Iron complexes, redox potentials

Early reports on interactions between redox enzymes and ruthenium or osmium compounds prior to the biosensor burst are hidden in a bulk of chemical and biochemical literature. This does not apply to the ruthenium biochemistry of cytochromes where complexes [Ru(NH3)5L] " , [Ru(bpy)2L2], and structurally related ruthenium compounds, which have been widely used in studies of intramolecular (long-range) electron transfer in proteins (124,156-158) and biomimetic models for the photosynthetic reaction centers (159). Applications of these compounds in biosensors are rather limited. The complex [Ru(NHg)6] has the correct redox potential but its reactivity toward oxidoreductases is low reflecting a low self-exchange rate constant (see Tables I and VII). The redox potentials of complexes [Ru(bpy)3] " and [Ru(phen)3] are way too much anodic (1.25 V vs. NHE) ruling out applications in MET. The complex [Ru(bpy)3] is such a powerful oxidant that it oxidizes HRP into Compounds II and I (160). The electron-transfer from the resting state of HRP at pH <10 when the hemin iron(III) is five-coordinate generates a 7i-cation radical intermediate with the rate constant 2.5 x 10 s" (pH 10.3)... 

Variamine blue (C.I. 37255). The end point in an EDTA titration may sometimes be detected by changes in redox potential, and hence by the use of appropriate redox indicators. An excellent example is variamine blue (4-methoxy-4 -aminodiphenylamine), which may be employed in the complexometric titration of iron(III). When a mixture of iron(II) and (III) is titrated with EDTA the latter disappears first. As soon as an amount of the complexing agent equivalent to the concentration of iron(III) has been added, pFe(III) increases abruptly and consequently there is a sudden decrease in the redox potential (compare Section 2.33) the end point can therefore be detected either potentiometrically or with a redox indicator (10.91). The stability constant of the iron(III) complex FeY- (EDTA = Na2H2Y) is about 1025 and that of the iron(II) complex FeY2 - is 1014 approximate calculations show that the change of redox potential is about 600 millivolts at pH = 2 and that this will be almost independent of the concentration of iron(II) present. The jump in redox potential will also be obtained if no iron(II) salt is actually added, since the extremely minute amount of iron(II) necessary is always present in any pure iron(III) salt. 

The standard redox potential is 1.14 volts the formal potential is 1.06 volts in 1M hydrochloric acid solution. The colour change, however, occurs at about 1.12 volts, because the colour of the reduced form (deep red) is so much more intense than that of the oxidised form (pale blue). The indicator is of great value in the titration of iron(II) salts and other substances with cerium(IV) sulphate solutions. It is prepared by dissolving 1,10-phenanthroline hydrate (relative molecular mass= 198.1) in the calculated quantity of 0.02M acid-free iron(II) sulphate, and is therefore l,10-phenanthroline-iron(II) complex sulphate (known as ferroin). One drop is usually sufficient in a titration this is equivalent to less than 0.01 mL of 0.05 M oxidising agent, and hence the indicator blank is negligible at this or higher concentrations. 

Similar effects are observed in the iron complexes of Eqs. (9.13) and (9.14). The charge on the negatively charged ligands dominates the redox potential, and we observe stabilization of the iron(iii) state. The complexes are high-spin in both the oxidation states. The importance of the low-spin configuration (as in our discussion of the cobalt complexes) is seen with the complex ions [Fe(CN)6] and [Fe(CN)6] (Fq. 9.15), both of which are low-spin. 

The Rieske protein II (SoxF) from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, which is part, not of a bci or b f complex, but of the SoxM oxidase complex 18), could be expressed in E. coli, both in a full-length form containing the membrane anchor and in truncated water-soluble forms 111). In contrast to the results reported for the Rieske protein from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, the Rieske cluster was more efficiently inserted into the truncated soluble forms of the protein. Incorporation of the cluster was increased threefold when the E. coli cells were subject to a heat shock (42°C for 30 min) before induction of the expression of the Rieske protein, indicating that chaperonins facilitate the correct folding of the soluble form of SoxF. The iron content of the purified soluble SoxF variant was calculated as 1.5 mol Fe/mol protein the cluster showed g values very close to those observed in the SoxM complex and a redox potential of E° = +375 mV 111). 

