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The molecular cobalt complex, Co- (salophen), and para-hydroquinone (H2Q) serve as effective cocatalysts for the electrochemical reduction of O2 to water. Mechanistic studies reveal redox cooperativity between Co(salophen) and H2Q. H2Q serves as an electron-proton transfer mediator (EPTM) that enables electrochemical O2 reduction at higher potentials and with faster rates than is observed with Co(salophen) alone. Replacement of H2Q with the higher-potential EPTM, 2- chloro-H2Q, allows for faster O2 reduction rates at higher applied potential. These results demonstrate a unique strategy to achieve improved performance with molecular electrocatalyst systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excited-state quenching of [Ru- (TAP)2(HAT)]2+ (TAP = 1,4,5,8-tetraazaphenanthrene, HAT= 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene) by hydroquinone (H2Q), N-acetyl-tyrosine (N-Ac-Tyr) or guanosine-5'- monophosphate (GMP) was investigated at various pH values. The quenching occurs via electron/proton transfer, as evidenced by transient absorption spectroscopy and confirmed by 1H photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP). Reductive quenching also occurs in strongly acidic solution despite a much shorter lifetime of the protonated excited-state complex. Photo-CIDNP revealed a different mechanism at low pH, involving protonation before electron transfer and yielding a distinct protonated monoreduced complex. The experimental photo-CIDNP patterns are consistent with density functional theory calculations. This work highlights the power of 1H photo-CIDNP for characterizing, at the atomic level, transient species involved in electron-transfer processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the discovery of molecular chirality, nonsuperimposable mirror-image organic molecules have been found to be essential across biological and chemical processes and increasingly in materials science. Generally, carbon centers containing four different substituents are configurationally stable, unless bonds to the stereogenic carbon atom are broken and re-formed. Herein, we describe sp3-stereogenic carbon-bearing molecules that dynamically isomerize, interconverting between enantiomers without cleavage of a constituent bond, nor through remote functional group migration. The stereodynamic molecules were designed to contain a pair of redox-active substituents, quinone and hydroquinone groups, which allow the enantiomerization to occur via redox-interconversion. In the presence of an enantiopure host, these molecules undergo a deracemization process that allows observation of enantiomerically enriched compounds. This work reveals a fundamentally distinct enantiomerization pathway available to chiral compounds, coupling redox-interconversion to chirality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavin has long been known to function as a single electron reductant in biological settings, but this reactivity has rarely been observed with flavoproteins used in organic synthesis. Here we describe the discovery of an enantioselective radical dehalogenation pathway for α-bromoesters using flavin-dependent ‘ene’-reductases. Mechanistic experiments support the role of flavin hydroquinone as a single electron reductant, flavin semiquinone as the hydrogen atom source, and the enzyme as the source of chirality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typical poly-p-phenylene wires are characterized by strong interchromophoric electronic coupling with redox and optical properties being highly length-dependent. Herein we show that an incorporation of a pair of para-methoxy groups at each p-phenylene unit in poly-p-phenylene wires (i.e., PHEn) changes the nodal structure of HOMO that leads to length-invariant oxidation potentials and cation radical excitation energies. As such, PHEn represents a unique class of isoenergetic wires where hole delocalization mainly occurs via dynamic hopping and thus may serve as an efficient medium for long-range charge transfer. Availability of these wires will allow demonstration of long-range electron transfer via incoherent hopping using donor-bridge-acceptor systems with isoenergetic PHEn-based wires as bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Template-directed protocols provide a routine approach to the synthesis of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs), in which the mechanical bonds are stabilized by a wide variety of weak interactions. In this Article, we describe a strategy for the preparation of neutral [2]catenanes with sliding interlocked electron-rich rings, starting from two degenerate donor-acceptor [2]catenanes, consisting of a tetracationic cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) cyclophane (CBPQT4+) and crown ethers containing either (i) hydroquinone (HQ) or (ii) 