Normal copper

Normally, copper-catalysed Huisgen cycloadditions work with terminal alkynes only. The formation of a Cu-acetylide complex is considered to be the starting point of the catalyst cycle. However, the NHC-Cu complex 18 was able to catalyse the [3-1-2] cycloaddition of azides 17 and 3-hexyne 23 (Scheme 5.6). 

Two inherited human diseases that represent abnormal copper metabolism are Menkes syndrome and Wilson s disease. Menkes syndrome, with symptoms similar to those of copper deficiency, is characterized by a progressive brain disease, abnormally low copper concentrations in liver and other tissues, and diminished ability to transfer copper across the absorptive cells of the intestinal mucosa (USEPA 1980 Aaseth and Norseth 1986). Wilson s disease (hepatolenticular degeneration) is the only significant example of copper toxicity in humans. Wilson s disease is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects normal copper homeostasis and is characterized by excessive... 

Humans given zinc supplements should be aware of possible complications (Fosmire 1990). Low intakes of 100 to 300 mg of zinc daily in excess of the recommended dietary allowance of 15 mg Zn daily may produce induced copper deficiency, impaired immune function, and disrupted blood lipid profiles. Patients treated with zinc supplements (150 mg daily) to control sickle cell anemia and nonresponsive celiac disease developed a severe copper deficiency in 13 to 23 months normal copper status was restored by cessation of zinc supplements and increased dietary copper (Fosmire 1990). 

Normal copper enzymes Phenoxazinone synthase Superoxide dismutase... 

Contrary to popular belief, ceruloplasmin5, the principal copper-containing protein in plasma, ceruloplasmin, is not involved in copper transport. This is clearly underlined by the clinical observation that patients with aceruloplasminaemia (i.e. lacking ceruloplasmin in their blood) have perfectly normal copper metabolism and homeostasis. Copper is transported in plasma mostly by serum albumin with smaller amounts bound to low-molecular weight ligands like histidine. Likewise zinc is mostly transported in plasma bound to proteins (albumin and ot2-macroglobulin). 

Characterization of the Type 2 Depleted Derivative of Laccase. The model for the coupled blnuclear copper site in hemocyanln and tyrosinase (Figure 7) may now be compared to the parallel site in laccase which contains a blue copper (denoted Type 1 or Tl), a normal copper (Type 2, T2), and a coupled binuclear copper (Type 3, T3) center. As shown in Figures 8a and b, native laccase has contributions from both the Tl and T2 copper centers in the EPR spectrum (the T3 cupric ions are coupled and hence EPR nondetectable as in hemocyanln), and an intense absorption band at associated with the Tl center (a thlolate —> Cu(II) CT transition).(14) The only feature in the native laccase spectra believed to be associated with the T3 center was the absorption band at 330 nm (e 3200 M cm ) which reduced with two electrons, independent of the EPR signals.(15) Initial studies have focussed on the simplified Type 2 depleted (T2D) derlvatlve(16) in which the T2 center has been reversibly removed. From Figure 8 the T2 contribution is clearly eliminated from the EPR spectrum of T2D and the Tl contribution to both the EPR and absorption spectrum remains. 

These systems are also described as normal copper proteins due to their conventional ESR features. In the oxidized state, their color is light blue (almost undetectable) due to weak d-d transitions of the single Cu ion. The coordination sphere around Cu, which has either square planar or distorted tetrahedral geometry, contains four ligands with N and/or 0 donor atoms [ 12, 22]. Representative examples of proteins with this active site structure (see Fig. 1) and their respective catalytic function include galactose oxidase (1) (oxidation of primary alcohols) [23,24], phenylalanine hydroxylase (hydroxy-lation of aromatic substrates) [25,26], dopamine- 6-hydroxylase (C-Hbond activation of benzylic substrates) [27] and CuZn superoxide dismutase (disproportionation of 02 superoxide anion) [28,29]. 

After the mixture has set to form a gel, add to each of the tubes a solution of 0.5-normal copper sulfate. 

In the extreme class III behaviour,360-362 two types of structures were envisaged clusters and infinite lattices (Table 17). The latter, class IIIB behaviour, has been known for a number of years in the nonstoichiometric sulfides of copper (see ref. 10, p. 1142), and particularly in the double layer structure of K[Cu4S3],382 which exhibits the electrical conductivity and the reflectivity typical of a metal. The former, class IIIA behaviour, was looked for in the polynuclear clusters of copper(I) Cu gX, species, especially where X = sulfur, but no mixed valence copper(I)/(II) clusters with class IIIA behaviour have been identified to date. Mixed valence copper(I)/(II) complexes of class II behaviour (Table 17) have properties intermediate between those of class I and class III. The local copper(I)/(II) stereochemistry is well defined and the same for all Cu atoms present, and the single odd electron is associated with both Cu atoms, i.e. delocalized between them, but will have a normal spin-only magnetic moment. The complexes will be semiconductors and the d-d spectra of the odd electron will involve a near normal copper(II)-type spectrum (see Section 53.4.4.5), but in addition a unique band may be observed associated with an intervalence CuVCu11 charge transfer band (IVTC) (Table 19). While these requirements are fairly clear,360,362 their realization for specific systems is not so clearly established. 