Electrochemical studies performed in the 7 x Cys-Aspl4 D. afri-canus Fdlll indicate that the reduced [3Fe-4S] center can react rapidly with Fe to form a [4Fe-4S] core that must include noncysteinyl coordination (101). The carboxylate side chain of Asp 14 was proposed as the most likely candidate, since this amino acid occupies the cysteine position in the typical sequence of a 8Fe protein as indicated before. The novel [4Fe-4S] cluster with mixed S and O coordination has a midpoint redox potential of 400 mV (88). This novel coordinated state with an oxygen coordination to the iron-sulfur core is a plausible model for a [4Fe-4S] core showing unusual spin states present in complex proteins (113, 114). 

Iron or copper complexes will catalyse Fenton chemistry only if two conditions are met simultaneously, namely that the ferric complex can be reduced and that the ferrous complex has an oxidation potential such that it can transfer an electron to H2O2. However, we must also add that this reasoning supposes that we are under standard conditions and at equilibrium, which is rarely the case for biological systems. A simple example will illustrate the problem whereas under standard conditions reaction (2) has a redox potential of —330 mV (at an O2 concentration of 1 atmosphere), in vivo with [O2] = 3.5 x 10 5 M and [O2 ] = 10 11 M the redox potential is +230 mV (Pierre and Fontecave, 1999). 

As mentioned previously, siderophores must selectively bind iron tightly in order to solubilize the metal ion and prevent hydrolysis, as well as effectively compete with other chelators in the system. The following discussion will address in more detail the effect of siderophore structure on the thermodynamics of iron binding, as well as different methods for measuring and comparing iron-siderophore complex stability. The redox potentials of the ferri-siderophore complexes will also be addressed, as ferri-siderophore reduction may be important in the iron uptake process in biological systems. 

Electrochemical experiments allow the determination of complex stability constants for Fe2+ by measuring complex redox potentials over a range of pH values. The Fe34YFe2+ redox potential of the siderophore complex, as with the spectral characteristics of the complex, is dependent on the inner coordination environment of the iron. These considerations will be addressed later (Section III.D). 

Table V shows redox potentials (Ey2) for ferric complexes of a series of natural and synthetic siderophores. The first coordination shell of the complex formed between iron and siderophore...

Using linear regression, it is possible to estimate the protonation constants of the Fe(II) complexes of siderophore complexes where the redox potentials have been measured over a range of pH values (59). This also explains the variation in reversibility of reduction as the pH changes, as the stability of the ferro-siderophore complex is much lower than the ferric complex, and the increased lability of ligand exchange and increased binding site competition from H+ may result in dissociation of the complex before the iron center can be reoxidized. 

Another factor that can possibly affect the redox potential in biological systems is the presence of secondary chelating agents that can participate in coupled equilibria (3). When other chelators are present, coupled equilibria involving iron-siderophore redox occur and a secondary ligand will cause the siderophore complex effective redox potential to shift. The decrease in stability of the iron-siderophore complex upon reduction results in a more facile release of the iron. Upon release, the iron(II) is available for complexation by the secondary ligand, which results in a corresponding shift in the redox equilibrium toward production of iron(II). In cases where iron(II) is stabilized by the secondary chelators, there is a shift in the redox potential to more positive values, as shown in Eqs. (42)—(45). 

In Eq. (45), KFe(II)L is the stability constant for iron(II) complexation by the competing ligand, KFe(II)sid the stability constant for the complex formed between iron(II) and the siderophore, n the number of electrons transferred, Erxn the observed redox potential for the iron(III)-siderophore system coupled with iron(II) chelation, and EFJ m sld the redox potential of the iron(III)-siderophore complex. 

The implications of these mechanistic studies for our understanding of environmental iron sequestration by siderophores is as follows. The hydroxyl containing aqua ferric ions will tend to form ferri-siderophore complexes more rapidly than the hexaaqua ion and ferrous ion will be sequestered more rapidly than the ferric ion. However, once in a siderophore binding site the ferrous ion will be air oxidized to the ferric ion, due to the negative redox potentials (see Section III.D). This also means that Fe dissolution from rocks will be influenced by mineral composition (other donors in the first coordination shell) as well as surface reductases in contact with the rock, and of course surface area (4,13). 

---