RESUMO
Gaseous Fe(4)S(n)(-) (n = 4-6) clusters and synthetic analogue complexes, Fe(4)S(4)L(n)(-) (L = Cl, Br, I; n = 1-4), were produced by laser vaporization of a solid Fe/S target and electrospray from solution samples, respectively, and their electronic structures were probed by photoelectron spectroscopy. Low binding energy features derived from minority-spin Fe 3d electrons were clearly distinguished from S-derived bands. We showed that the electronic structure of the simplest Fe(4)S(4)(-) cubane cluster can be described by the two-layer spin-coupling model previously developed for the [4Fe] cubane analogues. The photoelectron data revealed that each extra S atom in Fe(4)S(5)(-) and Fe(4)S(6)(-) removes two minority-spin Fe 3d electrons from the [4Fe--4S] cubane core and each halogen ligand removes one Fe 3d electron from the cubane core in the Fe(4)S(4)L(n)(-) complexes, clearly revealing a behavior of sequential oxidation of the cubane over five formal oxidation states: [4Fe--4S](-) --> [4Fe--4S](0) --> [4Fe--4S](+) --> [4Fe-4S](2+) --> [4Fe-4S](3+). The current work shows the electron-storage capability of the [4Fe--4S] cubane, contributes to the understanding of its electronic structure, and further demonstrates the robustness of the cubane as a structural unit and electron-transfer center.
Assuntos
Ferro/química , Enxofre/química , Ânions , Gases , Cinética , Oxirredução , Análise Espectral/métodos , Termodinâmica , VolatilizaçãoRESUMO
We used photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) to study how the terminal ligands influence the electronic structure and redox properties of the [4Fe-4S] cubane in several series of ligand-substituted analogue complexes: [Fe(4)S(4)Cl(4-x)(CN)(x)](2-), [Fe(4)S(4)Cl(4-x)(SCN)(x)](2-), [Fe(4)S(4)Cl(4-x)(OAc)(x)](2-), [Fe(4)S(4)(SC(2)H(5))(4-x)(OPr)(x)](2-), and [Fe(4)S(4)(SC(2)H(5))(4-x)Cl(x)](2-) (x = 0-4). All the ligand-substituted complexes gave similar PES spectral features as the parents, suggesting that the mixed-ligand coordination does not perturb the electronic structure of the cubane core significantly. The terminal ligands, however, have profound effects on the electron binding energies of the cubane and induce significant shifts of the PES spectra, increasing in the order SC(2)H(5)(-) --> Cl(-) --> OAc(-)/OPr(-) --> CN(-) --> SCN(-). A linear relationship between the electron binding energies and the substitution number x was observed for each series, indicating that each ligand contributes independently and additively to the total binding energy. The electron binding energies of the gaseous complexes represent their intrinsic oxidation energies; the observed linear dependence on x is consistent with similar observations on the redox potentials of mixed-ligand cubane complexes in solution. The current study reveals the electrostatic nature of the interaction between the [4Fe-4S] cubane core and its coordination environment and provides further evidence for the electronic and structural stability of the cubane core and its robustness as a structural and functional unit in Fe-S proteins.