Figure 97 Blue copper protein (a) electronic spectrum (b) ESR spectrum (-------------- blue copper ------- normal copper) ...

In the discussion of the biochemistry of copper in Section 62.1.8 it was noted that three types of copper exist in copper enzymes. These are type 1 ( blue copper centres) type 2 ( normal copper centres) and type 3 (which occur as coupled pairs). All three classes are present in the blue copper oxidases laccase, ascorbate oxidase and ceruloplasmin. Laccase contains four copper ions per molecule, and the other two contain eight copper ions per molecule. In all cases oxidation of substrate is linked to the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water. Unlike cytochrome oxidase, these are water-soluble enzymes, and so are convenient systems for studying the problems of multielectron redox reactions. The type 3 pair of copper centres constitutes the 02-reducing sites in these enzymes, and provides a two-electron pathway to peroxide, bypassing the formation of superoxide. Laccase also contains one type 1 and one type 2 centre. While ascorbate oxidase contains eight copper ions per molecule, so far ESR and analysis data have led to the identification of type 1 (two), type 2 (two) and type 3 (four) copper centres. 

A number of copper-containing proteins show spectral features like those of normal copper complexes, and therefore do not appear to contain blue copper centres. Amongst these are galactase oxidase and the amine oxidases. It is noteworthy that it appears unlikely that the copper is involved in the activation of dioxygen. 

The blue copper site exhibits unique spectral properties when compared with those of normal copper complexes. These spectral features include an unusually small copper h perfine splitting of the EPR signal in thej, region (A < 70x10 cm as compared to Aj = 150x10 cm for normal tetragonal copper) [Figure 1] and an... 

The copper proteins containing the type 2 active site are also known as normal copper proteins, because their spectroscopic features are similar to those of common Cu coordination compounds. The copper ion in these proteins is surrounded by four N and/or O donor atoms in either square-planar or distorted tetrahedral geometry [3, 4]. Examples of proteins with this active site include... 

One of the major goals of studying active sites in copper proteins has therefore been to understand the spectroscopic features associated with the active site. This has led to a classification of three general types of copper protein active sites based on their unique spectral features Blue copper, normal copper and coupled binuclear copper. An additional class of copper proteins, the multi-copper oxidases, contains a combination of these three types of copper active sites. A reasonably firm understanding of the optical and EPR spectra of a number of copper proteins has now been achieved1,2K This article presents an overview of these electronic spectral features and their relationship to geometric and electronic structure. 

Before the unique spectral features of copper in proteins can be discussed, the geometric and electronic structures of normal copper must be considered. In an octahedral environment the cupric ion, which has nine d electrons, would possess a degenerate 2Eg electronic ground state (Fig. 1, left). A geometric distortion which removes this degeneracy would produce a more stable electronic structure, in accordance with the Jahn-Teller... 

Normally, copper does not react with hot concentrated hydrochloric acid, but the periodic addition to the boiling liquid of some drops of nitric acid, or a few crystals of potassium chlorate, induces the ready formation of a clear solution of cuprous chloride (p. 262). As a result of electrolytic action, the presence of platinum also facilitates the solution of copper in hydrochloric acid, the platinum being the cathode and the copper the anode. 

Superoxide dismutase (CuZn SOD) provides an example of a normal copper site. Its function is to catalyze the following reaction ... 

Peril uorophenyl)copper (4) is most conveniently prepared by metathesis of (perfluoro-phenyl)magnesium, lithium, or cadmium reagents with copper(I) halides. Rickc and co-workers have also prepared (perfluorophcnyl)copper by the reaction of pentafluoroiodo-benzene with highly activated copper generated by the reduction of copper(I) iodide with potassium in the presence of 10% naphthalene. Utilization of normal copper metal gives rise instead to decafluorobiphenyl and no (perfluorophenyl)copper is detected. (Perfluorophenyl)-copper is a stable, isolable material which decomposes above 200 "C to form decafluorobiphenyl and copper metal, and is hydrolyzed and oxidized slowly in moist air. 

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