Models for the active site in galactose oxidase: structure, spectra and redox of copper(II) complexes of certain phenolate ligands

Galactose oxidase (GOase) is a fungal enzyme which is unusual among metalloenzymes in appearing to catalyse the two electron oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes and H2O2. The crystal structure of the enzyme reveals that the coordination geometry of mononuclear copper(II) ion is square pyramidal, with two histidine imidazoles, a tyrosinate, and either H2O (pH 7.0) or acetate (from buffer,pH 4-5) in the equatorial sites and a tyrosinate ligand weakly bound in the axial position. This paper summarizes the results of our studies on the structure, spectral and redox properties of certain novel models for the active site of the inactive form of GOase. The monophenolato Cu(II) complexes of the type [Cu(L1)X][H(L1) = 2-(bis(pyrid-2-ylmethyl)aminomethyl)-4-nitrophenol and X- = Cl- 1, NCS- 2, CH3COO- 3, ClO4 - 4] reveal a distorted square pyramidal geometry around Cu(II) with an unusual axial coordination of phenolate moiety. The coordination geometry of 3 is reminiscent of the active site of GOase with an axial phenolate and equatorial CH3COO- ligands. All the present complexes exhibit several electronic and EPR spectral features which are also similar to the enzyme. Further, to establish the structural and spectroscopic consequences of the coordination of two tyrosinates in GOase enzyme, we studied the monomeric copper(II) complexes containing two phenolates and imidazole/pyridine donors as closer structural models for GOase. N,N-dimethylethylenediamine and N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine have been used as starting materials to obtain a variety of 2,4-disubstituted phenolate ligands. The X-ray crystal structures of the complexes [Cu(L5)(py)], (8) [H2(L5) = N,N-dimethyl-N',N'-bis(2-hydroxy-4-nitrobenzyl) ethylenediamine, py = pyridine] and [Cu(L8)(H2O)] (11), [H2(L8) = N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-4-nitrobenzyl)ethylenediamine] reveal distorted square pyramidal geometries around Cu(II) with the axial tertiary amine nitrogen and water coordination respectively. Interestingly, for the latter complex there are two different molecules present in the same unit cell containing the methyl groups of the ethylenediamine fragmentcis to each other in one molecule andtrans to each other in the other. The ligand field and EPR spectra of the model complexes reveal square-based geometries even in solution. The electrochemical and chemical means of generating novel radical species of the model complexes, analogous to the active form of the enzyme is presently under investigation

Synthesis, structure, spectra and redox of Cu(II) complexes of chelating bis(benzimidazole)-thioether ligands as models for electron transfer blue copper proteins

The tridentate ligand 1,5-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)-3-thiapentane (L1) with N2S donor set forms the complex [Cu(L1)(H2O)Cl]Cl 1a and the linear quadridentate ligand 1,8-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)-3,6-dithiaoctane (L2) with N2S2 donor set forms the complexes [Cu(L2)](ClO4)2·2H2O 2a and [Cu(L2)(NO3)]NO32b. The linear pentadentate ligand 1,11-bis(pyrid-2-yl)-3,6,9-trithiaundecane (L3) with N2S3 donor set forms the complex [Cu(L3)](ClO4)23. The perchlorate complex [Cu(L4)](ClO4)2·2CH3CN 4 of the pentadentate ligand, N,N-bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethylthioethyl)methylamine (L4) with N3S2 donor set has also been isolated. In 1a Cu(II) is coordinated to the two benzimidazole nitrogens and thioether sulfur of the ligand L1, a chloride ion and a water molecule. The coordination geometry around copper is intermediate between trigonal bipyramidal and square pyramidal geometries and is better described as trigonal bipyramidal distorted square based pyramidal (TBDSBP) with the sulfur and nitrogen atoms and the chloride ion in the equatorial positions and the oxygen of water in the apical position. The coordination geometry around copper(II) in 2b is best described as trigonal bipyramidal, with both the thioether sulfur atoms [Cu-S(1), 2.529(5) and Cu-S(2), 2.438(6) Å] and one of the oxygen atoms of the nitrate ion [Cu-O(1), 2.066(13) Å] constituting the trigonal plane and both the benzimidazole nitrogens [Cu-N, 1.985(14) and 1.953(13) Å] occupying the axial positions. The bulky benzimidazole moieties of the ligand prevent the other nitrate ion from coordinating and favours trigonal bipyramidal geometry in spite of the presence of two six-membered chelate rings. In 4 the coordination plane of Cu(II) is comprised of two benzimidazole nitrogens, one thioether sulfur and N-methyl substituted amine nitrogen atom with the other thioether sulfur atom coordinated axially. The coordination geometry is best described as trigonal bipyramidal distorted square based pyramidal (TBDSBP). The ligand field and EPR spectra of 1a, 2a and 2b are consistent with trigonal bipyramidal geometry in the solid state, whereas two ligand field bands in solution and an axial EPR spectrum in frozen solution were observed suggesting a change in coordination geometry to a square-based one on dissolution. The complexes 3 and 4 exhibit only one ligand field band in the solid state and axial EPR spectrum consistent with a square based geometry. All the complexes exhibit an intense S(σ ) → Cu(II) CT band in the range 330-380 nm and a high positive CuII/CuI redox potential

