Low-temperature UV-visible and NMR spectroscopic investigations of O(2) binding to ((6)L)Fe(II), a ferrous heme bearing covalently tethered axial pyridine ligands.

In this report, we describe the reversible dioxygen reactivity of ((6)L)Fe(II) (1) [(6)L = partially fluorinated tetraphenylporphyrin with covalently appended TMPA moiety; TMPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine] using a combination of low-temperature UV-vis and multinuclear ((1)H and (2)H) NMR spectroscopies. Complex 1, or its pyrrole-deuterated analogue ((6)L-d(8))Fe(II) (1-d(8)), exhibits downfield shifted pyrrole resonances (delta 28-60 ppm) in all solvents utilized [CH(2)Cl(2), (CH(3))(2)C(O), CH(3)CN, THF], indicative of a five-coordinate high-spin ferrous heme, even when there is no exogenous axial solvent ligand present (i.e., in methylene chloride). Furthermore, ((6)L)Fe(II) (1) exhibits non-pyrrolic upfield and downfield shifted peaks in CH(2)Cl(2), (CH(3))(2)C(O), and CH(3)CN solvents, which we ascribed to resonances arising from the intra- or intermolecular binding of a TMPA-pyridyl arm to the ferrous heme. Upon exposure to dioxygen at 193 K in methylene chloride, ((6)L)Fe(II) (1) [UV-vis: lambda(max) = 433 (Soret), 529 (sh), 559 nm] reversibly forms a dioxygen adduct [UV-vis: lambda(max) = 422 (Soret), 542 nm], formulated as the six-coordinate low-spin [delta(pyrrole) 9.3 ppm, 193 K] heme-superoxo complex ((6)L)Fe(III)-(O(2)(-)) (2). The coordination of the tethered pyridyl arm to the heme-superoxo complex as axial base ligand is suggested. In coordinating solvents such as THF, reversible oxygenation (193 K) of ((6)L)Fe(II) (1) [UV-vis: lambda(max) = 424 (Soret), 542 nm] also occurs to give a similar adduct ((6)L)Fe(III)-(O(2)(-)) (2) [UV-vis: lambda(max) = 418 (Soret), 537 nm. (2)H NMR: delta(pyrrole) 8.9 ppm, 193 K]. Here, we are unable to distinguish between a bound solvent ligand or tethered pyridyl arm as axial base ligand. In all solvents, the dioxygen adducts decompose (thermally) to the ferric-hydroxy complex ((6)L)Fe(III)-OH (3) [UV-vis: lambda(max) = 412-414 (Soret), 566-575 nm; approximately delta(pyrrole) 120 ppm at 193 K]. This study on the O(2)-binding chemistry of the heme-only homonuclear ((6)L)Fe(II) (1) system lays the foundation for a more complete understanding of the dioxygen reactivity of heterobinuclear heme-Cu complexes, such as [((6)L)Fe(II)Cu(I)](+), which are models for cytochrome c oxidase.