The one-electron oxidized species of a Ni(II)-phenolate complex has been shown to be in the Ni(II)-phenoxyl radical state at room temperature and the Ni(III)-phenolate state at < -120 degrees C, indicating that the oxidation state is temperature dependent.

The oxidation of water in the process of dioxygen evolution is catalyzed by an oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in photosynthesis, which is one of the most important and fundamental chemical processes in nature. [1][2][3] The active site in a photosynthetic OEC protein contains a tetramanganese cluster, [4] which adopts a Y-shaped geometry as revealed by recent X-ray structure analysis of photosystem II.[5] Though the mechanism of dioxygen evolution has not been determined, the stage of oxygen evolution would involve either a high valent terminal oxo manganese species [3,4,6] or the coupling of bridging oxo units. [2,3] Manganese complexes have been extensively studied as artificial OEC models in structural and functional investigations to understand the mechanism of oxygen evolution from water in photosynthetic OEC.[3] However, only a few Mn complexes that can catalyze homogeneous water oxidation have been reported. [7,8] We have previously reported dimanganese complexes of dimeric tetraarylporphyrins linked by 1,2-phenylene bridge (Scheme 1).[8] The anodic oxidation of an aqueous solution of acetonitrile (5 % v/v H 2 O in CH 3 CN) with the dimanganese tetraarylporphyrin dimer evolved oxygen in the potential range > 1.20 V versus Ag/Ag + . The catalyst can also oxidize olefins such as cyclooctene to form epoxide with stoichiometric amounts of m-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA).[9] We proposed that the oxidation of a dimanganese(iii) tetraarylporphyrin dimer could give the corresponding high valent Mn=O complex, which is the active species in these oxidation. However, the mechanisms of oxygen evolution and epoxidation, especially the formation of a high-valent Mn=O intermediate have not been fully confirmed. Herein, we report on the oxidation of the dimanganese porphyrin dimer by employing mCPBA as an oxidant, and the characterization of the resulting Mn (Figure 1). When one molar equivalent of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazine (DPPHa one-electron reductant for each Mn ion) was added to 2, a Mn IV 2 species 3 was rapidly formed, which has a Soret band centered at 415 nm. Complex 3 was also prepared when one molar equivalent of mCPBA for each Mn ion was added to 1 in CH 2 Cl 2 /CH 3 CN (1:4, v/v) solution in the presence of five equivalents of Bu 4 NOH, confirmed by UV/Vis spectrum. When the solution of 2 was left stand at room temperature, the Soret band at 423 nm gradually disappeared and a 468 nm band accordingly appeared with isosbestic points indicating (1) and a reaction pathway for O 2 formation.

The neutral and one-electron oxidized Cu(II) six-membered chelate 1,3-Salcn (1,3-Salcn = N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,3-cyclohexanediamine) complexes have been investigated and compared with the five-membered chelate 1,2-Salcn (N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexane-(1R,2R)-diamine) complexes. Cyclic voltammetry of Cu(1,3-Salcn) showed two reversible redox waves at 0.48 and 0.68 V, which are only 0.03 V higher than those of Cu(1,2-Salcn). Reaction of Cu(1,3-Salcn) with 1 equiv of AgSbF6 afforded the oxidized complex which exists as a ligand-based radical species in solution and in the solid state. The X-ray crystal structure of the oxidized complex, [Cu(1,3-Salcn)]SbF6, exhibited an asymmetric metal binding environment with a longer Cu-O bond and quinoid distortion in the phenolate moiety on one side, demonstrating at least partial ligand radical localization in the solid state. The ligand oxidation is also supported by XPS and temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility. The electronic structure of the [Cu(1,3-Salcn)](+) complex was further probed by UV-vis-NIR, resonance Raman, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, and by theoretical calculations, indicating that the phenoxyl radical electron is relatively localized on one phenolate moiety in the molecule. The reactivity of [Cu(1,3-Salcn)](+) with benzyl alcohol was also studied. Quantitative conversion of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde was observed, with a faster reaction rate in comparison with [Cu(1,2-Salcn)](+). The kinetic isotope effect (KIE = k(H)/k(D)) of benzyl alcohol oxidation by [Cu(1,3-Salcn)](+) was estimated to be 13, which is smaller than the value reported for [Cu(1,2-Salcn)](+). The activation energy difference between [Cu(1,2-Salcn)](+) and [Cu(1,3-Salcn)](+) was in good agreement with the energy calculated from KIE. This correlation suggests that the Cu(II)-phenoxyl radical species, characterized for [Cu(1,2-salcn)](+) is more reactive for hydrogen abstraction from benzyl alcohol in comparison to the 1:1 mixture of Cu(III)-phenolate and Cu(II)-phenoxyl radical species, [Cu(1,2-Salcn)](+). Thus, the Cu(II)-phenoxyl radical species accelerates benzyl alcohol oxidation in comparison with the Cu(III)-phenolate ground state complex, in spite of the similar activated intermediate and oxidation pathway.

