Sequential Oxidations of Thiolates and the Cobalt Metallocenter in a Synthetic Metallopeptide: Implications for the Biosynthesis of Nitrile Hydratase

This is a paper in Inorganic Chemistry from the group of Anne K Jones looking at the use of a heptapeptide they call SODA (ACDLPCG) to model the oxidation process for the thiols and metal in the active site of cobalt centre NHases (DOI: 10.1021/ic400171z). First to oxidize is one of the thiolates to sulfinate, then the cobalt is oxidized to triply charged cobalt. Further sulphur oxidation is not observed and the complex is catalytically inactive. This complex does not have an axial thiolate ligand which may explain these last two obervations.