Efficient Dehydrogenation of Amines and Carbonyl Compounds Catalyzed by a Tetranuclear Ruthenium-μ-oxo-μ-hydroxo-hydride Complex

The tetranuclear ruthenium-μ-oxo-μ-hydroxo-hydride complex {[(PCy3)(CO)RuH]4(μ4-O)(μ3-OH)(μ2-OH)} (1) was found to be a highly effective catalyst for the transfer dehydrogenation of amines and carbonyl compounds. For example, the initial turnover rate of the dehydrogenation of 2-methylindoline was measured to be 1.9 s−1 with a TON of 7950 after 1 h at 200 °C. The extensive H/D scrambling patterns observed from the dehydrogenation reaction of indoline-N-d1 and indoline-α-d2 suggest a monohydride mechanistic pathway with the C−H bond activation rate-limiting step

Cross-Coupling of Aryl Trifluoromethyl Sulfones with Arylboronates by Cooperative Palladium/Rhodium Catalysis

The Suzuki–Miyaura arylation of aryl trifluoromethyl sulfones via C–SO₂ bond cleavage has been developed by means of cooperative palladium/rhodium catalysis. A series of aryl trifluoromethyl sulfones and arylboronic acid neopentylglycol esters are converted to the corresponding biaryls. Mechanistic investigations suggest that (1) the rhodium catalyst mediates the transfer of the aryl ring from arylboronate to palladium, resulting in the acceleration of the transmetalation step, and (2) the C–C bond-forming reductive elimination step is the turnover-limiting step

Tris(oxazolinyl)boratomagnesium-Catalyzed Cross-Dehydrocoupling of Organosilanes with Amines, Hydrazine, and Ammonia

We report magnesium-catalyzed cross-dehydrocoupling of Si–H and N–H bonds to give Si–N bonds and H2. A number of silazanes are accessible using this method, as well as silylamines from NH3 and silylhydrazines from N2H4. Kinetic studies of the overall catalytic cycle and a stoichiometric Si–N bond-forming reaction suggest nucleophilic attack by a magnesium amide as the turnover-limiting step

Coupling of kinesin ATP turnover to translocation and microtubule regulation: one engine, many machines

The cycle of ATP turnover is integral to the action of motor proteins. Here we discuss how variation in this cycle leads to variation of function observed amongst members of the kinesin superfamily of microtubule associated motor proteins. Variation in the ATP turnover cycle among superfamily members can tune the characteristic kinesin motor to one of the range of microtubule-based functions performed by kinesins. The speed at which ATP is hydrolysed affects the speed of translocation. The ratio of rate constants of ATP turnover in relation to association and dissociation from the microtubule influence the processivity of translocation. Variation in the rate-limiting step of the cycle can reverse the way in which the motor domain interacts with the microtubule producing non-motile kinesins. Because the ATP turnover cycle is not fully understood for the majority of kinesins, much work remains to show how the kinesin engine functions in such a wide variety of molecular machines

Kinetic landscape of a peptide-bond-forming prolyl oligopeptidase

We thank Dr. Rafael Guimaraes da Silva for helpful discussions on enzyme kinetics. We also thank Professor David Lilley, Dr. Alasdair Freeman and Dr. Anne-Cecile Declais at the University of Dundee for training and usage of their QFM-4000 quenched-flow apparatus.Prolyl oligopeptidase B from Galerina marginata (GmPOPB) has recently been discovered as a peptidase capable of breaking and forming peptide bonds to yield a cyclic peptide. Despite the relevance of prolyl oligopeptidases in human biology and disease, a kinetic analysis pinpointing rate-limiting steps for a member of this enzyme family is not available. Macrocyclase enzymes are currently exploited to produce cyclic peptides with potential therapeutic applications. Cyclic peptides are promising drug-like molecules due to their stability and conformational rigidity. Here we describe an in-depth kinetic characterization of a prolyl oligopeptidase acting as a macrocyclase enzyme. By combining steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetics, we put forward a kinetic sequence in which a step after macrocyclization limits steady-state turnover. Additionally, product release is ordered, where cyclic peptide departs first followed by the peptide tail. Dissociation of the peptide tail is slow and significantly contributes to the turnover rate. Furthermore, trapping of the enzyme by the peptide tail becomes significant beyond initial-rate conditions. The presence of a burst of product formation and a large viscosity effect further support the rate-limiting nature of a physical step occurring after macrocyclization. This is the first detailed description of the kinetic sequence of a macrocyclase enzyme from this class. GmPOPB is amongst the fastest macrocyclases described to date, and this work is a necessary step towards designing broad specificity efficient macrocyclases.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Intramolecular palladium(II)/(IV) catalysed C(sp3)–H arylation of tertiary aldehydes using a transient imine directing group

