Redox Behavior of Heme-NO Models: A Vehicle for Outreach and Discovery

这一无机化学、生物无机化学和金属有机化学项目的研究奖支持俄克拉荷马大学的George Richter-Addo教授和位于爱德华斯维尔的南伊利诺伊大学的Michael Shaw教授确定含有NO配体的金属卟啉的电化学行为。NO分子和金属卟啉(例如，肝酶细胞色素P450中的血红素基团)在生物化学上是相关的，并经历电子转移反应。然而，NO配体对金属卟啉电子转移性质的影响还不是很清楚。正在开发新的和创新的光谱电化学方法，以首次提供所需的光谱数据，以完成对重要中间体的表征，以了解电子添加和移除的位置，并确定氧化还原生成的中间体的命运。在这项工作中，电化学被用作一种工具，以一种将化学带入家庭的方式向更广泛的社区灌输基本的化学概念。研究和教学推广计划延伸到东圣路易斯的社区和兰斯顿大学，这些社区有大量代表不足的少数族裔人口，以及K-12在家接受教育的学生和他们的父母。参与这个项目的学生发展了对现代电化学方法和问题的成熟理解，为他们在涉及化学与电极相互作用的领域的职业生涯做好准备，包括现代电池、燃料电池和光电池。了解电化学如何洞察材料的化学性质，对于更广泛地了解自然界如何利用电子转移进行光合作用和呼吸作用等关键过程至关重要。

This Research award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor George Richter-Addo at the University of Oklahoma and Professor Michael Shaw at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville to determine the electrochemical behavior of metalloporphyrins containing the NO ligand. Both the NO molecule and metalloporphyrins (e.g., the heme group in the liver enzyme cytochrome P450) are biochemically relevant and undergo electron-transfer reactions. However, the effects of the NO ligand on the electron transfer properties of metalloporphyrins are not well understood. New and innovative spectroelectrochemical methodologies are being developed to provide, for the first time, the needed spectral data for complete characterization of important intermediates to gain insight on the location of electron addition and removal, and to determine the fate of the redox-generated intermediates.Electrochemistry is being used in this work as a tool to inculcate the broader community with fundamental concepts in chemistry in a way that brings chemistry into the home. The research and instructional outreach programs extend to communities in East St. Louis and to Langston University that have large numbers of underrepresented minority populations, and to K-12 home schooled students and their parents. Students involved in this project develop a mature understanding of modern electrochemical methods and issues which prepare them for careers in fields which involve the interaction of chemistry with electrodes, including modern batteries, fuel cells, and photocells. Knowledge of how electrochemistry provides insight into the chemical properties of materials is essential to a broader understanding of how nature utilizes electron transfer for critical processes such as photosynthesis and respiration.