Metal ion effect on the switch of mechanism from direct oxygen transfer to metal ion-coupled electron transfer in the sulfoxidation of thioanisoles by a non-heme iron(IV)-oxo complex

The mechanism of sulfoxidation of thioaniosoles by a non-heme iron(IV)-oxo complex is switched from direct oxygen transfer to metal ion-coupled electron transfer by the presence of Sc(3+). The switch in the sulfoxidation mechanism is dependent on the one-electron oxidation potentials of thioanisoles. The rate of sulfoxidation is accelerated as much as 10(2)-fold by the addition of Sc(3+).     

Scandium ion-enhanced oxidative dimerization and N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylanilines by a non-heme iron(IV)-oxo complex

Oxidative dimerization of N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) occurs with a nonheme iron(IV)-oxo complex, [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+) (N4Py = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine), to yield the corresponding dimer, tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), in acetonitrile. The rate of the oxidative dimerization of DMA by [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+) is markedly enhanced by the presence of scandium triflate, Sc(OTf)(3) (OTf = CF(3)SO(3)(-)), when TMB is further oxidized to the radical cation (TMB(?+)). In contrast, we have observed the oxidative N-demethylation with para-substituted DMA substrates, since the position of the C-C bond formation to yield the dimer is blocked. The rate of the oxidative N-demethylation of para-substituted DMA by [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+) is also markedly enhanced by the presence of Sc(OTf)(3). In the case of para-substituted DMA derivatives with electron-donating substituents, radical cations of DMA derivatives are initially formed by Sc(3+) ion-coupled electron transfer from DMA derivatives to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+), giving demethylated products. Binding of Sc(3+) to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+) enhances the Sc(3+) ion-coupled electron transfer from DMA derivatives to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+), whereas binding of Sc(3+) to DMA derivatives retards the electron-transfer reaction. The complicated kinetics of the Sc(3+) ion-coupled electron transfer from DMA derivatives to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+) are analyzed by competition between binding of Sc(3+) to DMA derivatives and to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+). The binding constants of Sc(3+) to DMA derivatives increase with the increase of the electron-donating ability of the para-substituent. The rate constants of Sc(3+) ion-coupled electron transfer from DMA derivatives to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+), which are estimated from the binding constants of Sc(3+) to DMA derivatives, agree well with those predicted from the driving force dependence of the rate constants of Sc(3+) ion-coupled electron transfer from one-electron reductants to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+). Thus, oxidative dimerization of DMA and N-demethylation of para-substituted DMA derivatives proceed via Sc(3+) ion-coupled electron transfer from DMA derivatives to [Fe(IV)(O)(N4Py)](2+).     

Buffer-assisted proton-coupled electron transfer in a model rhenium-tyrosine complex

The mechanism for tyrosyl radical generation in the [Re(P-Y)(phen)(CO)3]PF6 complex is investigated with a multistate continuum theory for proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. Both water and the phosphate buffer are considered as potential proton acceptors. The calculations indicate that the model in which the proton acceptor is the phosphate buffer species HPO(4)2- can successfully reproduce the experimentally observed pH dependence of the overall rate and H/D kinetic isotope effect, whereas the model in which the proton acceptor is water is not physically reasonable for this system. The phosphate buffer species HPO4(2-) is favored over water as the proton acceptor in part because the proton donor-acceptor distance is approximately 0.2 A smaller for the phosphate acceptor due to its negative charge. The physical quantities impacting the overall rate constant, including the reorganization energies, reaction free energies, activation free energies, and vibronic couplings for the various pairs of reactant/product vibronic states, are analyzed for both hydrogen and deuterium transfer. The dominant contribution to the rate arises from nonadiabatic transitions between the ground reactant vibronic state and the third product vibronic state for hydrogen transfer and the fourth product vibronic state for deuterium transfer. These contributions dominate over contributions from lower product states because of the larger vibronic coupling, which arises from the greater overlap between the reactant and product vibrational wave functions. These calculations provide insight into the fundamental mechanism of tyrosyl radical generation, which plays an important role in a wide range of biologically important processes.     

