Concerted Dismutation of Chlorite Ion: Water-Soluble Iron-Porphyrins As First Generation Model Complexes for Chlorite Dismutase

Abstract
Three iron-5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrins (Fe(Por-Ar4), Ar = 2,3,5,6-tetrafluro-N,N,N-trimethylanilinium (1), N,N,N-trimethylanilinium (2), and p-sulfonatophenyl (3)) have been investigated as catalysts for the dismutation of chlorite (ClO2). Degradation of ClO2 by these catalysts occurs by two concurrent pathways. One leads to formation of chlorate (ClO3) and chloride (Cl), which is determined to be catalyzed by O=FeIV(Por) (Compound II) based on stopped-flow absorption spectroscopy, competition with 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonicacid), 18O-labeling studies, and kinetics. The second pathway is a concerted dismutation of chlorite to dioxygen (O2) and chloride. On the basis of isotope labeling studies using a residual gas analyzer, the mechanism is determined to be formation of O=FeIV(Por)·+ (Compound I) from oxygen atom transfer, and subsequent rebound with the resulting hypochlorite ion (ClO) to give dioxygen and chloride. While the chlorate production pathway is dominant for catalysts 2 and 3, the O2-producing pathway is significant for catalyst 1. In addition to chlorite dismutation, complex 1 catalyzes hypochlorite disproportionation to chloride and dioxygen quantitatively.