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) recognition units and carrying out four-electron reductions of the cyclophane components to their neutral forms. The donor-acceptor interactions between the CBPQT4+ ring and both HQ and DNP units present in the crown ethers that stabilize the [2]catenanes are weakened upon reduction of the cyclophane components to their radical cationic states and are all but absent in their fully reduced states. Characterization in solution performed by UV-vis, EPR, and NMR spectroscopic probes reveals that changes in the redox properties of the [2]catenanes result in a substantial decrease of the energy barriers for the circumrotation and pirouetting motions of the interlocked rings, which glide freely through one another in the neutral states. The solid-state structures of the fully reduced catenanes reveal profound changes in the relative dispositions of the interlocked rings, with the glycol chains of the crown ethers residing in the cavities of the neutral CBPQT0 rings. Quantum mechanical investigations of the energy levels associated with the four different oxidation states of the catenanes support this interpretation. Catenanes and rotaxanes with sliding rings are expected to display unique properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrocyclic metal complexes and p-benzoquinones are commonly used as co-catalytic redox mediators in aerobic oxidation reactions. In an effort to gain insight into the mechanism and energetic efficiency of these reactions, we investigated Co(salophen)-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of p-hydroquinone. Kinetic and spectroscopic data suggest that the catalyst resting-state consists of an equilibrium between a CoII(salophen) complex, a CoIII-superoxide adduct, and a hydrogen-bonded adduct between the hydroquinone and the CoIII-O2 species. The kinetic data, together with density functional theory computational results, reveal that the turnover-limiting step involves proton-coupled electron transfer from a semi-hydroquinone species and a CoIII-hydroperoxide intermediate. Additional experimental and computational data suggest that a coordinated H2O2 intermediate oxidizes a second equivalent of hydroquinone. Collectively, the results show how Co(salophen) and p-hydroquinone operate synergistically to mediate O2 reduction and generate the reactive p-benzoquinone co-catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel p-terphenyl diphosphine ligand was synthesized with a noninnocent hydroquinone moiety as the central arene (1-H). Pseudo-tetrahedral 4-coordinate Ni0 and Pd0-quinone (2 and 3, respectively) complexes proved accessible by metalating 1-H with the corresponding M(OAc)2 precursors. O2 does not react with the Pd0-quinone species (3) and protonation occurs at the quinone moiety indicating that the coordinated oxidized quinonoid moiety prevents reactivity at the metal. A 2-coordinate Pd0-hydroquinone complex (4-H) was prepared using a one-pot metalation with PdII followed by reduction. The reduced quinonoid moiety in 4-H shows metal-coupled reactivity with small molecules. 4-H was capable of reducing a variety of substrates including dioxygen, nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, 1-azido adamantane, trimethylamine n-oxide, and 1,4-benzoquinone quantitatively producing 3 as the Pd-containing reaction product. Mechanistic investigations of dioxygen reduction revealed that the reaction proceeds through a η²-peroxo intermediate (Int1) at low temperatures followed by subsequent ligand oxidation at higher temperatures in a reaction that consumed half an equivalent of O2 and produced water as a final oxygenic byproduct. Control compounds with methyl protected phenolic moieties (4-Me), displaying a AgI center incapable of O2 binding (7-H) or a cationic Pd-H motif (6-H) allowed for the independent examination of potential reaction pathways. The reaction of 4-Me with dioxygen at low temperature produces a species (8-Me) analogous to Int1 demonstrating that initial dioxygen activation is an inner sphere Pd-based process where the hydroquinone moiety only subsequently participates in the reduction of O2, at higher temperatures, by H+/e- transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A manganese(II) complex with a ligand containing an oxidizable quinol group serves as a turn-on sensor for H2O2. Upon oxidation, the relaxivity of the complex in buffered water increases by 0.8 mM-1 s-1, providing a signal that can be detected and quantified by magnetic resonance imaging. The complex also serves as a potent antioxidant, suggesting that this and related complexes have the potential to concurrently visualize and alleviate oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rieske cofactors have a [2Fe–2S] cluster with unique {His2Cys2} ligation and distinct Fe subsites. The histidine ligands are functionally relevant, since they allow for coupling of electron