We have been developing new bidentate ligands containing both pyridine and heterocyclic thione or selone donor groups in order to prepare synthetic analogues of methanobactin (mb), a fascinating small protein that plays a key role in the acquisition and transport of copper ions in methane-oxidizing bacteria. In this regard, it is worth noting that the copper(I) center in mb features a distorted tetrahedral [CuS2N2] core in which the metal ion is surrounded by two oxazolone nitrogen atoms and the sulfur atoms of two thione donor groups, a structural feature unprecedented in biological systems. This presentation will outline recent advances in the design and application of several new mixed-donor ligands to the synthesis of mononuclear and dinuclear copper(I) complexes that mimic the metal center in mb. A discussion of some important physical and chemical properties of these compounds, including solubility in water, stability in air, and biological activity, will also be described in the presentation. 

New strategies for the preparation of pyridine-thione ligands and their copper(I) complexes as methanobactin analogs

248th National Meeting (2014)

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