Modeling the cis-oxo-labile binding site motif of non-heme iron oxygenases: water exchange and oxidation reactivity of a non-heme iron(IV)-oxo compound bearing a tripodal tetradentate ligand

The spectroscopic and chemical characterization of a new synthetic non-heme iron(IV)-oxo species [Fe(IV)(O)((Me,H) Pytacn)(S)](2+) (2, (Me,H)Pytacn=1-(2'-pyridylmethyl)-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane, S=CH(3)CN or H(2)O) is described. Complex 2 was prepared by reaction of [Fe(II)(CF(3)SO(3))(2)((Me,H) Pytacn)] (1) with peracetic acid. Complex 2 bears a tetradentate N(4) ligand that leaves two cis sites available for binding an oxo group and a second external ligand but, unlike the related iron(IV)-oxo species with tetradentate ligands, it is remarkably stable at room temperature (t(1/2)>2 h at 288 K). Its ability to exchange the oxygen atom of the oxo ligand with water has been analyzed in detail by means of kinetic studies, and a mechanism is proposed on the basis of DFT calculations. Hydrogen-atom abstraction from C-H bonds and oxygen-atom transfer to sulfides by 2 have also been studied. Despite its thermal stability, 2 proves to be a very powerful oxidant that is capable of breaking the strong C-H bond of cyclohexane (bond dissociation energy=99.3 kcal mol(-1)).     

Nitrogen atom transfer from iron(IV) nitrido complexes: a dual-nature transition state for atom transfer

The mechanism of nitrogen atom transfer from four-coordinate tris(carbene)borate iron(IV) nitrido complexes to phosphines and phosphites has been investigated. In the absence of limiting steric effects, the rate of nitrogen atom transfer to phosphines increases with decreasing phosphine σ-basicity. This trend has been quantified by a Hammett study with para-substituted triarylphosphines, and is contrary to the expectations of an electrophilic nitrido ligand. On the basis of electronic structure calculations, a dual-nature transition state for nitrogen atom transfer is proposed, in which a key interaction involves the transfer of electron density from the nitrido highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to the phosphine lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). Compared to analogous atom transfer reactions from a 5d metal, these results show how the electronic plasticity of a 3d metal results in rapid atom transfer from pseudotetrahedral late metal complexes.     

A high-spin iron(IV)-oxo complex supported by a trigonal nonheme pyrrolide platform

We report the generation and characterization of a new high-spin iron(IV)-oxo complex supported by a trigonal nonheme pyrrolide platform. Oxygen-atom transfer to [(tpa(Mes))Fe(II)](-) (tpa(Ar) = tris(5-arylpyrrol-2-ylmethyl)amine) in acetonitrile solution affords the Fe(III)-alkoxide product [(tpa(Mes2MesO))Fe(III)](-) resulting from intramolecular C-H oxidation with no observable ferryl intermediates. In contrast, treatment of the phenyl derivative [(tpa(Ph))Fe(II)](-) with trimethylamine N-oxide in acetonitrile solution produces the iron(IV)-oxo complex [(tpa(Ph))Fe(IV)(O)](-) that has been characterized by a suite of techniques, including mass spectrometry as well as UV-vis, FTIR, M?ssbauer, XAS, and parallel-mode EPR spectroscopies. Mass spectral, FTIR, and optical absorption studies provide signatures for the iron-oxo chromophore, and M?ssbauer and XAS measurements establish the presence of an Fe(IV) center. Moreover, the Fe(IV)-oxo species gives parallel-mode EPR features indicative of a high-spin, S = 2 system. Preliminary reactivity studies show that the high-spin ferryl tpa(Ph) complex is capable of mediating intermolecular C-H oxidation as well as oxygen-atom transfer chemistry.     

