Pyrophosphate as a chelating agent for Mn(III) and phenanthroline as a chelating agent for Fe(II) and Cu(I) are well known.  But can we go further?  Much of what chemists know about manganese +III, +IV, and +V, iron +IV, and copper +I comes from their existence and reactivity within catalytic sites of enzymes.  A common approach within the field of bioinorganic chemistry is to synthesize simpler, biomimetic chelating agents that coordinate metal ions in a manner analogous to protein structures within enzymes.  While most metal ion-biomimetic chelating agent complexes require organic solvents (which mimic enzyme interiors), a handful are stable in aqueous solutions and hence reporter chelating agent" candidates, i.e. useful for trapping particular oxidation states and moderating their reactivity.  Enzymatically-inspired chelating agents can tell us about about transition metal ion involvement in the oxidative breakdown of biological signaling compounds in soils, the oxidative alteration of natural organic matter, disinfectant consumption during water treatment, and medium stability/product quality issues in cell growth media.  By changing functional groups and molecular structure, chelating agents can also be re-purposed and optimized for particular technological applications. Manganese- and iron-bearing complexes that serve as peroxide-based bleach catalysts, for example, have been developed over the past thirty years.  Tethering complexes to support media is possible.  Chelating agent structure-reactivity relationships provide useful, albeit indirect, insight into metal ion reactivity.

Chelating agents that offer insight into the speciation and reactivity of unusual oxidation states of manganese, iron, and copper

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.