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Seven theoretical methods (B3LYP, B3P86, X3LYP, BMK, MP2, CBS-QB3, G3B3) were employed to calculate oxygen–oxygen homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of 13 peroxides. Comparison of the performances of these methods with the available experimental data showed that ROBMK method is suitable and economical for calculating O–O homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of peroxides. Then ROBMK method was used to calculate O–O homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of a series of peroxides. Meanwhile, the α-substituent effect and Hammett relationship were also discussed.

Catalases employ a tyrosinate-ligated ferric heme in order to catalyze the dismutation of hydrogen peroxide to O₂ and water. In the first half of the catalytic cycle, H₂O₂ oxidizes Fe(III) to the formally Fe(V) state commonly referred to as Compound I. The second half of the cycle entails oxidation of a second hydrogen peroxide molecule by Compound I to dioxygen. The present study employs density functional (DFT) calculations to examine the nature of this second step of the catalatic reaction. In order to account for the unusual choice of tyrosinate as an axial ligand in catalases, oxidation of hydrogen peroxide by an imidazole-ligated Compound I is also examined, bearing in mind that imidazole-ligated hemoproteins such as myoglobin or horseradish peroxidase tend to display little, if any, catalatic activity. Furthermore, in order to gauge the importance of the cation radical of Compound I in peroxide activation, the performance of Compound II (the one-electron reduced version of Compound I, formally Fe(IV)), is also examined. It is found that hydrogen peroxide oxidation occurs in a quasi-concerted manner, with two hydrogen-atom transfer reactions, and that the tyrosinate ligand is in no way required at this stage. We propose that the role of the tyrosinate is purely thermodynamic, in avoiding accumulation of the much less peroxide-reactive ferrous form in vivo – all in line with the predominantly thermodynamic role of the cysteinate ligands in enzymes such as cytochromes P450.

A series of chiral A₄, A₂B₂, and AB₃ porphyrins bearing proline moieties at the meso-phenyl group has been synthesized. Photostability studies revealed that the number of L-proline units and their position on meso-phenyl rings strongly influence the decomposition rate of the catalyst. 5,10,15-Tris(mesityl)-20-(3-prolinanilidylphenyl)-21,23H-porphyrin is the most stable while porphyrin bearing four 3-prolinanilidylphenyl substituents completely decomposes in CHCl₃ within 3 h. Singlet oxygen quantum yields of the conjugates were determined by measuring the peak areas of the NIR emission of ¹O₂ (1280 nm) generated by these compounds and compared to that generated by the reference standard TPP. Selected porphyrins were tested as catalysts in the photooxidation of carbonyl compounds at the α-position.