Thermodynamic and kinetic studies on the reaction between the vitamin B12 derivative beta-(N-methylimidazolyl)cobalamin and N-methylimidazole: ligand displacement at the alpha axial site of cobalamins.

The equilibria and kinetics of substitution of the 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole at the alpha site of beta-(N-methylimidazolyl)cobalamin by N-methylimidazole have been investigated, and the product, bis(N-methylimidazolyl)cobalamin, has been characterized by visible and 1H NMR spectroscopies. The equilibrium constant for (N-MeIm)Cbl+ + N-MeIm right harpoon over left harpoon (N-MeIm)2Cbl+ was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy (9.6 +/- 0.1 M(-1), 25.0 degrees C, I = 1.5 M (NaClO4)). The observed rate constant for this reaction exhibits an unusual inverse dependence on N-methylimidazole concentration, and it is proposed that substitution occurs via a base-off solvent-bound intermediate. Activation parameters typical for a dissociative ligand substitution mechanism are reported at two different N-MeImT concentrations, 5.00 x 10(-3) M (DeltaH++ = 99 +/- 2 kJ x mol(-1), DeltaS++ = 39 +/- 5 J x mol(-1) x K(-1), DeltaV++ = 15.0 +/- 0.7 cm3 x mol(-1), and 1.00 M (DeltaH++ = 109.4 +/- 0.8 kJ x mol(-1), DeltaS++ = 70 +/- 3 J x mol(-1) x K(-1), DeltaV++ = 16.8 +/- 1.1 cm3 x mol(-1)). According to the proposed mechanism, these parameters correspond to the equation of (N-MeIm)2Cbl+ and the ring-opening reaction of the alpha-DMBI of (N-MeIm)Cbl+ to give the solvent-bound intermediate in both cases, respectively.