Alkyl halides with coenzyme

Experiments have been carried out to mimic the reactions of model systems for coenzyme F430 that is involved in the terminal step in the biosynthesis of methane, and that is able to dechlorinate CCI4 successively to CHCI3 and CH2CI2 (Krone et al. 1989). Nickel(I) isobacteriochlorin anion was generated electrolytically and used to examine the reactions with alkyl halides in dimethylformamide (Helvenston and Castro 1992). The three classes of reaction were the same as those observed with Fe(II) deuteroporphyrin IX that have already been noted. 

This mechanism is quite general for this substitution reaction in transition metal hydride-carbonyl complexes [52]. It is also known for intramolecular oxidative addition of a C-H bond [53], heterobimetallic elimination of methane [54], insertion of olefins [55], silylenes [56], and CO [57] into M-H bonds, extmsion of CO from metal-formyl complexes [11] and coenzyme B12- dependent rearrangements [58]. Likewise, the reduction of alkyl halides by metal hydrides often proceeds according to the ATC mechanism with both H-atom and halogen-atom transfer in the propagation steps [4, 53]. 

If a cobaloxime is coordinated with a suitable basic group (B) in one of the axial positions, it behaves in many ways like vitamin Bi2- When reduced to the Co(II) state it reacts with alkyl halides to form alkyl cobaloxime, analogous in many properties and chemical reactivity to vitamin B12 coenzyme. 

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