Palladium catalysed β-C(sp3)–H activation of tertiary aldehydes using a transient imine directing group enables intramolecular arylation to form substituted indane-aldehydes. A simple amine bearing a methyl ether (2-methoxyethan-1-amine) is the optimal TDG to promote C–H activation and reaction with an unactivated proximal C–Br bond. Substituent effects are studied in the preparation of various derivatives. Preliminary mechanistic studies identify a reversible C–H activation, product inhibition and suggest that oxidative addition is the turnover limiting step

Mechanistic Investigations of the Iron(iii)-Catalyzed Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis Reaction

Iron(III)-catalyzed carbonyl-olefin ring-closing metathesis represents a new approach toward the assembly of molecules traditionally generated by olefinˆ’olefin metathesis or olefination. Herein, we report detailed synthetic, spectroscopic, kinetic, and computational studies to determine the mechanistic features imparted by iron(III), substrate, and temperature to the catalytic cycle. These data are consistent with an iron(III)-mediated asynchronous, concerted [2+2]-cycloaddition to form an intermediate oxetane as the turnover-limiting step. Fragmentation of the oxetane via Lewis acid-activation results in the formation of five- and six-membered unsaturated carbocycles

Au-catalyzed biaryl coupling to generate 5- to 9-membered rings: turnover-limiting reductive elimination versus π-complexation

The intramolecular gold–catalyzed arylation of arenes by aryltrimethylsilanes has been investigated from both a mechanistic and preparative aspect. The reaction generates five to nine membered rings, and of the 44 examples studied, ten include a heteroatom (N, O). The tethering of the arene to the arylsilane not only provides a tool to probe the impact of the conforma-tional flexibility of Ar–Au–Ar intermediates, via systematic modulation of the length of aryl-aryl linkage, but also the ability to arylate neutral and electron-poor arenes - substrates that do not react at all in the intermolecular process. Rendering the arylation intramolecular also results in phenomenologically simpler reaction kinetics, and overall these features have facili-tated a detailed study of linear free energy relationships, kinetic isotope effects, and the first quantitative experimental data on the effects of aryl electron-demand and conformational freedom on the rate of reductive elimination from diaryl gold(III) species. The turnover-limiting step for the formation of a series of fluorene derivatives is sensitive to the electronics of the arene and changes from reductive elimination to π-complexation for arenes bearing strongly electron-withdrawing substitu-ents (σ >0.43). Reductive elimination is accelerated by electron-donating substituents (□ = -2.0) on one or both rings, with the individual σ-values being additive in nature. Longer and more flexible tethers between the two aryl rings results in faster reductive elimination from Ar-Au(X)-Ar, and to the π-complexation of the arene by Ar-AuX2 becoming the turnover-limiting step

Catalytic Mechanism of Bacteriophage T4 Rad50 ATP Hydrolysis

Spontaneous double-strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most deleterious forms of DNA damage, and their improper repair can lead to cellular dysfunction. The Mre11 and Rad50 proteins, a nuclease and an ATPase, respectively, form a well-conserved complex that is involved in the initial processing of DSBs. Here we examine the kinetic and catalytic mechanism of ATP hydrolysis by T4 Rad50 (gp46) in the presence and absence of Mre11 (gp47) and DNA. Single-turnover and pre-steady state kinetics on the wild-type protein indicate that the rate-limiting step for Rad50, the MR complex, and the MR-DNA complex is either chemistry or a conformational change prior to catalysis. Pre-steady state product release kinetics, coupled with viscosity steady state kinetics, also supports that the binding of DNA to the MR complex does not alter the rate-limiting step. The lack of a positive deuterium solvent isotope effect for the wild type and several active site mutants, combined with pH–rate profiles, implies that chemistry is rate-limiting and the ATPase mechanism proceeds via an asymmetric, dissociative-like transition state. Mutation of the Walker A/B and H-loop residues also affects the allosteric communication between Rad50 active sites, suggesting possible routes for cooperativity between the ATP active sites