The α-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent oxygenases catalyze a diverse range of chemical reactions using a common high-spin FeIV═O intermediate that, in most reactions, abstract a hydrogen atom from the substrate. Previously, the FeIV═O intermediate in the αKG-dependent halogenase SyrB2 was characterized by nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which demonstrated that it has a trigonal-pyramidal geometry with the scissile C-H bond of the substrate calculated to be perpendicular to the Fe-O bond. Here, we have used NRVS and DFT calculations to show that the FeIV═O complex in taurine dioxygenase (TauD), the αKG-dependent hydroxylase in which this intermediate was first characterized, also has a trigonal bipyramidal geometry but with an aspartate residue replacing the equatorial halide of the SyrB2 intermediate. Computational analysis of hydrogen atom abstraction by square pyramidal, trigonal bipyramidal, and six-coordinate FeIV═O complexes in two different substrate orientations (one more along [σ channel] and another more perpendicular [π channel] to the Fe-O bond) reveals similar activation barriers. Thus, both substrate approaches to all three geometries are competent in hydrogen atom abstraction. The equivalence in reactivity between the two substrate orientations arises from compensation of the promotion energy (electronic excitation within the d manifold) required to access the π channel by the significantly larger oxyl character present in the pπ orbital oriented toward the substrate, which leads to an earlier transition state along the C-H coordinate.

• MeSH
• Dioxygenases chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Catalysis MeSH
• Ketoglutaric Acids chemistry   MeSH
• Oxygen chemistry   MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy MeSH
• Density Functional Theory MeSH
• Hydrogen chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Iron chemistry   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Dioxygenases MeSH
• Ketoglutaric Acids MeSH
• Oxygen MeSH
• Hydrogen MeSH
• Iron MeSH

The ability of an FeIV═O intermediate in SyrB2 to perform chlorination versus hydroxylation was computationally evaluated for different substrates that had been studied experimentally. The π-trajectory for H atom abstraction (FeIV═O oriented perpendicular to the C-H bond of substrate) was found to lead to the S = 2 five-coordinate HO-FeIII-Cl complex with the C• of the substrate, π-oriented relative to both the Cl- and the OH- ligands. From this ferric intermediate, hydroxylation is thermodynamically favored, but chlorination is intrinsically more reactive due to the energy splitting between two key redox-active dπ* frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs). The splitting is determined by the differential ligand field effect of Cl- versus OH- on the Fe center. This makes chlorination effectively competitive with hydroxylation. Chlorination versus hydroxylation selectivity is then determined by the orientation of the substrate with respect to the HO-Fe-Cl plane that controls either the Cl- or the OH- to rebound depending on the relative π-overlap with the substrate C radical. The differential contribution of the two FMOs to chlorination versus hydroxylation selectivity in SyrB2 is related to a reaction mechanism that involves two asynchronous transfers: electron transfer from the substrate radical to the iron center followed by late ligand (Cl- or OH-) transfer to the substrate.

• MeSH
• Halogenation MeSH
• Hydroxylation MeSH
• Quantum Theory * MeSH
• Molecular Conformation MeSH
• Nonheme Iron Proteins chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Thermodynamics MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Nonheme Iron Proteins MeSH

In this minireview, we provide an account of the current state-of-the-art developments in the area of mono- and binuclear non-heme enzymes (NHFe and NHFe2) and the smaller NHFe(2) synthetic models, mostly from a theoretical and computational perspective. The sheer complexity, and at the same time the beauty, of the NHFe(2) world represents a challenge for experimental as well as theoretical methods. We emphasize that the concerted progress on both theoretical and experimental side is a conditio sine qua non for future understanding, exploration and utilization of the NHFe(2) systems. After briefly discussing the current challenges and advances in the computational methodology, we review the recent spectroscopic and computational studies of NHFe(2) enzymatic and inorganic systems and highlight the correlations between various experimental data (spectroscopic, kinetic, thermodynamic, electrochemical) and computations. Throughout, we attempt to keep in mind the most fascinating and attractive phenomenon in the NHFe(2) chemistry, which is the fact that despite the strong oxidative power of many reactive intermediates, the NHFe(2) enzymes perform catalysis with high selectivity. We conclude with our personal viewpoint and hope that further developments in quantum chemistry and especially in the field of multireference wave function methods are needed to have a solid theoretical basis for the NHFe(2) studies, mostly by providing benchmarking and calibration of the computationally efficient and easy-to-use DFT methods.

• Keywords
• Density functional theory, Dioxygen activation, Multireference methods, Non-heme iron, Reactivity,
• MeSH
• Quantum Theory * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Nonheme Iron Proteins chemistry   metabolism   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Nonheme Iron Proteins MeSH