and proton transfer (PCET) during quinol oxidation in respiratory and photosynthetic ET chains. Here we present the highest fidelity synthetic analogue for the Rieske [2Fe–2S] cluster reported so far. This synthetic analogue 5x– emulates the heteroleptic {His2Cys2} ligation of the [2Fe–2S] core, and it also serves as a functional model that undergoes fast concerted proton and electron transfer (CPET) upon reaction of the mixed-valent (ferrous/ferric) protonated 5H2– with TEMPO. The thermodynamics of the PCET square scheme for 5x– have been determined, and three species (diferric 52–, protonated diferric 5H–, and mixed-valent 53–) have been characterized by X-ray diffraction. pKa values for 5H– and 5H2– differ by about 4 units, and the reduction potential of 5H– is shifted anodically by about +230 mV compared to that of 52–. While the N–H bond dissociation free energy of 5H2– (60.2 ± 0.5 kcal mol–1) and the free energy, ΔG°CPET, of its reaction with TEMPO (−6.3 kcal mol–1) are similar to values recently reported for a homoleptic {N2/N2}-coordinated [2Fe–2S] cluster, CPET is significantly faster for 5H2– with biomimetic {N2/S2} ligation (k = (9.5 ± 1.2) × 104 M–1 s–1, ΔH‡ = 8.7 ± 1.0 kJ mol–1, ΔS‡ = −120 ± 40 J mol–1 K–1, and ΔG‡ = 43.8 ± 0.3 kJ mol–1 at 293 K). These parameters, and the comparison with homoleptic analogues, provide important information and new perspectives for the mechanistic understanding of the biological Rieske cofactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various H-bond acceptor groups were evaluated for their propensity to induce conformational switching between the kite and vase forms of diquinone-diquinoxaline resorcin[4]arene cavitands upon redox interconversion. The H-bond acceptors were placed on the quinoxaline walls with the purpose of stabilizing the vase form only in the reduced hydroquinone state of the cavitand by forming H-bonds with the hydroquinone OH groups. Design guidelines for successful acceptors were derived. The carboxamide acceptor was shown to be the best candidate. Based on this moiety, a redox-switchable triptycene-based basket that can completely sterically encapsulate a guest in its closed vase conformation was prepared. The basket binds small molecule guests with association constants of up to 104 M–1 in mesitylene-d12 and exhibits slow guest exchange kinetics with a half-life for guest release in the order of 104s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bistable donor–acceptor [2]catenane, which is composed of a crown ether containing a hydroquinone unit and a 1,5-diaminonaphthalene unit, interlocked mechanically by cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) as its tetrachloride, exists as a mixture of translational isomers, both in the solid state and in aqueous solution. UV/vis and 1H NMR spectroscopies demonstrate that this isomeric mixture can be switched in water in the presence of hydrochloric acid to afford a single diprotonated derivative in which only the hydroquinone unit resides inside the cavity of the tetracationic cyclophane. Treatment with 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane resets the molecular switch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the manner in which coenzymes often participate in the binding of substrates in the active sites of enzymes, pillar[5]arene, a macrocycle containing five hydroquinone rings linked through their para positions by methylene bridges, modifies the binding properties of cucurbit[6]uril, such that the latter templates azide-alkyne cycloadditions that do not occur in the presence of only the cucurbit[6]uril, a macrocycle composed of six glycoluril residues doubly linked through their nitrogen atoms to each other by methylene groups. Here, we describe how a combination of pillar[5]arene and cucurbit[6]uril interacts cooperatively with bipyridinium dications substituted on their nitrogen atoms with 2-azidoethyl- to 5-azidopentyl moieties to afford, as a result of orthogonal templation, two [4]rotaxanes and one [5]rotaxane in >90% yields inside 2 h at 55 °C in acetonitrile. Since the hydroxyl groups on pillar[5]arene and the carbonyl groups on cucurbit[6]uril form hydrogen bonds readily, these two macrocycles work together in a cooperative fashion to the extent that the four conformational isomers of pillar[5]arene can be trapped on the dumbbell components of the [4]rotaxanes. In the case of the [5]rotaxane, it is possible to isolate a compound containing two pillar[5]arene rings with local C5 symmetries. In addition to fixing the stereochemistries of the pillar[5]arene rings, the regiochemistries associated with the 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions have been extended in their constitutional scope. Under mild conditions, orthogonal recognition motifs have been shown to lead to templation with positive cooperativity that is fast and all but quantitative, as well as being