title: A hybrid density functional study of O-O bond cleavage and phenyl ring hydroxylation for a biomimetic non-heme iron complex.
abstract: Density functional calculations using the B3LYP functional have been used to study the reaction mechanism of [Fe(Tp(Ph2))BF] (Tp(Ph2) = hydrotris(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-yl)borate; BF = benzoylformate) with dioxygen. This mononuclear non-heme iron(II) complex was recently synthesized, and it proved to be the first biomimetic complex reproducing the dioxygenase activity of alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent enzymes. Moreover, the enthalpy and entropy of activation for this biologically interesting process were derived from kinetic experiments offering a unique possibility for direct comparison of theoretical and experimental data. The results reported here support a mechanism in which oxidative decarboxylation of the keto acid is the rate-limiting step. This oxygen activation process proceeds on the septet potential energy surface through a transition state for a concerted O-O and C-C bond cleavage. In the next step, a high-valent iron-oxo species performs electrophilic attack on the phenyl ring of the Tp(Ph2) ligand leading to an iron(III)-radical sigma-complex. Subsequent proton-coupled electron-transfer yields an iron(II)-phenol intermediate, which can bind dioxygen and reduce it to a superoxide radical. Finally, the protonated superoxide radical leaves the first coordination sphere of the iron(III)-phenolate complex and dismutates to dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide. The calculated activation barrier (enthalpy and entropy) and the overall reaction energy profile agree well with experimental data. A comparison to the enzymatic process, which is suggested to occur on the quintet surface, has been made.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Stockholm Center for Physics, Astronomy and Biotechnology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. borowski@physto.se
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Borowski
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bassan
authors.forename: Per E M
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Siegbahn
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D003653:Decarboxylation; D004579:Electron Transport; D005609:Free Radicals; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry; D007651:Keto Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D007656:Ketoglutaric Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008024:Ligands; D019159:Nonheme Iron Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry*; D013481:Superoxides / Q000737:chemistry; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D007651:Keto Acids; D007656:Ketoglutaric Acids; D008024:Ligands; D019159:Nonheme Iron Proteins; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010636:Phenols; D013481:Superoxides; D007501:Iron; D010105:Oxygenases; D010100:Oxygen