Kinetics of hydrogen abstraction by active metal hydroxo and oxo intermediates: revealing their unexpected similarities in the transition state

The kinetics of hydrogen abstraction by manganese(IV) species having hydroxo or oxo group reveals that they have very similar reactive characters in the transition state of hydrogen abstraction.     

Hydrogen-atom transfer from transition metal hydroperoxides, hydrogen peroxide, and alkyl hydroperoxides to superoxo and oxo metal complexes

Superoxochromium(III) complexes L(H2O)CrOO2+ (L = (H2O)4 and 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) oxidize hydroperoxo complexes of rhodium and cobalt in an apparent hydrogen-atom transfer process, i.e., L(H2O)CrOO2+ + L(H2O)RhOOH2+ --> L(H2O)CrOOH2+ + L(H2O)RhOO2+. All of the measured rate constants fall in a narrow range, 17-135 M-1 s-1. These values are about 2.5-3.0 times smaller in D2O, where the hydroperoxo hydrogen is replaced by deuterium, and coordinated molecules of water by D2O. The failure of the back reaction to take place in the available concentration range places the O-H bond dissociation energy in RhOO-H2+ at or=80 kJ/mol) in the driving force for the two types of reactions. A chromyl ion, CrIVaqO2+, oxidizes L(H2O)RhOOH2+ and the cobalt analogs to the corresponding superoxo complexes. The rate constants are approximately 102-fold larger than those for the oxidation by CraqOO2+. The oxidation of tert-BuOOH by CrIVaqO2+ has k = 160 M-1 s-1 and exhibits an isotope effect kBuOOH/kBuOOD = 12. Hydrogen atom transfer from H2O2 to CraqOO2+ is slow, k approximately 10-3 M-1 s-1.     

A valence bond modeling of trends in hydrogen abstraction barriers and transition states of hydroxylation reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes

The paper outlines the fundamental factors that govern the mechanisms of alkane hydroxylation by cytochrome P450 and the corresponding barrier heights during the hydrogen abstraction and radical rebound steps of the process. This is done by a combination of density functional theory calculations for 11 alkanes and valence bond (VB) modeling of the results. The energy profiles and transition states for the various steps are reconstructed using VB diagrams (Shaik, S. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1981, 103, 3692-3701. Shaik, S.; Shurki, A. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1999, 38, 586-625.) and the DFT barriers are reproduced by the VB model from raw data based on C-H bond energies. The model explains a variety of other features of P450 hydroxylations: (a) the nature of the polar effect during hydrogen abstraction, (b) the difference between the activation mechanisms leading to the Fe(IV) vs the Fe(III) electromers, (c) the difference between the gas phase and the enzymatic reaction, and (d) the dependence of the rebound barrier on the spin state. The VB mechanism shows that the active species of the enzyme performs a complex reaction that involves multiple bond making and breakage mechanisms by utilizing an intermediate VB structure that cuts through the high barrier of the principal transformation between reactants and products, thereby mediating the process at a low energy cost. The correlations derived in this paper create order and organize the data for a process of a complex and important enzyme. This treatment can be generalized to the reactivity patterns of nonheme systems and synthetic iron-oxo porphyrin reagents.     

Oxidative reactivity difference among the metal oxo and metal hydroxo moieties: pH dependent hydrogen abstraction by a manganese(IV) complex having two hydroxide ligands

Clarifying the difference in redox reactivity between the metal oxo and metal hydroxo moieties for the same redox active metal ion in identical structures and oxidation states, that is, M(n+)O and M(n+)-OH, contributes to the understanding of nature's choice between them (M(n+)O or M(n+)-OH) as key active intermediates in redox enzymes and electron transfer enzymes, and provides a basis for the design of synthetic oxidation catalysts. The newly synthesized manganese(IV) complex having two hydroxide ligands, [Mn(Me(2)EBC)(2)(OH)(2)](PF(6))(2), serves as the prototypic example to address this issue, by investigating the difference in the hydrogen abstracting abilities of the Mn(IV)O and Mn(IV)-OH functional groups. Independent thermodynamic evaluations of the O-H bond dissociation energies (BDE(OH)) for the corresponding reduction products, Mn(III)-OH and Mn(III)-OH(2), reveal very similar oxidizing power for Mn(IV)O and Mn(IV)-OH (83 vs 84.3 kcal/mol). Experimental tests showed that hydrogen abstraction proceeds at reasonable rates for substrates having BDE(CH) values less than 82 kcal/mol. That is, no detectable reaction occurred with diphenyl methane (BDE(CH) = 82 kcal/mol) for both manganese(IV) species. However, kinetic measurements for hydrogen abstraction showed that at pH 13.4, the dominant species Mn(Me(2)EBC)(2)(O)(2), having only Mn(IV)O groups, reacts more than 40 times faster than the Mn(IV)-OH unit in Mn(Me(2)EBC)(2)(OH)(2)(2+), the dominant reactant at pH 4.0. The activation parameters for hydrogen abstraction from 9,10-dihydroanthracene were determined for both manganese(IV) moieties: over the temperature range 288-318 K for Mn(IV)(OH)(2)(2+), DeltaH(double dagger) = 13.1 +/- 0.7 kcal/mol, and DeltaS(double dagger) = -35.0 +/- 2.2 cal K(-1) mol(-1); and the temperature range 288-308 K for for Mn(IV)(O)(2), DeltaH(double dagger) = 12.1 +/- 1.8 kcal/mol, and DeltaS(double dagger) = -30.3 +/- 5.9 cal K(-1) mol(-1).     

