Structural models for the reduced form of vanadate-dependent peroxidases: vanadyl complexes with bidentate chiral Schiff base ligands.

The penta-coordinated vanadyl complexes [VO(ON)(2)] have been obtained by reaction between [VOX(2)] (X = acetylacetonate or chloride) and the Schiff base ligands HON = (R)-sal-am, (R)-Clsal-am and (S)-naph-am, where sal and naph are the salicylidene and naphthalidene moieties, and am derives from phenylethylamine. The three complexes and the ligand (R)-Clsal-am have been structurally characterized. The geometry of the complexes is in-between trigonal-bipyramidal (with the two imine functions in the axis) and square-pyramidal; tau values range from 0.66 to 0.44. Structural and EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) features are in accord with the coordination environment proposed for the inactive, reduced (V(IV)) form of the bromoperoxidase from the marine brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum.