Iron N-alkyl porphyrins

In the early 1970s it was discovered that P-450 cytochromes are irreversibly inhibited during the metabolism of xenobiotics (1). The formation of a modified heme prosthetic group is associated with enzyme inhibition and subsequent studies have identified these modified complexes as N-alkylated protoporphyrin-IX (2). The chemistry of N-sub-stituted porphyrins was comprehensively reviewed by Lavallee in 1987 (3). Since that time, there have been many significant contributions to this field by several groups. The goal of this chapter is to summarize some of this work as it relates to the mechanism of formation and reactivity of iron N-alkyl porphyrins. Biomimetic model complexes have played an important role in elucidating the chemistry of N-alkyl hemes in much the same way that synthetic iron tetraarylporphyrins have aided... 

Oxidation of ]V-MeTTPFenCl (46, 52). Catalytic alkene oxidation by iron N-alkylporphyrins requires that the modified heme center can form an active oxidant, presumably at the HRP compound I level of oxidation. To show that iron N-alkyl porphyrins could form highly oxidized complexes, these reactive species were generated by chemical oxidation and examined by NMR spectroscopy. Reaction of the (N-MeTTP)FenCl with chlorine or bromine at low temperatures results in formation of the corresponding iron(III)-halide complex. Addition of ethyl- or t-butyl-hydroperoxide, or iodosylbenzene, to a solution of N-MeTTPFenCl at low temperatures has no effect on the NMR spectrum. However, addition of m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA) results in the formation of iron(III) and iron(IV) products as well as porphyrin radical compounds that retain the N-substituent. 

Given the observation of catalysis of alkene epoxidation by iron N-alkyl porphyrins, it is likely that these complexes may yield synthetically useful catalysts (32, 65). The possibility of chiral induction by using either a chiral N-alkyl group (66) or a chiral macrocycle such as N-Me etioporphyrin (67) is an area that should prove fruitful in the near future. 

Diazoalkanes are u.seful is precursors to ruthenium and osmium alkylidene porphyrin complexes, and have also been investigated in iron porphyrin chemistry. In an attempt to prepare iron porphyrin carbene complexes containing an oxygen atom on the /(-carbon atom of the carbene, the reaction of the diazoketone PhC(0)C(Ni)CH3 with Fe(TpCIPP) was undertaken. A low spin, diamagnetic carbene complex formulated as Fe(TpCIPP)(=C(CH3)C(0)Ph) was identified by U V-visible and fI NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Addition of CF3CO2H to this rapidly produced the protonated N-alkyl porphyrin, and Bit oxidation in the presence of sodium dithionitc gave the iron(II) N-alkyl porphyrin, both reactions evidence for Fe-to-N migration processes. ... 

N-substituted iron porphyrins form upon treatment of heme enzymes with many xenobiotics. The formation of these modified hemes is directly related to the mechanism of their enzymatic reactivity. N-alkyl porphyrins may be formed from organometallic iron porphyrin complexes, PFe-R (a-alkyl, o-aryl) or PFe = CR2 (carbene). They are also formed via a branching in the reaction path used in the epoxidation of alkenes. Biomimetic N-alkyl porphyrins are competent catalysts for the epoxidation of olefins, and it has been shown that iron N-alkylporphyrins can form highly oxidized species such as an iron(IV) ferryl, (N-R P)Fe v=0, and porphyrin ir-radicals at the iron(III) or iron(IV) level of metal oxidation. The N-alkylation reaction has been used as a low resolution probe of heme protein active site structure. Modified porphyrins may be used as synthetic catalysts and as models for nonheme and noniron metalloenzymes. 

