| 1. |
- Johansson, Adam Johannes, 1976-
(författare)
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Biomimetic Transition Metal Catalysts : Insights from Theoretical Modeling
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The scientific interest in the chemistry of synthetic transition metal complexes is motivated by at least two arguments:1.These can be regarded as models of biological transition metal complexes, e.g. metalloenzymes, whose functions can be difficult to reveal in detail due to their complexity.2.Transition metal complexes are used for catalytic purposes in the industrial synthesis of chemicals. There is a large potential for further development of this technology, which can be motivated both by economic and environmental arguments.In the present thesis, density functional theory (a quantum mechanical method) has been applied to model reactions involving synthetic iron and copper complexes in solution. The complexity of the solvent environment is a challenging problem for theoretical investigations and a significant part of the theses has been to investigate the mechanistic effects of metal-coordinating solvent molecules, Lewis bases and counter ions. For example, it is explained why the cleavage of the O-O bond in heme-diiron-peroxides is faster in the presence of a coordinating Lewis base. Furthermore, the experimentally observed structure-activity relationship between the Fe(III)(µ-O)2Fe(IV) and (H2O)Fe(III)(µ-O)Fe(IV)O motifs is given an explanation. In addition, the present thesis presents a systematic investigation of how the self-interaction error in density functional theory (DFT) affects the modeling of transition metal catalysis.
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| 2. |
- Noack, Holger, 1976-
(författare)
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Biomimetic Iron Complexes involved in Oxygenation and Chlorination : A Theoretical Study
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Biomimetic chemistry is directed towards the simulation of enzymatic reactivity with synthetic analogues. In this thesis a quantum chemical method has been employed to study the mechanism of highly reactive iron-oxo complexes involved in oxygenation and chlorination of organic substrates. The aim of this research is to gain greater understanding for the reactivity paradigm of the iron-oxo group. One reaction deals with the conversion of cyclohexane into adipic acid, a key chemical in industrial chemistry, catalyzed by an iron(II)-porphyrin complex in the presence of dioxygen. This process constitutes a ’green’ alternative to conventional adipic acid production, and is thus of great interest to synthetic chemistry. Another reaction investigated herein regards the selective chlorination observed for a new group of non-heme iron enzymes. With help of theoretical modeling it was possible to propose a mechanism that explains the observed selectivity. It is furthermore demonstrated how a biomimetic iron complex simulates the enzymatic reactivity by a different mechanism. Other topics covered in this thesis regard the structure-reactivity relationship of a binuclear iron complex and the intradiol C-C bond cleavage of catechol catalyzed by an iron(III) complex.
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| 3. |
- Roos, Katarina, 1982-
(författare)
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Manganese and Iron Heterodimers and Homodimers in Enzymes : Insights from Density Functional Theory
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, and is essential for all organisms. Canonical class I RNR R2 proteins use a diiron cofactor to generate a tyrosyl radical, which is required for catalysis. Recent discoveries have established that the different subgroups of class I RNR employ different metal cofactors. Class Ib R2 (R2F) utilizes a dimanganese cofactor and a flavoprotein to generate the tyrosyl radical. Class Ic R2 (R2c) lacks the radical-bearing tyrosine, and instead has an oxidized heterodinuclear manganese-iron center, the first known redox active MnFe cofactor. A second group of MnFe proteins with different functions, denoted R2-like ligand binding oxidases (R2lox), was later identified. R2lox proteins are capable of performing two-electron oxidations and are believed to be hydrocarbon oxidases. In the present thesis density functional theory, a quantum mechanical method, is employed to study the manganese and iron heterodimers and homodimers in the R2 and R2lox proteins, with the aim to shed light on the mechanistic details and stress the main features of the alternative metal centers. Some of the questions addressed are the radical generation with the homodimers and heterodimer in R2, the radical transfer between R2 and the RNR catalytic subunit, and the function of R2lox. A Mn(IV)Fe(III) state is shown to be an equally strong oxidant as a tyrosyl radical, giving a rationalization for the presence of the heterodimer in R2c. A reaction mechanism for the formation of an unprecedented tyrosine-valine crosslink catalyzed by the heterodimer in R2lox is modeled, and the potential of the protein to perform hydroxylations of hydrocarbons based on calculated barriers for methane hydroxylation is discussed. An energetically possible reaction mechanism is suggested for activation of dimanganese R2F by hydrogen peroxide, and a hypothetical role of the flavoprotein in radical generation is proposed.
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