Group 10 metal(II) complexes of H2tbu-salen (H2tbu-salen = N,N'-bis(3',5'-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)ethylenediamine) and H2tbu-salcn (H2tbu-salcn = N,N'-bis(3',5'-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine) containing two 2,4-di(tert-butyl)phenol moieties, [Ni(tbu-salen)] (1a), [Ni(tbu-salcn)] (1b), [Pd(tbu-salen)] (2a), [Pd(tbu-salcn)] (2b), and [Pt(tbu-salen)] (3), were prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, and the electronic structures of their one-electron-oxidized species were established by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. All the complexes have a mononuclear structure with two phenolate oxygens coordinated in a very similar square-planar geometry. These complexes exhibited similar absorption spectra in CH2Cl2, indicating that they all have a similar structure in solution. Cyclic voltammograms of the complexes showed a quasi-reversible redox wave at E1/2 = 0.82-1.05 V (vs Ag/AgCl), corresponding to formation of the relatively stable one-electron-oxidized species. The electrochemically oxidized or Ce(IV)-oxidized species of 1a, 2a, and 3 displayed a first-order decay with a half-life of 83, 20, and 148 min at -20 degrees C, respectively. Ni(II) complexes 1a and 1b were converted to the phenoxyl radicals upon one-electron oxidation in CH2Cl2 above -80 degrees C and to the Ni(III)-phenolate species below -120 degrees C. The temperature-dependent conversion was reversible with the Ni(III)-phenolate ground state and was found to be a valence tautomerism governed by the solvent. One-electron-oxidized 1b was isolated as [Ni(tbu-salcn)]NO3 (4) having the Ni(II)-phenoxyl radical ground state. One-electron-oxidized species of the Pd(II) complexes 2a and 2b were different from those of the Ni(II) complexes, the Pd(II)-phenoxyl radical species being the ground state in CH2Cl2 in the range 5-300 K. The one-electron-oxidized form of 2b, [Pd(tbu-salcn)]NO3 (5), which was isolated as a dark green powder, was found to be a Pd(II)-phenoxyl radical complex. On the other hand, the ESR spectrum of the one-electron-oxidized species of Pt(II) complex 3 exhibited a temperature-independent large g anisotropy in CH2Cl2 below -80 degrees C, while its resonance Raman spectrum at -60 degrees C displayed nu8a of the phenoxyl radical band at 1600 cm-1. These results indicated that the ground state of the Pt(II)-phenoxyl radical species has a large distribution of the radical electron spin at the Pt center. One-electron oxidation of 3 gave [Pt(tbu-salen)]NO3 (6) as a solid, where the oxidation state of the Pt center was determined to be ca. +2.5 from the XPS and XANES measurements.

The neutral and one-electron oxidized group 10 metal, Ni(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II), six-membered chelate Salpn (Salpn = N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine) complexes have been investigated and compared to the five-membered chelate Salen (N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-ethanediamine) and Salcn (N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexane-(1R,2R)-diamine) complexes. Reaction of the Salpn complexes with 1 equivalent of AgSbF(6) affords the oxidized complexes which exist as ligand radical species in solution and in the solid state. The solid state structures of the oxidized complexes have been determined by X-ray crystal structure analysis. While the Ni and Pt analogues exhibit an essentially symmetric coordination sphere contraction upon oxidation, the oxidized Pd derivative exhibits an asymmetric metal binding environment demonstrating at least partial ligand radical localization. In comparison to the oxidized Salen and Salcn complexes, the propyl backbone of the Salpn complexes leads to a larger deviation from a planar geometry in the solid state. The electronic structure of the oxidized Salpn complexes was further probed by UV-vis-NIR measurements, electrochemistry, EPR spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations. The intense NIR band for the one-electron oxidized Salpn complexes shifts to lower energy in comparison to the 5-membered chelate analogues, which is attributed to lower metal d(xz) character in the β-LUMO for the Salpn series. The reactivity of the one-electron oxidized Salpn complexes with exogenous ligands was also studied. In the presence of pyridine, the oxidized Ni analogue exhibits a shift in the locus of oxidation to a Ni(III) species. The oxidized PtSalpn complex rapidly decomposes in the presence of pyridine, even at low temperature. Interestingly, electronic and EPR spectroscopy suggests that the addition of pyridine to the oxidized Pd analogue results in initial dissociation of the phenoxyl radical ligand, likely due to the increased flexibility of the propyl backbone.