Excited-state mixed valence in transition metal complexes

Mixed valence in the lowest-energy metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited state of di-(4-acetylpyridine)tetraammineruthenium(II) complexes is defined and analyzed. The excited state has two interchangeably equivalent ligands with different oxidation states. The electronic absorption band energies, selection rules, and bandwidths are analyzed quantitatively in terms of the signs and orientations of the transition dipole moments, sign and magnitude of the coupling, and resonance Raman analysis of displaced normal modes.     

2+3] Cycloaddition of ethylene to transition metal oxo compounds. analysis of density functional results by marcus theory.

Density functional results on the [2+3] cycloaddition of ethylene to various transition metal complexes MO(3)(q) and LMO(3)(q) (q = -1, 0, 1) with M = Mo, W, Mn, Tc, Re, and Os and various ligands L = Cp, CH(3), Cl, and O show that the corresponding activation barriers DeltaE(double dagger) depend in quadratic fashion on the reaction energies DeltaE(0) as predicted by Marcus theory. A thermoneutral reaction is characterized by the intrinsic reaction barrier DeltaE(0) of 25.1 kcal/mol. Both ethylene [2+3] cycloaddition to an oxo complex and the corresponding homolytic M-O bond dissociation are controlled by the reducibility of the transition metal center. Indeed, from the easily calculated M-O bond dissociation energy of the oxo complex one can predict the reaction energy DeltaE(0) and hence, by Marcus theory, the corresponding activation barrier DeltaE. This allows a systematic representation of more than 25 barriers of [2+3] cycloaddition reactions that range from 5 to 70 kcal/mol.     

Carboxylate ligands drastically enhance the rates of oxo exchange and hydrogen peroxide disproportionation by oxo manganese compounds of potential biological significance

To mimic the carboxylate-rich active site of the manganese catalases more closely we introduced carboxylate groups into dimanganese complexes in place of nitrogen ligands. The series of dimanganese(III,IV) complexes of tripodal ligands [Mn(2)(L)(2)(O)(2)](3+/+/-/3-) was extended from those of tpa (1) and H(bpg) (2) to those of H(2)(pda) (3) and H(3)(nta) (4) (tpa=tris-picolylamine, H(bpg)=bis-picolylglycylamine, H(2)(pda)=picolyldiglycylamine, H(3)(nta)=nitrilotriacetic acid). While 3 [Mn(2)(pda)(2)(O)(2)][Na(H(2)O)(3)] could be synthesized at -20 degrees C and characterized in the solid state, 4 [Mn(2)(nta)(2)(O)(2)](3-) could be obtained and studied only in solution at -60 degrees C. A new synthetic procedure for the dimanganese(III,III) complexes was devised, using stoichiometric reduction of the dimanganese(III,IV) precursor by the benzil radical with EPR monitoring. This enabled the preparation of the parent dimanganese(III,III) complex 5 [Mn(2)(tpa)(2)(O)(2)](ClO(4))(2), which was structurally characterized. The UV/visible, IR, EPR, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of complexes 1-3 and 5 were analyzed to assess the electronic changes brought about by the carboxylate replacement of pyridine ligands. The kinetics of the oxo ligand exchanges with labeled water was examined in acetonitrile solution. A dramatic effect of the number of carboxylates was evidenced. Interestingly, the influence of the second carboxylate substitution differs from that of the first one probably because this substitution occurs on an out-of-plane coordination while the former occurs in the plane of the [Mn(2)O(2)] core. Indeed, on going from 1 to 3 the exchange rate was increased by a factor of 50. Addition of triethylamine caused a rate increase for 1, but not for 3. The abilities of 1-3 to disproportionate H(2)O(2) were assessed volumetrically. The disproportionation exhibited a sensitivity corresponding to the carboxylate substitution. These observations strongly suggest that the carboxylate ligands in 2 and 3 act as internal bases.     

