title: Studies on the mechanism of the reaction between coenzyme B12 and cyanide: direct 1H NMR spectroscopic evidence for a (beta-5'-deoxyadenosyl)(alpha-cyano)cobalamin intermediate.
abstract: The reaction between coenzyme B12 (5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin, AdoCbl) and tetrabutylammonium cyanide to give dicyanocobalamin, adenine, and 1-cyano-D-erythro-2,3-dihydroxy-4-pentenol has been examined in 92% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)/8% D2O. Under these conditions rate-determining Co-C heterolytic cleavage is preceded by rapid addition of cyanide to AdoCbl to form an intermediate, (beta-5'-deoxyadenosyl)(alpha-cyano)cobalamin ((beta-Ado)(alpha-CN)Cbl-), identified by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Rate constants have been determined by both 1H NMR and visible spectroscopies, with the latter showing saturation kinetics. The observed rate constant is pH-independent in the pH region studied, and replacing D2O by H2O increases it by ca. 10%. Increasing the percentage of D2O in the DMF/D2O solvent mixture also increases the reaction rate, and for D2O > or = 50% there is a change in the rate-determining step, with formation of the (beta-Ado)(alpha-CN)Cbl- intermediate becoming rate-determining. A mechanism in 92% DMF/8% D2O is proposed which involves rapid reversible formation of (beta-Ado)(alpha-CN)Cbl- from base-off AdoCbl plus cyanide, followed by rate-determining solvent-assisted cleavage of the Co-C bond of the intermediate and subsequent rapid addition of a second cyanide to give the products.
authors.affiliation: Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Brasch
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Haupt
mesh_terms: D003038:Cobamides / Q000737:chemistry*; D003486:Cyanides / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D011522:Protons
chemical_list: C418403:(beta-5'-deoxyadenosyl)(alpha-cyano)cobalamin; D003038:Cobamides; D003486:Cyanides; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011522:Protons; C000913:cobamamide