Elucidating the Coordination Chemistry and Mechanism of Biological Nitrogen Fixation

How does the enzyme nitrogenase reduce the inert molecule N₂ to NH₃ under ambient conditions that are so different from the energy‐expensive conditions of the best industrial practices? This review focuses on recent theoretical investigations of the catalytic site, the iron–molybdenum cofactor FeMo‐co, and the way in which it is hydrogenated by protons and electrons and then binds N₂. Density functional calculations provide reaction profiles and activation energies for possible mechanistic steps. This establishes a conceptual framework and the principles for the coordination chemistry of FeMo‐co that are essential to the chemical mechanism of catalysis. The model advanced herein explains relevant experimental data.     

Storage of CO2 into Porous Coordination Polymer Controlled by Molecular Rotor Dynamics

Design to store gas molecules, such as CO₂, H₂, and CH₄, under low pressure is one of the most important challenges in chemistry and materials science. Herein, we describe the storage of CO₂ in the cavities of a porous coordination polymer (PCP) using molecular rotor dynamics. Owing to the narrow pore windows of PCP, CO₂ was not adsorbed at 195 K. As the temperature increased, the rotors exhibited rotational modes; such rotations dynamically expanded the size of the windows, leading to CO₂ adsorption. The rotational frequencies of the rotors (k≈10^?6 s) and correlation times of adsorbed CO₂ (τ≈10^?8 s) were elucidated via solid‐state NMR studies, which suggest that the slow rotation of the rotors sterically restricts CO₂ diffusion in the pores. This restriction results in an unusually slow CO₂ mobility close to solid state (τ≥10^?8 s). Once adsorbed at room temperature, CO₂ is robustly stored in the PCP under vacuum at 195–233 K because of the steric hindrance of the rotors. We also demonstrate that this mechanism can be applied to the storage of CH₄.     

Responsive Metal Complexes: A Click‐Based “Allosteric Scorpionate” Complex Permits the Detection of a Biological Recognition Event by EPR/ENDOR Spectroscopy

Click to detect! Azamacrocyclic complexes with a triazole scorpion ligand may be easily assembled, as shown for a biotin‐functionalised cyclam derivative. Coordination of the triazole to the metal is perturbed by the binding of avidin to the pendant ligand (see scheme). This event can be sensitively detected with EPR and ENDOR spectroscopy, which confirm the loss of the axial triazole nitrogen donor upon avidin binding. This general strategy may have wide applications in imaging and therapeutics.

     

Copper(II) interaction with prion peptide fragments encompassing histidine residues within and outside the octarepeat domain: speciation, stability constants and binding details

A 31-mer polypeptide, which encompasses residues 84-114 of human prion protein HuPrP(84-114) and contains three histidyl residues, namely one from the octarepeat (His85) and two histidyl residues from outside the octarepeat region (His96 and His111), and its mutants with two histidyl residues HuPrP(84-114)His85Ala, HuPrP(84-114) His96Ala, HuPrP(84-114)His111Ala and HuPrP(91-115) have been synthesised and their Cu2+ complexes studied by potentiometric and spectroscopic (UV/Vis, CD, EPR, ESI-MS) techniques. The results revealed a high Cu2+-binding affinity of all peptides, and the spectroscopic studies made it possible to clarify the coordination mode of the peptides in the different complex species. The imidazole nitrogen donor atoms of histidyl residues are the exclusive metal-binding sites below pH 5.5, and they have a preference for macrochelate structure formation. The deprotonation and metal-ion coordination of amide functions take place by increasing the pH; all of the histidines can be considered to be independent metal-binding sites in these species. As a consequence, di- and trinuclear complexes can be present even in equimolar samples of the metal ion and peptides, but the ratios of polynuclear species do not exceed the statistically expected ones; this excludes the possibility of cooperative Cu2+ binding. The species with a (N(im),N,N)-binding mode are favoured around pH 7, and their stability is enhanced by the macrochelation from another histidyl residue in the mononuclear complexes. The independence of the histidyl sites results in the existence of coordination isomers and the preference for metal binding follows the order of: His111>His96>His85. Deprotonation and metal-ion coordination of the third amide functions were detected in slightly alkaline solutions at each of the metal-binding sites; all had a (N(im),N,N,N)-coordination mode. Spectroscopic measurements also made it clear that the four lysyl amino groups of the peptides are not metal-binding sites in any cases.     