Chemical bonding in refractory transition metal compounds with 8, 9, and 10 valence electrons

The chemical bonding in the refractory transition metal compounds TiC, TiN, and VN is investigated by experimental and theoretical techniques. High-precision X-ray diffraction is used to determine the electron densities in these three compounds experimentally. The X-ray structure factors and the respective valence electron densities are used twice, once to understand the chemical bonding and once to relate the experimental charge densities to those obtained from band structure calculations. These calculations, which in general are in very good agreement with experimental data, utilize the linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) method. Theory and experiment lead to a detailed analysis of the chemical bonding in these compounds with 8, 9, and 10 valence electrons. By decomposition of the theoretical charge density into contributions from different states (energy regions), it was possible to show the strong covalent nonmetal p-metal d interaction, which is otherwise apparent only in TiC, but not in TiN or VN. In the latter two compounds the additional electrons occupy mainly metal d states with t_2g symmetry, so that in the total valence charge densities the most important bonding feature is covered. In addition to covalent interactions all compounds have a metallic bonding contribution as well as a considerable charge transfer from the metal to the nonmetal site. This mixture in chemical bonding accounts for the unusual combination of properties such as ultrahardness, high melting points, and good conductivity.     

Early-late transition metal ferromagnetic coupling mediated by hydrogen bonding

Hydrogen bonding between early and late transition metal complexes is proposed as a strategy to obtain ferromagnetic interactions based on a theoretical study using density functional calculations.     

Conformational searching of transition metal compounds

To date, no conformational search of inorganic complexes has been reported that searches for all the conformations and configurations available to the complex. This is due to the various coordination geometries that transition metal ions can adopt and the difficulties in conducting conformational searches with systems that have connected ring systems, such as the ones formed when a metal ion binds a multidentate ligand. Using three test complexes {[Co(dien)₂]³⁺, [Co(dien)(dpt)]³⁺, and [Co(hexamethylcyclam)(Cl)} the ability of the random kick (Cartesian stochastic Monte Carlo search) method and the Monte Carlo dihedral and positional method to find all conformations and geometric isomers was tested (dien, diethylenetriamine; dpt, di(3-aminopropyl)amine; hexamethylcyclam: tet-a, meso-5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane; tet-b, racemic-5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane). Both methods are significant improvements on the current method by which all possible isomers are entered graphically and minimized individually. The major difficulty that was encountered was how to differentiate between the large number of similar conformations found. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 1549–1558, 1999     

Superconductivity of some transition metal compounds

Single crystals of niobium carbonitride were made by zone melting growth methods and single crystals of γ-NbN and δ-NbN by zone annealing crystal growth. The crystals are nonstoichiometric in contrast to the niobium carbonitride or niobium nitride prepared in reaction with nitrogen gas and niobium-niobium carbide mixtures and niobium metal, respectively. The transition temperature for superconductivity (T_c) decreases with increasing deviation from stoichiometry, and a determination of T_c is a nondestructive determination of this deviation. An instrument using the Wheatstone bridge principle is described and T_c values are listed for some nonstoichiometric single crystals of niobium carbonitride and niobium nitride.     

Activation-controlled hydrogen abstraction by benzophenone triplet

Through nanosecond flash photolysis measurements, activation energies for hydrogen abstraction by benzophenone triplet have been shown to correlate with solvent molecular structure. We demonstrate that two successive processes result in photoproduct generation. One, triplet quenching, is independent of macroscopic viscosity, and is not simply reflected in the observed quantum yield. The second process involves separation of two caged radicals, and does not occur in rigid media.     

On the mechanism of hydrogen oxidation on layered compounds of graphite with transition metals

Strongly bound oxygen separately adsorbed on LCG-M is inert with respect to H₂. In catalysis with the simultaneous presence of O₂ and H₂, a weakly bound (presumably, molecular) form of oxygen participates. Catalytic reaction exerts a protective effect on LCG-M, inhibiting the strong dissociative chemisorption of oxygen.

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- H₂. , O₂ H₂, . -, .

     

Rate constants for hydrogen abstraction by resonance stabilized radicals in high temperature liquids

Benzylic H-atom abstraction rates by diphenylmethyl radicals from a series of donors were determined in nonpolar liquids at elevated temperatures. Relative rates were converted to absolute rates via available equilibrium constant data for the dimerization of diphenylmethyl radicals. Abstraction by diphenylmethyl from 1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin) was studied over the temperature range 489–573 K. Its Arrhenius expression is 10^9.9±0.3 exp{?(10183 ± 373)/T} M^?1 s^?1. Abstraction from other donors was studied at 548 K. Rate constant values ranged from a low of 3.6 M^?1 s^?1 for toluene to a high of 3000 M^?1 s^?1 for 9, 10-dihydroanthracene. Similar reactions with the fluorenyl radical were also studied. In this case, relative rates were converted to absolute rates with an equilibrium constant for fluorenyl dimerization determined from the observed homolysis rate of the dimer and an assumed recombination rate. In addition, forward and reverse rate measurements yielded the equilibrium constant for hydrogen transfer between fluorenyl and diphenylmethyl. At 548 K, fluorenyl is favored by a factor of 13 over diphenylmethyl.