The spectroscopic properties, electronic structure, and reactivity of the low-spin Fe(III)-hydroperoxo complex [Fe(N4Py)(OOH)]
2+ (
1, N4Py =
N,
N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-
N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine)are investigated in comparison to those of activated bleomycin (ABLM). Complex
1 is characterized byRaman features at 632 (Fe-O stretch) and 790 cm
-1 (O-O stretch), corresponding to a strong Fe-Obond (force constant 3.62 mdyn/Å) and a weak O-O bond (3.05 mdyn/Å). The UV-vis spectrum of
1shows a broad absorption band around 550 nm that is assigned to a charge-transfer transition from thehydroperoxo
to a t
2g d orbital of Fe(III) using resonance Raman and MCD spectroscopies and densityfunctional (DFT) calculations. Compared to low-spin [Fe(TPA)(OH
x)(OO
tBu)]
x+ (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine,
x = 1 or 2), an overall similar Fe-OOR bonding results for low-spin Fe(III)-alkylperoxo and-hydroperoxo species. Correspondingly, both systems show similar reactivities and undergo homolyticcleavage of the O-O bond. From the DFT calculations, this reaction is more endothermic for
1 due to thereduced stabilization of the
OH radical compared to
O
tBu and the absence of the hydroxo ligand thathelps to stabilize the resulting Fe(IV)=O species. In contrast, ABLM has a somewhat different electronicstructure where no
donor bond between the hydroperoxo ligand and iron(III) is present [Neese, F.; Zaleski,J. M.; Loeb-Zaleski, K.; Solomon, E. I.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000,
122, 11703]. Possible reaction pathwaysfor ABLM are discussed in relation to known experimental results.