Photocatalytic generation of a non-heme oxoiron(IV) complex with water as an oxygen source

The photocatalytic formation of a non-heme oxoiron(IV) complex, [(N4Py)Fe(IV)(O)](2+) [N4Py = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine], efficiently proceeds via electron transfer from the excited state of a ruthenium complex, [Ru(II)(bpy)(3)](2+)* (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) to [Co(III)(NH(3))(5)Cl](2+) and stepwise electron-transfer oxidation of [(N4Py)Fe(II)](2+) with 2 equiv of [Ru(III)(bpy)(3)](3+) and H(2)O as an oxygen source. The oxoiron(IV) complex was independently generated by both chemical oxidation of [(N4Py)Fe(II)](2+) with [Ru(III)(bpy)(3)](3+) and electrochemical oxidation of [(N4Py)Fe(II)](2+).     

Theoretical study of the mechanism of oxoiron(IV) formation from H2O2 and a nonheme iron(II) complex: O-O cleavage involving proton-coupled electron transfer

It has recently been shown that the nonheme oxoiron(IV) species supported by the 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane ligand (TMC) can be generated in near-quantitative yield by reacting [Fe(II)(TMC)(OTf)(2)] with a stoichiometric amount of H(2)O(2) in CH(3)CN in the presence of 2,6-lutidine (Li, F.; England, J.; Que, L., Jr. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 2134-2135). This finding has major implications for O-O bond cleavage events in both Fenton chemistry and nonheme iron enzymes. To understand the mechanism of this process, especially the intimate details of the O-O bond cleavage step, a series of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and analyses have been carried out. Two distinct reaction paths (A and B) were identified. Path A consists of two principal steps: (1) coordination of H(2)O(2) to Fe(II) and (2) a combination of partial homolytic O-O bond cleavage and proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). The latter combination renders the rate-limiting O-O cleavage effectively a heterolytic process. Path B proceeds via a simultaneous homolytic O-O bond cleavage of H(2)O(2) and Fe-O bond formation. This is followed by H abstraction from the resultant Fe(III)-OH species by an ?OH radical. Calculations suggest that path B is plausible in the absence of base. However, once 2,6-lutidine is added to the reacting system, the reaction barrier is lowered and more importantly the mechanistic path switches to path A, where 2,6-lutidine plays an essential role as an acid-base catalyst in a manner similar to how the distal histidine or glutamate residue assists in compound I formation in heme peroxidases. The reaction was found to proceed predominantly on the quintet spin state surface, and a transition to the triplet state, the experimentally known ground state for the TMC-oxoiron(IV) species, occurs in the last stage of the oxoiron(IV) formation process.     

Solvent effects on oxygen atom transfer reaction between manganese(V)-oxo corrole and alkene

Pseudo-first order reaction rate constants of 5,10,15-tris（pentafluorophenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo (F₁₅CMn（V）-oxo),5,15-bis（pentafluorophenyl）-10-（phenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo(F₁₀CMn（V）-oxo),5,15- bis（phenyl）-10-（pentafluorophenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo（F₅CMn（V）-oxo） and 5,10,15-tris（phenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo（F₀CMn（V）-oxo） with a series of alkene substrates in different solvents were determined by UV-vis spectroscopy.The results indicated that the oxygen atom transfer pathway between Mn（V）-oxo corrole and alkene is solvent-dependent.     

A highly reactive mononuclear non-heme manganese(IV)-oxo complex that can activate the strong C-H bonds of alkanes

A mononuclear non-heme manganese(IV)-oxo complex has been synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic methods. The Mn(IV)-oxo complex shows high reactivity in oxidation reactions, such as C-H bond activation, oxidations of olefins, alcohols, sulfides, and aromatic compounds, and N-dealkylation. In C-H bond activation, the Mn(IV)-oxo complex can activate C-H bonds as strong as those in cyclohexane. It is proposed that C-H bond activation by the non-heme Mn(IV)-oxo complex does not occur via an oxygen-rebound mechanism. The electrophilic character of the non-heme Mn(IV)-oxo complex is demonstrated by a large negative ρ value of -4.4 in the oxidation of para-substituted thioanisoles.     

