A mononuclear carboxylate-rich oxoiron(iv) complex: a structural and functional mimic of TauD intermediate ‘J’

Abstract

The pentadentate ligand nBu-P2DA (2(b), nBu-P2DA = N-(1′,1′-bis(2-pyridyl)pentyl)iminodiacetate) was designed to bind an iron center in a carboxylate-rich environment similar to that found in the active sites of TauD and other α-ketoglutarate-dependent mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes. The iron(II) complex nBu4N[FeII(Cl)(nBu-P2DA)] (3(b)-Cl) was synthesized and crystallographically characterized to have a 2-pyridine-2-carboxylate donor set in the plane perpendicular to the Fe-Cl bond. Reaction of 3(b)-Cl with N-heterocyclic amines such as pyridine or imidazole yielded the N-heterocyclic amine adducts [FeII(N)(nBu-P2DA)]. These adducts in turn reacted with oxo-transfer reagents at −95 °C to afford a short-lived oxoiron(IV) complex [FeIV(O)(nBu-P2DA)] (5(b)) in yields as high as 90% depending on the heterocycle used. Complex 5(b) exhibits near-IR absorption features (λmax = 770 nm) and Mossbauer parameters (δ = 0.04 mm/s; ΔEQ = 1.13 mm/s; D = 27±2 cm−1) characteristic of an S = 1 oxoiron(IV) species. Direct evidence for an Fe=O bond of 1.66 Å was found from EXAFS analysis. DFT calculations on 5(b) in its S =1 spin state afforded a geometry-optimized structure consistent with the EXAFS data. They further demonstrated that the replacement of two pyridine donors in [FeIV(O)(N4Py)]2+ (N4Py = N,N-(bis(2-pyridyl)methyl)N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) with carboxylate donors in 5(b) decreased the energy gap between the ground S = 1 and the excited S = 2 states, reflecting the weaker equatorial ligand field of 5(b) and accounting for its larger D value. Complex 5(b) reacted readily with dihydrotoluene, methyldiphenylphosphine and ferrocene at −60 °C, and in all cases was approximately a 5-fold more reactive oxidant than [FeIV(O)(N4Py)]2+. The reactivity differences between these two complexes may arise from a combination of electronic and steric factors. Carboxylate-rich 5(b) represents the closest structural mimic reported thus far of the oxoiron(IV) intermediate (‘J’) found in TauD and provides us with vital insights into the role carboxylate ligands play in modulating the spectroscopic and reactivity properties of the non-heme oxoiron(IV) moiety.

Secondary Coordination Sphere Influence on the Reactivity of Nonheme Iron(II) Complexes: An Experimental and DFT Approach

“…In comparison, triplet [Fe IV (O)(N4Py)] 2+ is completely unreactive toward C 6 H 6 , consistent with the fact that the 3 π-pathway is sterically blocked. 7,9g,10 Computational investigations have asserted the importance of substrate positioning (σ vs π) in controlling nonheme Fe(O) reactivity, 9 but to our knowledge the results herein provide the first combined experimental/theoretical evidence for the importance of σ vs π substrate orientation in a synthetic nonheme iron system.…”

Applications of density functional theory to iron-containing molecules of bioinorganic interest

“…Theoretical studies of such biomimetic models may not only identify the key elements that determine their chemical reactivities, but may also provide insight into intermediates and reactivities of parent enzymes (Shaik et al, 2007a; de Visser et al, 2013). To date, DFT calculations have been applied extensively to various types of non-heme iron species (Scheme 1) (Bassan et al, 2002, 2005a,b; Roelfes et al, 2003; Decker and Solomon, 2005; Kumar et al, 2005; Quinonero et al, 2005; Berry et al, 2006; Bernasconi et al, 2007, 2011; de Visser, 2006, 2010; Hirao et al, 2006a, 2008a,b, 2011; Rohde et al, 2006; Decker et al, 2007; de Visser et al, 2007, 2011; Johansson et al, 2007; Noack and Siegbahn, 2007; Sastri et al, 2007; Sicking et al, 2007; Bernasconi and Baerends, 2008, 2013; Comba et al, 2008; Dhuri et al, 2008; Fiedler and Que, 2009; Klinker et al, 2009; Wang et al, 2009a, 2013b; Cho et al, 2010, 2012a, 2013; Geng et al, 2010; Chen et al, 2011; Chung et al, 2011b; Seo et al, 2011; Shaik et al, 2011; Vardhaman et al, 2011; Wong et al, 2011; Ye and Neese, 2011; Gonzalez-Ovalle et al, 2012; Gopakumar et al, 2012; Latifi et al, 2012; Mas-Ballesté et al, 2012; McDonald et al, 2012; Van Heuvelen et al, 2012; Ansari et al, 2013; Kim et al, 2013; Lee et al, 2013; Sahu et al, 2013; Tang et al, 2013; Ye et al, 2013; Hong et al, 2014; Sun et al, 2014). The intriguing reactivity patterns of these complexes are the result of active involvement of electrons in d-type MOs, which gives rise to multi-state scenarios (Shaik et al, 1998; Schröder et al, 2000; Schwarz, 2011).…”

Aromatic C–F Hydroxylation by Nonheme Iron(IV)–Oxo Complexes: Structural, Spectroscopic, and Mechanistic Investigations

“…Calculations suggested that part of the reason for the low reactivity of triplet Fe IV (O) was because of steric clash between the incoming aromatic substrate and the equatorial ligands, which blocked access to the key π * acceptor orbitals on the Fe IV (O) unit. 6,7,25,32 …”