMeH were electrochemically oxidized to phenoxyl radicals. These complexes are EPR-active (S=1), highly stable (k(decay)=0.008 min(-1) for [Cu(II)(LOMe(.))(CH(3)CN)](2+)) and stoichiometrically oxidise benzyl alcohol. Two additional tripodal ligands providing an N(2)O(2) coordination sphere were also studied: (2-pyridylmethyl)(2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl-5-methoxybenzyl)(2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl-5-nitrobenzyl)amine (L'OMeNO(2)H(2)) and (2-pyridylmethyl)bis(2-hydroxy-3-tert-butyl-5- methoxy)benzylamine (L'OMe(2)H(2)). Their copper(II) complexes were isolated as dimers ([Cu(2II)(L'OMe(2))(2)], [Cu(2II)(L'OMeNO(2))(2)]) that are converted to monomers on addition of pyridine. The complexes were investigated by X-ray crystallography and UV/Vis and EPR spectroscopy. Their one-electron electrochemical oxidation leads to copper(II)-phenoxyl systems that are less stable than those of the N(3)O complexes. The N(2)O(2) complexes are more reactive than the N(3)O analogues: they aerobically oxidize benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde at a higher rate, as well as ethanol to acetaldehyde (40-80 turnovers).     

仿生合成中的单核铜蛋白及其含铜金属模拟酶的研究

仿生化学的研究重点之一是对各类天然金属酶的氧化模拟。文章主要综述了近年来国内外对含金属铜的单核蛋白质体蓝素结构、半乳糖氧化酶、含铜的胺氧化酶和铜锌超氧歧化酶等的结构特点和催化功能的研究进展。质体蓝素结构为畸变的四面体,参与光合作用过程中电子传递;半乳糖氧化酶活性中心结构是平面四边形,能将伯醇氧化成相应的醛;铜锌超氧歧化...     

双核铜蛋白模型化合物的合成、氧合和催化苯偶姻的氧化

在碱的作用下,2,4-双(N-咪唑甲基)-6-取代苯酚(1)和2,6-双(N-咪唑甲基)-4-氯苯酚(2)与1,2-二溴乙烷、1,3-二溴丙烷、1,4-二溴丁烷或α,α'-二溴间二甲苯反应,合成了新型的模型配体(3～9)。配体与[Cu(CH~3CN)~4]ClO~4反应,得到两个咪唑基与铜配位的双核铜蛋白模型化合物(10～16)。研究了模型物的氧合作用,发现模型物15和氧气反应,发生分子内的羟化,生成μ-酚氧基-μ-羟基的双核铜(Ⅱ)配合物,其它模型与氧气反应,生成双(μ-羟基)双核铜(Ⅱ)配合物。以4为例,详细研究了其模型物催化氧化苯偶姻的反应及反应动力学。考查了碱、外加配体、金属离子等对氧化反应的影响,发现模型物的活性是铜盐或单核铜配合物活性的近六倍。求出了反应的动力学参数V~m~a~x、k~m分别为9.47×10^-^5mol·dm^-^3·s^-^1和0.0418mol·dm^-^3,表明模型物催化的苯偶姻反应,遵从Michaelis-Menten动力学规律。