Synthesis and characterization of carboxylate-rich complexes having the [Fe2(mu-OH)2(mu-O2CR)]3+ and [Fe2(mu-O)(mu-O2CR)]3+ cores of O2-dependent diiron enzymes.

The {Fe2(mu-OH)2(mu-O2CR)}3+ and {Fe2(mu-O)(mu-O2CR)}3+ cores of the carboxylate-bridged diiron(III) centers in the enzyme active sites were reproduced by small molecule model complexes that were prepared through direct oxygenation of the mononuclear iron(II) complexes. Upon oxygenation of [Fe(O2CArTol)2(Hdmpz)2], where -O2CArTol is 2,6-di(p-tolyl)benzoate and Hdmpz is 3,5-dimethylpyrazole, [Fe2(mu-OH)2(mu-O2CArTol)(O2CArTol)3(OH2)(Hdmpz)2] was generated and characterized to share close physical properties with sMMOHox, including delta = 0.45 (2) mm/s, DeltaEQ = 1.21 (2) mm/s, and J = -7.2 (2) cm-1. The compound [Fe2(mu-O)(mu-O2CAr4-FPh)(O2CAr4-FPh)3(Hdmpz)3], where -O2CAr4-FPh is 2,6-di(4-fluorophenyl)benzoate, with delta = 0.51 (2) mm/s, DeltaEQ = 1.26 (2) mm/s, and J = -117.4 (1) cm-1, was isolated as the oxygenation product of [Fe(O2CAr4-FPh)2(Hdmpz)2].