Embedding the Ni-SOD mimetic Ni-NCC within a polypeptide sequence alters specificity of the reaction pathway

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in the Inorganic Chemistry, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://doi.org/10.1021/ic301175f.The unique metal abstracting peptide (MAP) asparagine-cysteine-cysteine (NCC) binds nickel in a square planar 2N:2S geometry and acts as a mimic of the enzyme nickel superoxide dismutase (Ni-SOD). The Ni-NCC tripeptide complex undergoes rapid, site-specific chiral inversion to DLD-NCC in the presence of oxygen. Superoxide scavenging activity increases proportionally with the degree of chiral inversion. Characterization of the NCC sequence within longer peptides with absorption, circular dichroism (CD), and magnetic CD (MCD) spectroscopies and mass spectrometry (MS) shows that the geometry of metal coordination is maintained, though the electronic properties of the complex are varied to a small extent due to bis-amide, rather than amine/amide, coordination. In addition, both the Ni-tripeptides and Ni-pentapeptides have a −2 charge. The study here demonstrates that the chiral inversion chemistry does not occur when NCC is embedded in a longer polypeptide sequence. Nonetheless, the superoxide scavenging reactivity of the embedded Ni-NCC module is similar to that of the chirally inverted tripeptide complex, which is consistent with a minor change in reduction potential for the Ni-pentapeptide. Together, this suggests that the charge of the complex could affect the SOD activity as much as a change in primary coordination sphere. In Ni-NCC and other Ni-SOD mimics, changes in chirality, superoxide scavenging activity, and oxidation of the peptide itself all depend on the presence of dioxygen or its reduced derivatives (e.g., superoxide), and the extent to which each of these distinct reactions occurs is ruled by electronic and steric effects that emenate from the organization of ligands around the metal center

Turning a "useless" ligand into a "useful" ligand:a magneto-structural study of an unusual family of Cu(II) wheels derived from functionalised phenolic oximes

While the phenolic oximes (R-saoH(2)) are well known for producing monometallic complexes of the type [MII(R-saoH)(2)] with Cu-II ions in near quantitative yield, their derivatisation opens the door to much more varied and interesting coordination chemistry. Here we show that combining the complimentary diethanolamine and phenolic oxime moieties into one organic framework (H4L1 and H4L2) allows for the preparation and isolation of an unusual family of [Cu-II](n) wheels, including saddle-shaped, single-stranded [Cu-8(II)] wheels of general formula [Cu-8(HL1)(4)(X)(4)] n[Y] (when n = 0, X = Cl-, NO3-, AcO-, N-3(-); when n = 2+X = (OAc)(2)/(2,2'-bpy)(2) and Y = [BF4](2)) and [Cu-8(HL2)(4)(X)(4)](X = Cl-, Br-), a rectangular [Cu-6(HL1)(4)] wheel, and a heterometallic [Cu4Na2(HL1)2(H2L1)(2)] hexagon. Magnetic studies show very strong antiferromagnetic exchange between neighbouring metal ions, leading to diamagnetic ground states in all cases. DFT studies reveal that the magnitude of the exchange constants are correlated to the Cu-N-O-Cu dihedral angles, which in turn are correlated to the planarity/puckering of the [Cu-II](n) rings