Bioinspired Non-Heme Iron Complexes: The Evolution of Facial N, N, O Ligand Design

• Published in: Chimia Vol. 74; no. 6; pp. 450 - 466
• Main Authors: Monkcom, Emily C., Ghosh, Pradip, Folkertsma, Emma, Negenman, Hidde A., Lutz, Martin, Klein Gebbink, Robertus J. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; German
• Published: Swiss Chemical Society 24.06.2020
• Subjects: 2-his-1-carboxylate facial triad; bioinspired metal complexes; nno ligands; non-heme iron
• ISSN: 0009-4293; 2673-2424
• DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2020.450

Iron-containing metalloenzymes that contain the 2-His-1-Carboxylate facial triad at their active site are well known for their ability to activate molecular oxygen and catalyse a broad range of oxidative transformations. Many of these reactions are synthetically challenging, and developing small molecular iron-based catalysts that can achieve similar reactivity and selectivity remains a long-standing goal in homogeneous catalysis. This review focuses on the development of bioinspired facial N,N,O ligands that model the 2-His-1-Carboxylate facial triad to a greater degree of structural accuracy than many of the polydentate N-donor ligands commonly used in this field. By developing robust, well-defined N,N,O facial ligands, an increased understanding could be gained of the factors governing enzymatic reactivity and selectivity.