New example of a non-heme mononuclear iron(IV) oxo complex. Spectroscopic data and oxidation activity

The green complex S=1 [(TPEN)FeO]2+ [TPEN=N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine] has been obtained by treating the [(TPEN)Fe]2+ precursor with meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA). This high-valent complex belongs to the emerging family of synthetic models of Fe(IV)=O intermediates invoked during the catalytic cycle of biological systems. This complex exhibits spectroscopic characteristics that are similar to those of other models reported recently with a similar amine/pyridine environment. Thanks to its relative stability, vibrational data in solution have been obtained by Fourier transform infrared. A comparison of the Fe=O and Fe=(18)O wavenumbers reveals that the Fe-oxo vibration is not a pure one. The ability of the green complex to oxidize small organic molecules has been studied. Mixtures of oxygenated products derived from two- or four-electron oxidations are obtained. The reactivity of this [FeO]2+ complex is then not straightforward, and different mechanisms may be involved.     

Preparation and properties of a monomeric Mn(IV)-oxo complex

Manganese-oxo complexes have long been investigated because of their proposed roles in biological and chemical catalysis. However, there are few examples of monomeric complexes with terminal oxo ligands, especially those with oxomanganese(IV) units. A oxomanganese(IV) complex has been prepared from [MnIIIH3buea(O)]2- ([H3buea]3-, tris[(N'-tert-butylureaylato)-N-ethylene]aminato), a monomeric MnIII-O complex in which the oxo ligand arises from cleavage of dioxygen. Treating [MnIIIH3buea(O)]2- with [Cp2Fe]BF4 in either DMF at -45 degrees C or DMSO at room temperature produces [MnIVH3buea(O)]-: lambdamax = 635 nm; nu(Mn-16O) = 737 cm-1; nu(Mn-18O) = 709 cm-1; g = 5.15, 2.44, 1.63, D = 3.0 cm-1, E/D = 0.26, aMn = 66 G (A = 190 MHz). These spectroscopic properties support the assignment of a mononuclear MnIV-oxo complex with an S = 3/2 ground state. Density functional theory supports this assignment and the Jahn-Teller distortion around the high-spin MnIV center that would alter the molecular structure of [MnIVH3buea(O)]- from trigonal symmetry (as indicated by the highly rhombic EPR signal). [MnIVH3buea(O)]- is relatively unstable in DMSO, converting to [MnIIIH3buea(OH)]- via a proposed X-H bond cleavage. [MnIVH3buea(O)]- reacts with 1,2-diphenylhydrazine to from azobenzene (95% yield) and [MnIIIH3buea(OH)]-. The MnIV-oxo does not react with triphenyl- or tricyclohexylphosphine. However, O-atom transfer is observed with methyldiphenylphosphine and dimethylphenylphosphine, producing the corresponding phosphine oxides. These results illustrate the diverse reactivity of the MnIV-oxo unit.     

Olefin epoxidation by the hydrogen peroxide adduct of a novel non-heme mangangese(IV) complex: demonstration of oxygen transfer by multiple mechanisms