基础化学与特色专业化学的承接与协调——以煤化学中“胶质体”为例

针对特色专业化学教学过程中与基础化学知识的承接和协调问题，将繁杂的基础知识和专业理论设定成不同的学习目标，对课程内容重新梳理和组织。以PBL教学理念进行教学设计，强化学习过程中的自我管理和解决问题的能力；以CBL模式进行案例分析，将抽象枯燥的理论知识变成直观、生动、形象的案例，促使学生不断思考该问题或现象出现的原因和机制，克服了普通教学法理论与实践相互联系不足的缺点。对知识点的讲解采取"因-果"相承、"点-面"结合、"抽象-具体"对照的授课方法，获得了良好的教学效果。     

CO2 Fixation into Novel CO2 Storage Materials Composed of 1,2‐Ethanediamine and Ethylene Glycol Derivatives

A new CO₂ fixation process into solid CO₂‐storage materials (CO₂SMs) under mild conditions has been developed. The novel application of amine–glycol systems to the capture, storage, and utilization of CO₂ with readily available 1,2‐ethanediamine (EDA) and ethylene glycol derivatives (EGs) was demonstrated. Typically, the CO₂SMs were isolated in 28.9–47.5 % yields, followed by extensive characterization using ¹³C NMR, XRD, and FTIR. We found that especially the resulting poly‐ethylene‐glycol‐300‐based CO₂SM (PCO₂SM) product could be processed into stable tablets for CO₂ storage; the aqueous PCO₂SM solution exhibited remarkable CO₂ capturing and releasing capabilities after multiple cycles. Most importantly, the EDA and PEG 300 released from PCO₂SM were found to act as facilitative surfactants for the multiple preparation of CaCO₃ microparticles with nano‐layer structure.     

Beyond Biological Chelation: Coordination of f-Block Elements by Polyhydroxamate Ligands

The promise of polyhydroxamic acid ligands for the selective chelation of the f-block elements is becoming increasingly more apparent. The initial studies of polyhydroxamic acid siderophores showed the formation of highly stable complexes with Pu^IV, but a higher preference for Fe^III hindered effective applications. The development of synthetic routes toward highly pure and customizable ligands containing multiple hydroxamic acids allowed for the growth of new classes of compounds. Although the first round of these ligands focused on the incorporation of siderophore-like frameworks, the new synthetic strategies led to small molecules of various frameworks and even resins for applications in the field of f-block element separations and biological desorption. Unfortunately, a lack of consistent stability-constant data makes direct comparisons across this body of work difficult. More studies into the stability constants and separations of the f-block elements in a variety of pH ranges is necessary to truly realize the potential for polyhydroxamic acid ligands.     

Relationship between Coordination Structure and Biological Activity of Copper(II) Nicotinate

1 INTRODUCTION In 1945, Braude[1] found for the first time that adding copper (Cu) ten times the normal requisite amount into the feed can improve the production property of the animal obviously. Therefore, from then on copper has been widely applied in pig- breeding industry as an effective growth-promoting agent, especially in the process of intensive culture, which plays an important part in improving the growth of animal and the production property. However, at the same time, the high…     

多酸化学综合性实验:Dawson型多酸配位聚合物制备与表征*

设计了Dawson型杂多酸的制备实验,同时结合最新科研成果,引入配体和过渡金属离子与Dawson型杂多酸水热合成多酸配位聚合物,并通过X射线粉末衍射表征、红外和热重对多酸配位聚合物进行结构表征。通过该实验,不仅让学生了解多酸配位聚合物这一无机合成化学前沿领域,还可以锻炼学生的科研思维,在培养化学研究兴趣的同时提升创新思维和知识融会贯通的能力。     