A stable bridge: A peroxo‐bridged Fe–O2–Cu complex (see picture) was synthesized and isolated as crystals. The X‐ray structure analysis revealed that the Fe–O2–Cu moiety has a μ‐η2:η1 coordination mode; a peroxo ligand is bound to Fe in a side‐on fashion with only one oxygen atom of the peroxide bound to Cu. The two metal ions (high‐spin FeIII and CuII) were strongly coupled in an antiferromagnetic fashion, thus resulting in a total spin of S=2.

This article reports on the extraction behavior of heme proteins from an aqueous phase into ionic liquids (ILs) with dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6), and the structure-function relationship of cytochrome c (Cyt-c) dissolved in ILs. We have found that DCH18C6 enables transfer of Lys-rich proteins into ILs via supramolecular complexation. The hydrophobicity and functional groups of ILs have a great influence on protein partitioning, and a hydroxyl group-containing IL with DCH18C6 is capable of the quantitative partitioning of Cyt-c. On the other hand, protein transfer using conventional organic solvents is negligibly small. UV-visible, CD, and resonance Raman spectroscopic characterizations indicate that the sixth ligand Met 80 in the heme group of the Cyt-c-DCH18C6 complex in IL is replaced by other amino acid residues of the peptide chain and that a non-natural, six-coordinate, low-spin ferric heme structure is induced in IL. Solubilization of Cyt-c in IL causes the environmental change of the heme vicinity of Cyt-c, which triggers the functional conversion of Cyt-c from an electron-transfer protein to peroxidase. The Cyt-c-DCH18C6 complex in IL provides remarkably high peroxidase activity compared with native Cyt-c, because of enhancement of the affinity for H2O2.

Inspired by the observation of polar interactions between CO and O(2) ligands and the peptide residues at the active site of hemoglobin and myoglobin, we synthesized two kinds of superstructured porphyrins: TCP-IM, which contains a linked imidazole ligand, and TCP-PY, which contains a linked pyridine ligand, and examined the thermodynamic, kinetic, and spectroscopic (UV/Vis, IR, NMR, and resonance Raman) properties of their CO and O(2) complexes. On both sides of each porphyrin plane, bulky binaphthyl bridges form hydrophobic cavities that are suitable for the binding of small molecules. In the proximal site, an imidazole or pyridine residue is covalently fixed and coordinates axially to the central iron atom. In the distal site, two naphtholic hydroxyl groups overhang toward the center above the heme. The CO affinities of TCPs are significantly lower than those of other heme models. In contrast, TCPs have moderate O(2) binding ability. Compared with reported model hemes, the binding selectivity of O(2) over CO in TCP-IM and TCP-PY complexes is greatly improved. The high O(2) selectivity of the TCPs is mainly attributable to a low CO affinity. The comparison of k(on)(CO) values of TCPs with those of unhindered hemes indicates the absence of steric hindrance to the intrinsically linear CO coordination to Fe(II) in TCP-IM and TCP-PY. The abnormally large k(off)(CO) values are responsible for the low CO affinities. In contrast, k(off)(O(2)) of TCP-PY is smaller than those of other pyridine-coordinated model hemes. For the CO adducts of TCPs, unusually low nu(Fe-CO) and unusually high nu(C-O) frequencies are observed. These results can be ascribed to decreased back-bonding from the iron atom to the bound CO. The lone pairs of the oxygen atoms of the hydroxyl groups prevent back-bonding by exertion of a strong negative electrostatic interaction. On the other hand, high nu(Fe-O(2)) frequencies are observed for the O(2) adducts of TCPs. In the resonance Raman (RR) spectrum of oxy-TCP-IM, we observed simultaneous enhancement of the Fe-O(2) and O-O stretching modes. Furthermore, direct evidence for hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups and bound dioxygen was obtained by RR and IR spectroscopy. These spectroscopic data strongly suggest that O(2) and CO binding to TCPs is controlled mainly by the two different electrostatic effects exerted by the overhanging OH groups: destabilization of CO binding by decreasing back-bonding and stabilization of O(2) binding by hydrogen bonding.