Biological methane activation involves the intermediacy of carbon-centered radicals.
The spin-trapping technique has demonstrated that carbon-centered radicals are produced during soluble-methane-monooxygenase catalysis of the hydroxylation of several different types of substrate. The resulting spin-adducts were identified from the hyperfine splitting constants in their EPR spectra. Isotopic labelling showed unequivocally that the trapped radicals were derived from substrate. The carbon-centered substrate radicals are believed to result from hydrogen-atom abstraction by a ferryl species in a cytochrome-P-450-like mechanism. No hydroxy radical nor an oxygen-based radical of any kind was detected in any of the spin-trapping experiments.
Wilkins
P C
PC
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, England.
Dalton
H
H
Podmore
I D
ID
Deighton
N
N
Symons
M C
MC
D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D005609:Free Radicals; D006900:Hydroxylation; D008697:Methane / Q000737:chemistry*; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000378:metabolism
D005609:Free Radicals; D002244:Carbon; D010105:Oxygenases; C021555:methane monooxygenase; D008697:Methane