green and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzoquinone/hydroquinone redox interconversion by the reversible Os(dmb)33+/2+ couple over an extended pH range with added acids and bases has revealed the existence of seven discrete pathways. Application of spectrophotometric monitoring with stopped-flow mixing has been used to explore the role of PCET. The results have revealed a role for phosphoric acid and acetate as proton donor and acceptor in the concerted electron-proton transfer reduction of benzoquinone and oxidation of hydroquinone, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diquinone-based resorcin[4]arene cavitands that open to a kite and close to a vase form upon changing their redox state, thereby releasing and binding guests, have been prepared and studied. The switching mechanism is based on intramolecular H-bonding interactions that stabilize the vase form and are only present in the reduced hydroquinone state. The intramolecular H-bonds were characterized using X-ray, IR, and NMR spectroscopies. Guests were bound in the closed, reduced state and fully released in the open, oxidized state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics provides a means to examine the mechanism of reorientation of hydrogen bond networks that are present in a range of biological and crystalline materials. Simulations of hydroxyl reorientation in the six-membered hydrogen bonded rings in crystalline clathrates of Dianin's compound (DC) and hydroquinone (HQ) reveal that in the clathrate of Dianin's compound with ethanol (DC:ethanol), hydroxyl groups perform single independent flips, and occasion- ally all six hydroxyls in a ring reorient following a sequential mechanism with participation of the guest ethanol molecule. The free energy estimated for this process agrees well with experi- mental results. The simulations suggest that hydroxyl reorienta- tion occurs in the empty DC lattice as well, but at a higher energy cost, from which we conclude that it is the participation of ethanol that lowers the barrier of reorientation. Single independent flips of hydroxyl groups are observed to be more frequent in the hydroquinone clathrate with methanol (HQ:methanol) than in DC: ethanol, but reorientation of all six hydroxyls does not occur. This is attributed to the larger difference in energy between the original and reoriented positions of hydroxyl hydrogen atoms in HQ:methanol compared to DC:ethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel surprisingly colorful dark blue and orange-red molecular clips 1 and 2 containing a central p-benzoquinone spacer-unit and anthracene or napththalene sidewalls were synthesized by DDQ oxidation of the corresponding colorless hydroquinone clips 7 and 8. The colors of the quinone clips result from broad absorption bands in the visible range (1, λmax = 537 nm and 2, λmax = 423 and πshoulder =515 nm) showing bathochromic shifts of 112 and 90 nm, respectively, compared to the similarly tetraalkyl-substituted duroquinone 31, even though the clips 1 and 2 only contain insulated p systems as chromophores, a central tetraalkyl-substituted p-benzoquinone spacer-unit and two anthracene or two naphthalene sidewalls. To elucidate the electronic properties of these clips, we prepared the compound 3, the anti-configured isomer of clip 2, and the benzene-, naphthalene-, and anthracene-substituted quinones 4, 5, and 6, the so-called "half-clips". The "half-clips" 6 and 5 show a similar color change and the same trend in the UV/vis absorption spectra as the anthracene and naphthalene clip 1 and 2. This finding already rules out that the color of these systems is a result of "through-space" π-π interactions between the aromatic sidewalls in the molecular clips 1 and 2. Quantum chemical ab initio calculations provide good evidence that the bathochromic shift of the absorption band at the longest wavelength observed in the UV/vis spectra of the clip quinones 2, 3, and 1 and the "half-clip" quinones 4, 5, and 6 with an increasing number of rings in the anellated aromatic unit (from benzene to anthracene) is the result of an increasing configuration interaction between a n → π* excitation of the quinoid component and a π → π* excitation with intramolecular charge transfer (CT) character. The initial π orbitals involved here and in higher lying transitions mainly stem from through-space interactions between π orbitals of the aromatic sidewalls and π orbitals of the quinone moiety with varying degree of mixing. The configuration interaction in the excited states can be considered to be a homoconjugation, that is, the relevant charge transfer states are formed across an allegedly insulating aliphatic bridge. The UV/vis spectra of the molecular clips 1-3, the "half-clips" 4-6, and the quinones 32 and 33 simulated by means of quantum chemical ab initio calculations agree well with the experimental spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydroquinone/benzoquinone redox couple involves the exchange of two electrons and two protons in its oxidation/reduction reaction in aqueous buffered solutions. In this work, we employed Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (EC-STM, EC-STS) to study the interfacial electron transfer properties of hydroquinone incorporated in a Self Assembled Monolayer on a Au(111) substrate. The exchange of electrons between the STM tip and the substrate is regulated by the redox levels of the sandwiched molecule and showed the presence of two regions of tunneling enhancement in the tunneling current/overvoltage relationship. The two regions can be attributed to the presence of two one-electron transfer processes whose equilibrium positions shift upon pH variations. This is the first time a redox molecule involving the exchange of both electrons and protons is studied by EC-STM and ECSTS. The hydroquinone/benzoquinone redox couple can be exploited to obtain an electrochemically or a pH gated transistor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript compares the electrochemically controlled adsorption of hydroquinone-derived adlayers and their reductive desorption from nanometer-sized Pt(111) domains present on the surface (i) of model stepped single-crystal electrodes and (ii) of preferentially oriented Pt nanoparticles. The results obtained using a stepped surface series, i.e., Pt(S)[(n 1 )(111) x (110)1, suggest that in the presence of 2 mM H2Q(aq) the electrochemically detected desorption-adsorption process takes place selectively from ordered Pt(111) domains present as terraces, while being precluded at other available surface sites, i.e., Pt(110) steps, where adsorption takes place irreversibly. This domain-selective electroanalytical detection scheme is employed later to selectively monitor desorption-adsorption of hydroquinone-derived adlayers from ordered, nanometer-scaled Pt(111) domains on the surface of preferentially oriented Pt nanoparticles, confirming the existence of well-ordered (111) domains on the surface of the Pt nanoparticles. A good correlation is noted between the electrochemical behavior at well-ordered Pt(hkl) surfaces and at preferentially oriented Pt nanoparticles. Key learnings and potential applications are discussed. The results demonstrate the technical feasibility of performing domain-selective decapping of nanoparticles by handle of an externally controlled parameter, i.e., the applied potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present theoretical calculations on model biomimetic systems for quinol oxidation. ln these model systems, an excited-state [Ru(bpy)2(pbim)]+ complex (bpy = 2,2′-dipyridyl, pbim = 2-(2- pyridyl)benzimidazolate) oxidizes a ubiquinol or plastoquinol analogue in acetonitrile. The charge transfer reaction occurs via a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism, in which an electron is transferred from the quinol to the Ru and a proton is transferred from the quinol to the pbim- ligand. The experimentally measured average kinetic isotope effects (KIEs)at 296 K are 1.87 and 3.45 for the ubiquinol and plastoquinol analogues, respectively, and the KIE decreases with temperature for plastoquinol but increases with temperature for ubiquinol. The present calculations provide a possible explanation for the differences in magnitudes and temperature dependences of the KIEs for the two systems and, in particular, an explanation for the unusual inverse temperature dependence of the KIE for the ubiquinol analogue. These calculations are based on a general theoretical formulation for PCET reactions that includes quantum mechanical effects of the electrons and transferring proton, as well as the solvent reorganization and proton donor-acceptor motion. The physical properties of the system that enable the inverse temperature dependence of the KIE are a stiff hydrogen bond, which corresponds to a high-frequency proton donor-acceptor motion, and small inner-sphere and solvent reorganization energies. The inverse temperature dependence of the KIE may be observed if the 0/0 pair of reactant/product vibronic states is in the inverted Marcus region, while the 0/1 pair of reactant/product vibronic states is in the normal Marcus region and is the dominant contributor to the overall rate. In this case, the free energy barrier for the dominant transition is lower for deuterium than for hydrogen because of the smaller splittings between the vibronic energy levels for deuterium, and the KIE increases with increasing temperature. The temperature dependence of the KIE is found to be very sensitive to the interplay among the driving force, the reorganization energy, and the vibronic coupling in this regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We found that when a quinone headgroup, present in a mixed self-assembled monolayer on gold, reacts with a nucleophile, dissolved in the bulk phase, the reaction rate widely depends on the chemical nature of the tether, being 7 times faster for quinones attached via a delocalized bridge as compared to a saturated alkane chain. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the quinone/hydroquinone redox couple was used to monitor the nucleophilic addition, while simulated CVs compared to experimental runs permitted the determination of rate constants. Analysis of CV data also suggests that the delocalized oligo(phenylene ethynylene) bridge facilitates the addition of two mercaptoethanol molecules as compared to the alkane bridge, where only one molecule is being added. The use of delocalized bridges for tethering quinones to electrodes is of great potential in electrochemically controlled "tuning" of surfaces needed in biosensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the high-contrast photochromic switching of fluorescence emission and its perfect nondestructive readout, a polymer film highly loaded with a specific photochromic compound, 1,2-bis(2′-methyl-5′-phenyl-3′-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (BP-BTE), and an excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer (ESIPT)-active compound, 2,5-bis(5′-tert-butyl-benzooxazol-2′-yl)hydroquinone (DHBO), was employed in this work. The special class of photochrome, BP-BTE, has negligible absorbance at 415 nm both in the open form and in the 365 nm photostationary state (PSS), and the ESIPT fluorophore, DHBO, emits large Stokes' shifted (175 nm; λmaxabs = 415 nm, λmaxem= 590 nm) and enhanced fluorescence (ΦFpowder = 10%, ΦFsoln = 2%). Bistability, high-contrast switching (on/off fluorescence switching ratio >290), nondestructive readout (over 125000 shots), and erasability were all together accomplished in this novel recording medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aa3 type B oxygen reductase from the thermophilic archaeon Acidianus ambivaleris (QO) was immobilized on silver electrodes and studied by potential-dependent surface-enhanced resonance Raman (SERR) spectroscopy. The immobilized enzyme retains the native structure at the level of the heme pockets and exhibits reversible electrochemistry. From the potential dependence of specific spectral marker bands, the midpoint potentials of hemes a and a3 were unambiguously determined for the first time, being 320 ± 20 mV for the former and 390 ± 20 mV for the latter. Both hemes could be treated as independent one-electron Nernstian redox couples, indicating that the interaction potential is smaller than 50 mV. The reversed order of the midpoint potentials compared to those of type A (mitochondrial-like) oxidases, as well as the lack of substantial Coulombic interactions, suggests a different mechanism of electroprotonic energy transduction. In contrast to type A enzymes, a-a3 intraprotein electron transfer in QO is already guaranteed by the order of the midpoint potentials at the onset of enzyme reduction and, therefore, does not require a complex network of cooperativities to ensure exergonicity. In the immobilized state, conformational transitions of the QO a3-CUB active site, which are believed to be essential for proton translocation, are drastically slowed compared to those in solution. We ascribe this finding to the effect of the interfacial electric field, which is of the same order of magnitude as in biological membranes. These results suggest that the membrane potential may play an active role in the regulation of the enzymatic activity of QO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compounds serve as potential precursors to aryloxenium ions, often proposed, but primarily uncharacterized intermediates in phenol oxidations. The uncatalyzed and acid-catalyzed decomposition of 4-acetoxy-4-phenyl-2,5-cyclohexadienone, 2a, generates the quinol, 3a. 18O-Labeling studies performed in 18O-H2O, and monitored by LC/MS and 13C NMR spectroscopy that can detect 18O- induced chemical shifts on 13C resonances, show that 3a was generated in both the uncatalyzed and acid-catalyzed reactions by Calkyl--O bond cleavage consistent with formation of an aryloxenium ion. Trapping with N3- and Br- confirms that both uncatalyzed and acid-catalyzed decompositions occur by rate-limiting ionization to form the 4-biphenylyloxenium ion, 1a. This ion has a shorter lifetime in H2O than the corresponding nitrenium ion, 7a (12 ns for 1a, 300 ns for 7a at 30 °C). Similar analyses of the product, 3b, of acid- and base-catalyzed decomposition of 4-acetoxy-4-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadienone, 2b, in 18O-H2O show that these reactions are ester hydrolyses that proceed by Cacyl--O bond cleavage processes not involving the p-tolyloxenium ion, 1b. Uncatalyzed decomposition of the more reactive 4-dichloroacetoxy-4-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadienone, 2b', is also an ester hydrolysis, but 