02 binding to a series of ferrous and cobaltous "picket fence" porphyrins-is reported. N-Methylimidazole and covalently attached imidazoles give 02 binding to ferrous porphyrins with AH' =--16.2 kcal/mol (-67.7 kJ/mol) and ASO = -40 eu (standard state, 1 atmosphere OaJ. Similar studies with cobaltous porphyrins yield AH' = -12.8 kcal/mol (-53.5 kJ/mol) and AS' = -39 eu. These values match well those of myoglobin and isolated subunits of hemoglobin and their cobalt reconstituted analogues. 1,2-Dimethylimidazole has been successfully used to mimic the presumed restraint of T state hemoglobin. In direct analogy to the decreased cooperativity shown by cobalt-substitute hemoglobin, model cobalt porphyrins show a smaller decrease in 02 affinity than the analogous iron porphyrins when the axial base is hindered. Thermodynamic data are presented. The molecular mechanism of cooperativity in hemoglobin is discussed. The mechanism of cooperativity in hemoglobin (Hb) is of continuing interest (1-3). Model porphyrins capable of reversible oxygen binding have contributed to a fuller understanding of myoglobin (Mb) and other monomeric hemoproteins (4-6). Very little work, however, has appeared on models for the low affinity, T state, of Hb. The effect of steric restraint built into the porphyrin (7,8) or the axial base (9-13) has not been fully explored. We wish to report a full study of 02 binding to both iron and cobalt "picket fence" porphyrins with hindered and unhindered imidazoles. In addition, we make here a preliminary report on the synthesis and characterization of "picket fence" porphyrins with covalently attached axial bases.
MATERIALS AND METHODSmeso-Tetra(a,a,a,a-o-pivalamidophenyl)porphyrin (H2T-PivPP) was prepared as described (4). Cobalt was inserted by use of anhydrous CoC12 in a solution of tetrahydrofuran with a trace of 2,6-lutidine at 500 under N2. Further purification consisted of chromatographic separation on Woelm neutral alumina. Details are presented elsewhere (14). meso-were prepared by the reaction of 4-(N-imidazolyl)butyl chloride and 5-(N-imidazolyl)valeryl chloride, respectively, with meso-tri(aaao-pivalamidophenyl)-(3-o-aminophenylporphyrin. Extreme care must be taken to prevent exposure of the porphyrins to 02 and light due to singlet molecular oxygen production catalyzed by the metal-free porphyrin (15) and trapping by the attached imidazole (16). Chemical structures of these porphyrins are shown in Fig. 1. The meso-tri(a,a,a-o-pivalamidophenyl)-fl-o-aminophenylporphyrin was prepared by the reaction of the readily available meso-tetra(aa,a,a-o-aminophenyl)-porphyrin (4) with limited amounts of pivaloyl chloride [(CHF)3COC1] and isolated by column chromatography. Iron was easily inserted under inert atmosphere by use of anhydrous FeBr2 in 1:1 benzene/tetrahydrofuran with a trace of 2,6-lutidine, followed by chromatographic filtration through a short plug of alumina. All intermediates and porphyrins described above have been well characterized by elemental analysis, UV/visible, nuclear ...