Cobalamin reduction potential

Transmethylation by Cobalamins.— Two mechanisms of methyl transfer from cobalamins are found, a homolytic process with metals that have reduction potentials less than 0.50 V and an electrophilic (carbanion heterolytic) process for metals with potentials greater than 0.85 V. The PF /ii couple is 0.76 V and both oxidation states are required for methylation. A mechanism is proposed in which [Ptcy " binds through the propionamide and acetamide side-chains of the corrin thereby promoting formation of the base on form and activating the Co— C bond. The methylation step involves [PtCIe] " either in a redox switch where two electrons are abstracted from bound Pt followed by methyl transfer to the then bound Pt v or by direct electrophilic attack by [PtClel " ... 

The active enzyme contains Ni(I), as evidenced by EPR studies as well as the requirement for reducing agents for enzyme activation [126]. The reduction potential (a-650 mV) is comparable to that for cobalamin (II/I) couple. The methylated F43o cofactor, which is a CHj-Ni] ) derivative, can be prepared by treatment of the reduced cofactor with CH3I or alkylation of the Ni(II) form with (CH3)2Mg. Protonolysis of the CDj-Ni] ) derivative produces CD3H [151]. 

The NO/NO+ and NO/NO- self-exchange rates are quite slow (42). Therefore, the kinetics of nitric oxide electron transfer reactions are strongly affected by transition metal complexes, particularly by those that are labile and redox active which can serve to promote these reactions. Although iron is the most important metal target for nitric oxide in mammalian biology, other metal centers might also react with NO. For example, both cobalt (in the form of cobalamin) (43,44) and copper (in the form of different types of copper proteins) (45) have been identified as potential NO targets. In addition, a substantial fraction of the bacterial nitrite reductases (which catalyze reduction of NO2 to NO) are copper enzymes (46). The interactions of NO with such metal centers continue to be rich for further exploration. 

Cobalt complexes with square planar tetradentate ligands, including salen, cor-rin, and porphyrin types, all catalyse the reduction of alkyl bromides and iodides. Most preparative and mechanistic work with these reactions has used cobalamines, including vitamin-B,. A generalised catalytic cycle is depicted in Scheme 4.10 [219]. At potentials around -0.9 V vs. see, the parent ligated Co(lll) compound un-... 

Scheme 4.10. Calalyttc cycle for the reduction of alkyl halides by cobalamins. The outer circle represents the combined photo and electrochemical process, "fhe inner shunt is the wholly electrochemical process at more negative potentials. Ligands are omitted for clarity.

Cobalamin catalysed electrochemical reduction of the 2-chloroethanol ester 68 at negative potentials, without photochemical assistance, leads to a 1,2-elimination process (see p. 115) [228]. This contrasts with the lack of 1,2-elimination during reaction of 66 and 67, Thus in the purely electrochemical carbon-cobalt bond... 

Assaf-Anid, N., Hayes, K. F. Vogel, T. M. (1994). Reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride by cobalamin(II) in the presence of dithiothreitol mechanistic study, effect of redox potential and pH. Environmental Science Technology, 28, 246-52. Ballard, T. M. (1971). Role of humic carrier substance in DDT movement through forest soil. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings, 35, 145-7. 

Other biomimetic reactions are based on the catalytic properties of metal ions. Many enzymes require metal ions that function, in one way or another, in oxidation-reduction processes. The wide range of such metal-ion reactions precludes mentioning more than a few in addition to the iron-porphyrin class, and in addition to chlorophyll, a number of enzymes require cobalamin as cofactor ferridoxin and high-potential iron proteins require iron-sulfur clusters, and nitrog-... 

The half-wave potential for the enzyme-bound Co VCo cobalamin couple of the methionine synthase from E. coli at 526 mV versus SHE is about 80 mV lower than that of the Co /Cokcobalamin couple in neutral aqueous solution. Access to the catalytic cycle of the enzyme by one-electron reduction of Co kcobalamin (and reactivation upon occasional adventitious formation of Co -cobalamin) is indicated to be accomplished by a unique mechanism. The (thermodynamically unfavorable) reduction with intermediate formation of the enzyme-bound Cokcobalamin is driven by a rapid methylation of the highly reduced Co -center of the reduced corrin with Y-adenosyhnethionine. The modular nature of methionine synthase allows for the control of the methyl-group transfer processes by modulating and alternating conformational equilibria. ... 

Cobalt(II) complexes (such as cob(II)alamin, formerly called B,2,) can be obtained by several methods including controlled potential reduction [14,15], anaerobic photolysis of some organocobalt species [16] (see Section 5.2(b)), partial oxidation of cobalt(I) complexes, in some cases acidification of solutions of cobalt(I) complexes (see below) and chemical reduction. Chemical reduction of cobalt(III) cobalamins to the +2 oxidation state has been achieved with hydrogen over platinum oxide [16], with neutral and acidic solutions of vanadium(III) [17], with chromous acetate at pH 3 [18] and with amalgamated zinc in 0.1 M aqueous perchloric acid [19]. All such cobalt(II) species are probably 5-coordinate, and are low spin d systems containing an unpaired electron and thus displaying an ESR spectrum [20]. 

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