2b' undergoes a kinetically second- order reaction with N3- that generates an oxenium ion-like substitution product by an apparent SN2' mechanism. Estimates based on the lifetimes of 1a, 7a, and the p-tolylnitrenium ion, 7b, and the calculated relative stabilities of these ions toward hydration indicate that the aqueous solution lifetime of 1b is ca. 3--5 ps. Simple 4-alkyl substituted aryloxenium ions are apparently not stable enough in aqueous solution to be competitively trapped by nonsolvent nucleophiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current competing models for the two-electron oxidation of quinol (QH2) at the cytochrome bc1 complex and related complexes impose distinct requirements for the reaction intermediate. At present, the intermediate species of the enzymatic oxidation process have not been observed or characterized, probably due to their transient nature. Here, we use a biomimetic oxidant, excited-state Ru(bpy)2(pbim)+ (bpy = 2,2'-dipyridyl, pbim = 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazolate) in an aprotic medium to probe the oxidation of the ubiquinol analogue, 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1 ,4-benzoquinol (UQH2-O), and the plastoquinol analogue, trimethyl-1 ,4-benzoquinol (TMQH2-O), using time-resolved and steady-state spectroscopic techniques. Despite its simplicity, this system qualitatively reproduces key features observed during ubiquinol oxidation by the mitochondrial cytochrome bc1 complex. Comparison of isotope-dependent activation properties in the native and synthetic systems as well as analysis of the time-resolved direct-detection electron paramagnetic resonance signals in the synthetic system allows us to conclude that (1) the initial and rate- limiting step in quinol oxidation, both in the biological and biomimetic systems, involves electron and proton transfer, probably via a proton-coupled electron-transfer mechanism, (2) a neutral semiquinone intermediate is formed in the biomimetic system, and (3) oxidation of the QH/QH2 couple for UQH2-O, but not TMOH2-O, exhibits an unusual and unexpected primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect on its Arrhenius activation energy (AGTS), where AGTS for the protiated form is larger than that for the deuterated form. The same behavior is observed during steady-state turnover of the cyt bc1 complex using ubiquinol, but not plastoquinol, as a substrate, leading to the conclusion that similar chemical pathways are involved in both systems. The synthetic system is an unambiguous n = 1 electron acceptor, and it is thus inferred that sequential oxidation of ubiquinol (by two sequential n = 1 processes) is more rapid than a truly concerted (n = 2) oxidation in the cyt bc1 complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fully oxidized cytochrome bo3 from Escherichia coli has been studied in its oxidized and several ligand-bound forms using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies. In each form, the spin-coupled high-spin Fe(lll) heme o3 and CuB(Il) ion at the active site give rise to similar fast-relaxing broad features in the dual-mode X-band EPR spectra. Simulations of dual- mode spectra are presented which show that this EPR can arise only from a dinuclear site in which the metal ions are weakly coupled by an anisotropic exchange interaction of &vebar;J&vebar; &ap; 1 cm-1. A variable-temperature and magnetic field (VTVF) MCD study is also presented for the cytochrome bo3 fluoride and azide derivatives. New methods are used to extract the contribution to the MCD of the spin-coupled active site in the presence of strong transitions from low-spin Fe(lIl) heme b. Analysis of the MCD data, independent of the EPR study, also shows that the spin-coupling within the active site is weak with &vebar;J&vebar; &ap; 1 cm-1. These conclusions overturn a long-held view that such EPR signals in bovine cytochrome c oxidase arise from an S' = 2 ground state resulting from strong exchange coupling (&vebar;J&vebar; < 10² cm-1) within the active site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of recently synthesized calix[4]hydroquinone (CHQ) nanotubes which were self-assembled with infinitely long one-dimensional (1-D) short hydrogen bonds (SHB), we have investigated the nature of 1-0 SHB using first-principles calculations for all the systems including the solvent water. The H-bonds relay (i.e., contiguous H-bonds) effect in CHQs shortens the H···O bond distances significantly (by more than 0.2 Å) and increases the bond dissociation energy to a large extent (by more than ∼-4 kcal/mol) due to the highly enhanced polarization effect along the H-bond relay chain. The H-bonds relay effect shows a large increase in the chemical shift associated with the SHB. The average binding energies for the infinite 1-D H-bond arrays of dioles and dions increase by ∼4 and ∼9 kcal/mol per H-bond, respectively. The solvent