Structure of a stable form of sulfheme.

A stable green heme was extracted from ferric cyanosulfmyoglobin after it had undergone an internal conversion reaction. After iron removal and conversion to the methyl ester, the resulting green porphyrin was purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Visible, 1H NMR, and mass spectrometric studies provided evidence to identify the substituents of the porphyrin. Nuclear Overhauser enhancements enabled an assignment of the single modified pyrrole. Substituent positions 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 have the original protoporphyrin IX substituents. At ring B, the 4-vinyl group has cyclized with a single sulfur atom to form a fifth ring with a 2,5-dihydrothiophene type of structure.