Two dinuclear oxidovanadium(V) complexes of N2O2 donor amine-bis(phenolate) ligands with bromo-peroxidase activities: Kinetic, catalytic and computational studies

Abstract

Two dinuclear oxidovanadium(V) complexes [LiVVO(µ2-O)VVO(Li)] (i = 1, H2L1, complex 1 and i = 2 for H2L2, complex 2) of two ONNO donor amine-bis(phenolate) ligands have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction studies which exhibited distorted octahedral geometry around each V center. In MeCN the complexes exist as dimers as indicated by HRMS studies, however, in the presence of 2 or more equivalents of H+ the dimers turned into monomers, ([LiVV = O]+ which exists in equilibrium with ([LiVV = OH]2+ and evidenced from the shift in λmax from 685 nm to 765 nm for complex 1 and 600 to 765 nm for complex 2. The complexes 1 and 2 efficiently catalyze the oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde in the presence of H2O2 to produce 5-bromo-salicylaldehyde as the major product with TONs 405 and 450, respectively in the mixed solvent system (H2O:MeOH:THF = 4:3:2, v/v). The kinetic analysis of the bromide ion oxidation reaction indicates a mechanism which is first order in peroxidovanadium complex and bromide ion and limiting first-order on [H+]. The evaluated kBr and kH values are (8.82 ± 0.35) and (65.0 ± 2.23) M−1 s−1 for complex 1 and (6.74 ± 0.19) and (61.87 ± 2.27) M−1 s−1 for complex 2, respectively. The Ka of protonated species ([LiVV = OH]2+ are: Ka = (4.3 ± 0.40) × 10−3 (pKa = 2.37) and (4.7 ± 0.50) × 10−3 (pKa = 2.33) for complex 1 and 2 respectively. On the basis of the chemistry displayed by these model compounds, a mechanism of bromide oxidation and a tentative catalytic cycle have been framed which might be relevant to vanadium haloperoxidase enzymes and supported by DFT calculations.