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PubMed2002

Biomimetic studies on iodothyronine deiodinase intermediates: modeling the reduction of selenenyl iodide by thiols.

Enzyme mimetic studies on the crucial intermediate (E-SeI) of the iodothyronine deiodinase cycle have been carried out by using an areneselenenyl iodide stabilized by intramolecular Se.N interactions. Treatment of this compound with aromatic thiols and thiobenzoxazole in the presence of NEt(3) affords areneselenenyl sulfides that are stable towards disproportionation reactions. The structures of three of the areneselenenyl sulfides were determined by X-ray crystallography. In one case, in the absence of NEt(3), a diselenide can be formed rather than the selenenyl sulfide. The areneselenenyl iodide also reacts with a related selenol to produce the corresponding diselenide, and this reaction is found to be much faster than that with thiols. The high reactivity of the selenenyl iodide with the selenol suggests that a reduced selenol group (R'-SeH) may react with the E-SeI intermediate to produce a diselenide (E-Se-Se-R') without any thiol cosubstrate. The intermediacy of selenenyl sulfides during the reduction of selenenyl iodide by thiols and its possible relevance to the iodothyronine deiodinase catalytic cycle is also described.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2000

Biomimetic catalysis with immobilised organometallic ruthenium complexes: substrate- and regioselective transfer hydrogenation of ketones.

Chloro-(eta6-arene) complexes of ruthenium(II) with N-sulfonyl-1,2-ethylenediamine ligands that have one or two styrene side chains have been synthesised and characterised. The chloro ligand was substituted with a diphenylphosphinato ligand and the resulting organometallic complexes are transition state analogues for the ruthenium-catalysed transfer hydrogenation of benzophenone. Following the protocol of molecular imprinting, these complexes were copolymerised with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in the presence of a porogen. The polymers were ground and sieved, and the phosphinato ligand was substituted with a chloro ligand, thus generating a shape-selective cavity in close proximity to the catalytically active metal centre. When tested for their ability to catalyse the reduction of benzophenone, the imprinted polymers showed a significantly higher activity (up to a factor of seven) than control polymers without cavities. Out of a mixture of seven different aromatic and aliphatic ketones, benzophenone was preferentially reduced when the imprinted polymer was used. Furthermore, the specificity of the catalyst for diaryl ketones has been confirmed in a reaction with a bifunctional substrate, 4-acetyl-benzophenone; the diaryl ketone was reduced faster with the imprinted catalyst than the acetyl group. The opposite regioselectivity was observed with the control polymer. Both the activity and the selectivity of the imprinted catalysts are dependent on how the ruthenium complexes are attached to the polymer backbone. A double connection proved to give superior results.

Catalysis↗

PubMed2001

Structure-activity correlation between natural glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and mimics: a biomimetic concept for the design and synthesis of more efficient GPx mimics.

Among the organoselenium compounds that mimic the action of the natural enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx), there are certain basic differences in the activity, substrate specificity and mechanism. These differences arise mainly from the nature of the substituents near the reaction center, and stability and reactivity of the intermediates. As an attempt to draw some general concepts for the development of new mimics, a structure - activity correlation between natural GPx and some existing mimics is described.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2001

Dendritic Encapsulation of Function: Applying Nature's Site Isolation Principle from Biomimetics to Materials Science.

The convergence of our understanding of structure-property relationships for selected biological macromolecules and our increased ability to prepare large synthetic macromolecules with a structural precision that approaches that of proteins have spawned a new area of research where chemistry and materials science join with biology. While evolution has enabled nature to perfect processes involving energy transfer or catalysis by incorporating functions such as self-replication and repair, synthetic macromolecules still depend on our synthetic skills and abilities to mesh structure and function in our designs. Clearly, we can take advantage of our understanding of natural systems to mimic the structural features that lead to optimized function. For example, numerous biological systems make use of the concept of site isolation whereby an active center or catalytic site is encapsulated, frequently within a protein, to afford properties that would not be encountered in the bulk state. The ability of the dendritic shell to encapsulate functional core moieties and to create specific site-isolated nanoenvironments, and thereby affect molecular properties, has been explored. By utilizing the distinct properties of the dendrimer architecture active sites that have either photophysical, photochemical, electrochemical, or catalytic functions have been placed at the core. Applying the general concept of site isolation to problems in materials research is likely to prove extremely fruitful in the long term, with short-term applications in areas such as the construction of improved optoelectronic devices. This review focuses on the evolution of a natural design principle that contributes to bridging the gap between biology and materials science. The recent progress in the synthesis of dendrimer-encapsulated molecules and their study by a variety of techniques is discussed. These investigations have implications that range from the preliminary design of artificial enzymes, catalysts, or light-harvesting systems to the construction of insulated molecular wires, light-emitting diodes, and fiber optics.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002