From Iron(III) Tetraarylporphyrins and Alkenes. N-alkyl porphyrins are formed via side reactions of the normal catalytic cycle of cytochromes P-450 with terminal alkenes or alkynes. N-alkylpor-phyrins formed from terminal alkenes (with model iron porphyrin catalysts under epoxidation conditions) usually have a covalent bond between the terminal carbon atom of the alkene and a pyrrole nitrogen. The double bond is oxidized selectively to an alcohol at the internal carbon. Mansuy (23) showed that, in isolated examples, terminal alkenes can form N-alkylated products in which the internal carbon is bound to the nitrogen and the terminal carbon is oxidized to the alcohol. Internal alkenes may also form N-alkyl porphyrins (24, 25). 

Five-coordinate iron(III) complexes are also known for both macrocycles (41), including oxo-bridged dimers (43, 44). Iron N-alkyl complexes that correspond to low-spin six-coordinate iron(III) porphyrins such as [(TPP)Fem(Im)2]+, or to highly oxidized iron porphyrins such as (TPP-)Fein(Cl04)2 (45), TPPFeIV=0 (7), and (TMP-)FeIV=0 (8) have only recently been reported, and these are discussed in subsequent paragraphs (41, 46). 

Given the similarities in chemical shifts and linewidths, as well as the contributions of symmetry to the appearance of the spectrum, the electronic and molecular structure of new iron complexes of N-alkyl-porphyrins may be ascertained, to a first approximation, from NMR data. Thus for low-spin iron(III) complexes one would expect at least four sharp resonances upfield of the diamagnetic region. Iron(IV) complexes should have at least four resonances upfield of the diamagnetic region. Iron(III) can be differentiated from iron(IV) by measurement of the solution susceptibility (51). 

Formation of an Iron Complex of an N-alkyl Porphyrin ir-Radical (46, 52). In the absence of sodium methoxide, the reaction between (N-MeTTP)FenCl and m-CPBA takes two different paths. When 1.1 equivalents of the peroxy acid are added, the Fe11 complex is converted into a high-spin, five-coordinate Fem complex. However,... 

Mansuy, D., L. Devocelle, 1. Artaud, and J.P. Battioni (1985). Alkene oxidations by iodosylben-zene catalyzed by iron-porphyrins Fate of the catalyst and formation of N-alkyl-porphyrin green pigments from monosubstituted alkenes as in cytochrome P-450. Nouv. J. Chim. 9, 711-716. 

The metal-centered reduction of iron and cobalt porphyrins [(por)Afn] yields metalloporphyrin anions [Eq. (13.13)]. The reduction potential for this reaction is 13, and is equivalent to the N- value for the oxidation of the metal-centered nucleophile [(por)uM-]. The one-electron reduction of alkyl halides yields the... 

N-substituted porphyrins are formed during the metabolism of xeno-biotics that include terminal alkenes and alkynes, as well as activated organic molecules such as halocarbons, diazo compounds, and hydrazines. In the synthetic laboratory, N-substituted porphyrins are prepared easily via alkylation of a pyrrole nitrogen atom of the porphyrin, followed by metallation. Biomimetic reactions between iron porphyrins, oxidants, and alkenes (or activated carbon sources) may also be used to alkylate the pyrrole nitrogen. 

Via Organometallic Intermediates. Metabolic reactions of xe-nobiotics such as halocarbons, hydrazines, or sydnones result in the formation of N-substituted porphyrins. An organometallic complex, in the form of an iron(II)-carbene (for the sydnones and halocarbons) or an iron(III)-<7-alkyl (c-aryl) (hydrazines), is an isolable intermediate in this process. The novelty of the biological organometallic chemistry has induced a flurry of research activity in this area. 

Iron porphyrin complexes with axial (7-alkyl and (7-aryl groups have been prepared and fully characterized by several groups (17,18). Addition of a chemical oxidant to (19, 20), or electrochemical oxidation of (21), the low-spin iron(III)-alkyl (-aryl) porphyrins results in transient formation of an iron(IV) (7-alkyl (a-aryl) complex that undergoes reductive elimination to give the iron(II) N-substituted product as shown in Scheme 2. The iron(IV) intermediate has been directly observed by low temperature lH NMR spectroscopy (22) and spectroelectrochemistry (21). 

---