Evidence of CuI/CuII Redox Process by X‐ray Absorption and EPR Spectroscopy: Direct Synthesis of Dihydrofurans from β‐Ketocarbonyl Derivatives and Olefins

The Cu^I/Cu^II and Cu^I/Cu^III catalytic cycles have been subject to intense debate in the field of copper‐catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions. A mechanistic study on the Cu^I/Cu^II redox process, by X‐ray absorption (XAS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies, has elucidated the reduction mechanism of Cu^II to Cu^I by 1,3‐diketone and detailed investigation revealed that the halide ion is important for the reduction process. The oxidative nature of the thereby‐formed Cu^I has also been studied by XAS and EPR spectroscopy. This mechanistic information is applicable to the copper‐catalyzed oxidative cyclization of β‐ketocarbonyl derivatives to dihydrofurans. This protocol provides an ideal route to highly substituted dihydrofuran rings from easily available 1,3‐dicarbonyls and olefins.     

New Twists and Turns for Actinide Chemistry: Organometallic Infinite Coordination Polymers of Thorium Diazide

Two organometallic 1D infinite coordination polymers and two organometallic monometallic complexes of thorium diazide have been synthesized and characterized. Steric control of these self‐assembled arrays, which are dense in thorium and nitrogen, has also been demonstrated: infinite chains can be circumvented by using steric bulk either at the metallocene or with a donor ligand in the wedge.     

Harnessing the Flexibility of Peptidic Scaffolds to Control their Copper(II)‐Coordination Properties: A Potentiometric and Spectroscopic Study

Designing small peptides that are capable of binding Cu²⁺ ions mainly through the side‐chain functionalities is a hard task because the amide nitrogen atoms strongly compete for Cu²⁺ ion coordination. However, the design of such peptides is important for obtaining biomimetic small systems of metalloenyzmes as well as for the development of artificial systems. With this in mind, a cyclic decapeptide, C‐Asp, which contained three His residues and one Asp residue, and its linear derivative, O‐Asp, were synthesized. The C‐Asp peptide has two Pro? Gly β‐turn‐inducer units and, as a result of cyclization, and as shown by CD spectroscopy, its backbone is constrained into a more defined conformation than O‐Asp, which is linear and contains a single Pro? Gly unit. A detailed potentiometric, mass spectrometric, and spectroscopic study (UV/Vis, CD, and EPR spectroscopy) showed that at a 1:1 Cu²⁺/peptide ratio, both peptides formed a major [CuHL]²⁺ species in the pH range 5.0–7.5 (C‐Asp) and 5.5–7.0 (O‐Asp). The corrected stability constants of the protonated species (log K*_CuH(O?Asp)=9.28 and log K*_CuH(C?Asp)=10.79) indicate that the cyclic peptide binds Cu²⁺ ions with higher affinity. In addition, the calculated value of K_eff shows that this higher affinity for Cu²⁺ ions prevails at all pH values, not only for a 1:1 ratio but even for a 2:1 ratio. The spectroscopic data of both [CuHL]²⁺ species are consistent with the exclusive coordination of Cu²⁺ ions by the side‐chain functionalities of the three His residues and the Asp residue in a square‐planar or square‐pyramidal geometry. Nonetheless, although these data show that, upon metal coordination, both peptides adopt a similar fold, the larger conformational constraints that are present in the cyclic scaffold results in different behaviour for both [CuHL]²⁺ species. CD and NMR analysis revealed the formation of a more rigid structure and a slower Cu²⁺‐exchange rate for [CuH(C‐Asp)]²⁺ compared to [CuH(O‐Asp]²⁺. This detailed comparative study shows that cyclization has a remarkable effect on the Cu²⁺‐coordination properties of the C‐Asp peptide, which binds Cu²⁺ ions with higher affinity at all pH values, stabilizes the [CuHL]²⁺ species in a wider pH range, and has a slower Cu²⁺‐exchange rate compared to O‐Asp.