Iron -oxo species

Scheme 10.5 Tentative mechanism for cytochrome P450-cata-lyzed epoxidation of a double bond. The reactive iron-oxo species VII (see Scheme 10.4) reacts with the olefin to give a charge transfer (CT) complex. This complex then resolves into the epoxide either through a radical or through a cationic intermediate.

Nothing is known about the identity of the iron species responsible for dehydrogenation of the substrate. Iron-oxo species such as FeIV=0 or Fem-OOH are postulated as the oxidants in most heme or non-heme iron oxygenases. It has to be considered that any mechanistic model proposed must account not only for the observed stereochemistry but also for the lack of hydroxylation activity and its inability to convert the olefinic substrate. Furthermore, no HppE sequence homo-logue is to be found in protein databases. Further studies should shed more light on the mechanism with which this unique enzyme operates. 

Even more exciting was the discovery of bands at higher frequency (430-1600 cm ). Exchanging the sample in H2 0 resulted in a shift to lower frequency. A shift to lower frequency was also observed when the protein was enriched in Fe or Fe (Fig. 6). These data indicated the presence of an iron-oxo species. It was argued that this functionality may be related to the physiological function. 

Abstract In this review, recent developments of iron-catalyzed oxidations of olefins (epoxidation), alkanes, arenes, and alcohols are summarized. Special focus is given on the ligand systems and the catalytic performance of the iron complexes. In addition, the mechanistic involvement of high-valent iron-oxo species is discussed. 

Yoshizawa, K., Shiota, Y., Yamabe, T., 1999, Intrinsic Reaction Coordinate Analysis of the Conversion of Methane to Methanol by an Iron-Oxo Species A Study of Crossing Seams of Potential Energy Surfaces , J. Chem. Phys., Ill, 538. 

The oxidation of peroxidases by hydroperoxide leads to a ferryl iron-oxo species as well as a radical cation on the porphyrin ring, which is sometimes transferred to an adjacent amino acid. This species is referred to as compound I. Compound I can oxidize substrates directly by a two-electron process to regenerate the native peroxidase, but, more commonly, it oxidizes substrates by an one-electron process to form compound II where the porphyrin radical cation has been reduced. Compound II, in turn, can perform a second one-electron... 

Another pathway on an isolated surface iron-oxo species rather than the arene-epoxide pathway has also been proposed by DFT calculations as follows ... 

Diederich et al. had postulated that the highly reactive iron-oxo species, arising from oxygen transfer from the oxidant to the Fem site [87], should be greatly stabilised by enclosure within a dendritic superstructure. The catalytic potential of the dendrimers 6 a-c was determined in the epoxidation of alkenes [83 a, 88] (1-octene and cyclooctene) and the oxidation of sulphides [83 a] ((methylsulphanyl)benzene and diphenyl sulphide) to sulphoxides - in dichloro-methane with iodosylbenzene as oxidising agent. Compared to the known metal-porphyrin catalysts, 6a-c exhibit only low TON (7 and 28, respectively, for... 

However, spectroscopic studies of activated BLM indicate that it is not an Fev=0 species. It exhibits an S - 1/2 EPR spectrum with g values at 2.26, 2.17, and 1.94 [15], which is typical of a low-spin Fe111 center. This low-spin Fem designation is corroborated by Mossbauer and x-ray absorption spectroscopy [16,19], Furthermore, EXAFS studies on activated BLM show no evidence for a short Fe—0 distance, which would be expected for an iron-oxo moiety [19], These spectroscopic results suggest that activated BLM is a low-spin iron(III) peroxide complex, so the two oxidizing equivalents needed for the oxidation chemistry would be localized on the dioxygen moiety, instead of on the metal center. This Fe(III)BLM—OOH formulation has been recently confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry [20] and is supported by the characterization of related synthetic low-spin iron(III) peroxide species, e.g., [Fe(pma)02]+ [21] and [Fe(N4py)OOH]2+ [22], The question then arises whether the peroxide intermediate is itself the oxidant in these reactions or the precursor to a short-lived iron-oxo species that effects the cytochrome P-450-like transformations. This remains an open question and the subject of continuing interest. 

The peroxidase activity of PGHS is comparable to that of better known peroxidases such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The catalytic cycle of HRP is shown in Figure 5 [9], Its first step is the formation of an intermediate very often found in hemoproteins by transfer of an oxygen atom from various oxygen atom donors to the Fe(III) heme (Eq. 6). It is a high-valent iron-oxo species, at least formally a Fe(V)=0 complex. In fact, the detailed electronic structure of this intermediate depends on the environment of the heme provided by the protein. In HRP, this intermediate (called compound I) is a (porphyrin radical-cation)-Fe(IV)=0 complex, as shown by many spectroscopic techniques [9],... 

All the proteins described in this chapter and that catalyze very different reactions involving 02 exhibit the following common characteristics (1) the presence of an iron porphyrin cofactor, (2) an axial iron ligand coming from the protein that is in most cases a histidine imidazole (except for cytochrome P-450), and (3) the intermediate formation of high-valent iron-oxo species, formally equivalent to Fe(IV)=0 or Fe(V)=0, which are key intermediates in the enzymatic reactions. The different reactions performed by these iron-oxo species and the different uses of 02 by the hemoproteins are due to the very different environments of the heme in these hemoproteins and to a more or less rapid electron transfer. As a function of its environment, the iron-oxo species may either be reduced into H20 if electrons are easily transferred to the heme or oxidize a substrate or a protein amino acid that could be present in close proximity in the active site (Figure 14). 

Figure 14 Main possible fates of the high-valent iron-oxo species formed as intermediates in 02-aetivating hemoproteins (RH is a substrate AmAH is an amino acid residue close to the heme in the active site).

In early attempts to produce an iron-oxo species (20) from typical porphyrins like chloro-a,/3,y,8-tetraphenylporphinatoiron(III) [Fe(III)TPP-Cl] and chloroferriprotoporphyrin(IX)[Fe(III)PPIX-Cl], we examined the reaction of t-butyl hydroperoxide and peroxy-acids with alkanes and olefins in the presence of these catalysts. With peroxyacids, decomposition of the porphyrin ring was observed, while with the f-butyl hydroperoxides, product distributions were indistinguishable from free-radical chain reactions initiated photochem-ically in the absence of any metals. 

Shaik S, Hirao H, Kumar D. Reactivity of high-valent iron-oxo species in enzymes and synthetic reagents a tale of many states. Acc Chem Res. 2007 40 532-42. 

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