Olefin epoxidations are a class of reactions appropriate for the investigation of oxygenation processes in general. Here, we report the catalytic epoxidation of various olefins with a novel, cross-bridged cyclam manganese complex, Mn(Me2EBC)Cl2 (Me2EBC is 4,11-dimethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazabicyclo[6.6.2]hexadecane), using hydrogen peroxide as the terminal oxidant, in acetone/water (ratio 4:1) as the solvent medium. Catalytic epoxidation studies with this system have disclosed reactions that proceed by a nonradical pathway other than the expected oxygen-rebound mechanism that is characteristic of high-valent, late-transition-metal catalysts. Direct treatment of olefins with freshly synthesized [Mn(IV)(Me2EBC)(OH)2](PF6)2 (pKa = 6.86) in either neutral or basic solution confirms earlier observations that neither the oxo-Mn(IV) nor oxo-Mn(V) species is responsible for olefin epoxidization in this case. Catalytic epoxidation experiments using the 18O labels in an acetone/water (H2(18)O) solvent demonstrate that no 18O from water (H2(18)O) is incorporated into epoxide products even though oxygen exchange was observed between the Mn(IV) species and H2(18)O, which leads to the conclusion that oxygen transfer does not proceed by the well-known oxygen-rebound mechanism. Experiments using labeled dioxygen, (18)O2, and hydrogen peroxide, H2(18)O2, confirm that an oxygen atom is transferred directly from the H2(18)O2 oxidant to the olefin substrate in the predominant pathway. The hydrogen peroxide adduct of this high-oxidation-state manganese complex, Mn(IV)(Me2EBC)(O)(OOH)+, was detected by mass spectra in aqueous solutions prepared from Mn(II)(Me2EBC)Cl2 and excess hydrogen peroxide. A Lewis acid pathway, in which oxygen is transferred to the olefin from that adduct, Mn(IV)(Me2EBC)(O)(OOH)+, is proposed for epoxidation reactions mediated by this novel, non-heme manganese complex. A minor radical pathway is also apparent in these systems.     

Ligand topology effect on the reactivity of a mononuclear nonheme iron(IV)-oxo complex in oxygenation reactions

Mononuclear nonheme iron(IV)-oxo complexes with two different topologies, cis-α-[Fe(IV)(O)(BQCN)](2+) and cis-β-[Fe(IV)(O)(BQCN)](2+), were synthesized and characterized with various spectroscopic methods. The effect of ligand topology on the reactivities of nonheme iron(IV)-oxo complexes was investigated in C-H bond activation and oxygen atom-transfer reactions; cis-α-[Fe(IV)(O)(BQCN)](2+) was more reactive than cis-β-[Fe(IV)(O)(BQCN)](2+) in the oxidation reactions. The reactivity difference between the cis-α and cis-β isomers of [Fe(IV)(O)(BQCN)](2+) was rationalized with the Fe(IV/III) redox potentials of the iron(IV)-oxo complexes: the Fe(IV/III) redox potential of the cis-α isomer was 0.11 V higher than that of the cis-β isomer.     

A density functional study of oxygen atom transfer reactions between biological oxygen atom donors and molybdenum(IV) bis(dithiolene) complexes

Density functional calculations have been used to investigate oxygen atom transfer reactions from the biological oxygen atom donors trimethylamine N-oxide (Me(3)NO) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to the molybdenum(IV) complexes [MoO(mnt)(2)](2-) and [Mo(OCH(3))(mnt)(2)](-) (mnt = maleonitrile-1,2-dithiolate), which may serve as models for mononuclear molybdenum enzymes of the DMSO reductase family. The reaction between [MoO(mnt)(2)](2-) and trimethylamine N-oxide was found to have an activation energy of 72 kJ/mol and proceed via a transition state (TS) with distorted octahedral geometry, where the Me(3)NO is bound through the oxygen to the molybdenum atom and the N-O bond is considerably weakened. The computational modeling of the reactions between dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and [MoO(mnt)(2)](2-) or [Mo(OCH(3))(mnt)(2)](-) indicated that the former is energetically unfavorable while the latter was found to be favorable. The addition of a methyl group to [MoO(mnt)(2)](2-) to form the corresponding des-oxo complex not only lowers the relative energy of the products but also lowers the activation energy. In addition, the reaction with [Mo(OCH(3))(mnt)(2)](-) proceeds via a TS with trigonal prismatic geometry instead of the distorted octahedral TS geometry modeled for the reaction between [MoO(mnt)(2)](2-) and Me(3)NO.     

Spectral observation of conversion between ionized vs. non-ionized proton-coupled electron transfer interfaces

Two-point hydrogen bonding between acid and base functionalities provides a convenient method for the modular assembly of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) networks, especially when that interface comprises an amidinium and two-point anionic partner; a system is presented that permits the proton configuration within the interface to be determined when pK(a) values of the conjugate acids are known.