Biomimetic oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol by dioxygen via Mn-enhanced base catalysis.

The 6-coordinate dioximatomanganese(II) complex [Mn(HL)(CH3OH)]+ (2, where H2L is [HON=C(CH3)C(CH3)=NCH2CH2]2NH), formed by instant solvolysis of [Mn2(HL)2](BPh4)2 (1) in methanol, accelerates the triethylamine (TEA)-catalyzed oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (H2dtbc) by O2 to the corresponding o-benzoquinone. Significantly, 2 alone has no catalytic effect. The observed rate increase can be explained by the interaction of 2 with the hydroperoxo intermediate HdtbcO2- formed from Hdtbc- and O2 in the TEA-catalyzed oxidation. The kinetics of the TEA-catalyzed and Mn-enhanced reaction has been studied by gas-volumetric monitoring of the amount of O2 consumed. The initial rate of O2 uptake (V(in)) shows a first-order dependence on the concentration of 2 and O2 and saturation kinetics with respect to both H2dtbc and TEA. The observed kinetic behavior is consistent with parallel TEA-catalyzed and Mn-enhanced oxidation paths. The 3,5-di-tert-butylsemiquinone anion radical is an intermediate detectable by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The dimeric catalyst precursor has been characterized by X-ray diffraction and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and the monomeric catalyst by ESR spectroscopy.

Hydrogen atom vs electron transfer in catecholase-mimetic oxidations by superoxometal complexes. Deuterium kinetic isotope effects.

Dioximato-cobalt(II), -iron(II) and -manganese(II) complexes (1)-(6), acting as functional catecholase and phenoxazinone synthase models, exhibit a deuterium kinetic isotope effect predicted by theory (k4H/k4D < or = 3) in the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol and 2-aminophenol by O2. KIEs in the range of (k4H/k4D approximately 1.79-3.51) are observed with (1) and (2) as catalysts, pointing to hydrogen atom transfer in the rate-determining step from the substrate hydroxy group to the metal-bound superoxo ligand. Less significant KIEs (1.06-1.20) are exhibited by catalysts systems (3)-(6), indicating that proton-coupled electron transfer is the preferred route in those cases.

Kinetics and mechanism of the ferroxime(II)-catalysed biomimetic oxidation of 2-aminophenol by dioxygen. A functional phenoxazinone synthase model.

[Fe(Hdmg)(2)(MeIm)(2)](1), referred to as ferroxime(II), is the precursor of a selective catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of 2-aminophenol (Hap) to 2-amino-3H-phenoxazine-3-one (apx) by dioxygen under ambient conditions. The superoxoferroxime(III) species has been detected by ES-MS, and a 4-substituted 2-aminophenoxyl free radical by the ESR technique. The kinetics of the reaction was followed spectrophotometrically and by monitoring dioxygen uptake at constant pressure. According to the proposed mechanism, solvolysis of 1 is followed by O(2) binding to afford a superoxoferroxime, which abstracts an H-atom from Hap in the rate-determining step via an H-bonded intermediate, generating the free radical. This is supported by the observed primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect of 2.63. The system studied is a functional phenoxazinone synthase model.