When bidentate, a dangling arm of the ligand is available to bind to a second metal. Because of the variety of binding modes and the relatively small number of bimetallic compounds containing PNP that have been reported to date, this ligand represents a unique opportunity to synthesize new compounds and to gain insight into the behavior of two metals held in close proximity. The experimental work can be divided into three stages. These include the synthesis of PNP-containing monometallic complexes, synthesis of bimetallic complexes, and examination of the reaction chemistry of the bimetallic complexes. Characterization methods include phosphorus and proton NMR, infrared spectroscopy, solution conductivity, and mass spectrometry.
Many important enzymes contain transition metals in their active sites.
One particular family of these enzymes is the multicopper oxidases. As the name suggests, these enzymes contain at least four copper atoms and couple the four electron reduction of dioxygen to oxidation of substrate. As with most enzymes, it is difficult to isolate and purify useful amounts of the native enzyme to study. Our approach will be to use a small-molecule model for the actual enzyme. The initial stages of the project will involve organic synthesis, as we prepare a ligand that will bind copper ions in a manner that mimics the multicopper oxidases.