Five- and six-coordinate adducts of nitrosamines with ferric porphyrins: structural models for the Type II interactions of nitrosamines with ferric cytochrome P450.

Nitrosamines are well-known for their toxic and carcinogenic properties. The metabolic activation of nitrosamines occurs via interaction with the heme-containing cytochrome P450 enzymes. We report the preparation and structural characterization of a number of nitrosamine adducts of synthetic iron porphyrins. The reactions of the cations [(por)Fe(THF)(2)]ClO(4) (por = TPP, TTP, OEP) with dialkylnitrosamines (R(2)NNO; R(2) = Me(2), Et(2), (cyclo-CH(2))(4), (cyclo-CH(2))(5), (PhCH(2))(2)) in toluene generate the six-coordinate high-spin (S = 5/2) [(por)Fe(ONNR(2))(2)]ClO(4) compounds and a five-coordinate intermediate-spin (S = 3/2) [(OEP)Fe(ONNMe(2))]ClO(4) derivative in 57-72% yields (TPP = 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato dianion, TTP = 5,10,15,20-tetra-p-tolylporphyrinato dianion, OEP = 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrinato dianion). The N-O and N-N vibrations of the coordinated nitrosamine groups in [(por)Fe(ONNR(2))(2)]ClO(4) occur in the 1239-1271 cm(-1) range. Three of the six-coordinate [(por)Fe(ONNR(2))(2)]ClO(4) compounds and one five-coordinate [(OEP)Fe(ONNMe(2))]ClO(4) compound have been characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography. All the nitrosamine ligands in these complexes bind to the ferric centers via a sole eta(1)-O binding mode. No arylnitrosamine adducts were obtained from the reactions of the precursor compounds [(por)Fe(THF)(2)]ClO(4) with three arylnitrosamines (Ph(2)NNO, Ph(Me)NNO, Ph(Et)NNO). However, prolonged exposure of [(por)Fe(THF)(2)]ClO(4) to these arylnitrosamines resulted in the formation of the known five-coordinate (por)Fe(NO) derivatives. The latter (por)Fe(NO) compounds were obtained more readily by the reactions of the three arylnitrosamines with the four-coordinate (por)Fe(II) precursors.