Balázs Kripli

Bio-inspired flavonol and quinolone dioxygenation by a non-heme iron catalyst modeling the action of flavonol and 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone 2,4-dioxygenases

The mononuclear complex, Fe(III)(O-bs)(salen) (salenH(2)=1,6-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,5-diaza-hexa-1,5-diene; O-bsH=O-benzoylsalicylic acid) was synthesized as synthetic enzyme-depside complex, and characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystal analysis. The dioxygenation of flavonol (flaH) and 3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (quinH(2)) derivatives in the presence of catalytic amounts of Fe(III)(O-bs)(salen) results in the oxidative cleavage of the heterocyclic ring to give the corresponding O-benzoylsalicylic and anthranilic acid derivatives with concomitant release of carbon monoxide. These reactions can be regarded as biomimetic functional models with relevance to the iron-containing flavonol and the cofactor-independent 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone 2,4-dioxygenases.

Transition metal complexes bearing flexible N3 or N3O donor ligands: Reactivity toward superoxide radical anion and hydrogen peroxide

Mononuclear complexes of N-methylpropanoate-N,N-bis-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (MPBMPA) and N-propanoate-N,N-bis-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (HPBMPA) with first row transition metals from Mn to Cu were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopy (infrared, UV-visible), electrochemistry (cyclic voltammetry), microanalysis and in four cases X-ray crystallography. Structure of the complexes revealed high flexibility of these ligands that can adopt facial (Fe) and meridional (Cu) geometry. Activity in the degradation of reactive oxygen species (superoxide radical anion: superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and hydrogen peroxide: catalase-like activity) was tested throughout the complex series in aqueous solutions. In connection with the catalytic dismutation of H(2)O(2), bleaching tests with morin were also conducted in water. Comparison of the two ligands helped in elucidating the possible role of the carboxylate moiety in the different catalytic reactions. Although no general trends could be revealed between reactivity and constitution of the first coordination sphere, plausible explanations for differences are discussed individually for SOD like, catalase-like and bleaching activity.