effect (due to nonbridging water molecules) has been studied by explicitly adding water molecules in the CHQ tube crystals. This effect is found to be small with slight weakening of the SHB strength; the H···O bond distance increases only by 0.02 Å, and the average binding energy decreases by ∼1 koal/mol per H-bond. All these results based on the first-principles calculations are the first detailed analysis of energy gain by SHB and energy loss by solvent effect, based on a partitioning scheme of the interaction energy components. These reliable results elucidate not only the self-assembly phenomena based on the H-bond relay but also the solvent effect on the SHB strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the computer-aided molecular design approach, we recently reported the synthesis of calix[4]hydroquinone (CHQ) nanotube arrays self-assembled with infinitely long one-dimensional (1-D) short hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) and aromatic-aromatic interactions. Here, we assess various calculation methods employed for both the design of the CHQ nanotubes and the study of their assembly process. Our calculations include ab initio and density functional theories and first principles calculations using ultrasoft pseudopotential plane wave methods. The assembly phenomena predicted prior to the synthesis of the nanotubes and details of the refined structure and electronic properties obtained after the experimental characterization of the nanotube crystal are reported. For better characterization of intriguing 1-D short H-bonds and exemplary displaced π-π stacks, the X-ray structures have been further refined with samples grown in different solvent conditions. Since X-ray structures do not contain the positions of H atoms, it is necessary to analyze the system using quantum theoretical calculations. The competition between H-bonding and displaced π-π stacking in the assembling process has been clarified. The IR spectroscopic features and NMR chemical shifts of 1-D short H-bonds have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The dissection of the two most important interaction components leading to self-assembly processes would help design new functional materials and nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the synthesis of hydroquinone. Utilization of benzene as the starting material; Comparison between glucose and benzene; Presence of metal oxidants for the oxidative decarboxylation of quinic acid.

Examines the X-ray crystal structure and magnetic properties of a molecular crystal consisting of 1,5-dimethyl-3-(2-pyridyl-6-oxoverdazyl) radical and hydroquinone. Analysis of variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility of crystals; Charge-transfer mechanism for magnetic coupling; Electronic structure of excited state.

A crucial and enigmatic step in the complex biosynthesis of aflatoxin B1 is the oxidative rearrangement of versicolorin A to demethylsterigmatocystin. This step is thought to proceed by an oxidation-reduction-oxidation sequence, in which the NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase AflM catalyzes the enclosed reduction step. AflM from Aspergillus parasiticus, after heterologous production in E. coli and purification, however, catalyzed the reduction of the hydroquinoid form of the starting compound versicolorin A (25% conversion) to a so far unknown product of aflatoxin biosynthesis. The asymmetric reduction of emodin hydroquinone to (R)-3,8,9,10-tetrahydroxy-6-methyl-3,4-dihydroanthracen-l(2H)-one (up to 82% for AflM) has also been observed in previous studies using MdpC from Aspergillus nidulans (monodictyphenone biosynthetic gene cluster). The first (nonenzymatic) reduction of emodin to emodin hydroquinone, for example with sodium dithionite, is obligatory for the enzymatic reduction by AflM or MdpC. These results imply an unprecedented role of AflM in the complex enzymatic network of aflatoxin biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the photoreduction of chloranil to the hydroquinone in benzene by benzhydrols and by related arylmethanols. Mechanisms of oxidation; Excitation of ground state quinone complexes; Photolysis of chloranil in the presence of the benzhydrols.

Reports on the room-temperature crystal structure of a molecular 1:4.5:1 complex of C70 hydroquinone (HQ) and benzene. Trigonal symmetry of the solid-state architecture of the donor-acceptor complex; Different types of cavities enclathrating the C70 and bz guest molecules.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue which include the employment of hydroquinone chemistry to pattern surface ligands, the formation of two different surface chemistries through the oxidation or reduction of a benzoquinone-terminated self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and the attachment of a cyclopropenone to an activated ester on a polymer layer via photochemistry.