Thesis
Designing Lewis acidic electron acceptors for modeling complex biological electron transfer reactions
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2019
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103228
Abstract
Biological systems have evolved elaborate mechanisms of conserving energy through substrate level phosphorylation and the electron transport chain. A recently uncovered cellular mechanism of energy conservation is electron bifurcation. Electron bifurcation fundamentally involves a two electron transfer reactions where the two electrons are spatially separated down two inequivalent thermodynamic pathways, with one being endergonic and the other exergonic, while remaining an exergonic process. To investigate the reaction conditions required to bifurcate electrons, inorganic models capable of coordinating to a bifurcating site and accepting electrons are explored. Computational experiments served as a guide in selecting a Lewis acidic main group central atom for the complex. Redox-active ligands capable of donating and accepting electrons were utilized to serve as the terminal electron acceptor for the coordination complexes. Inorganic metallocenes and the fluorescent dye molecule 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) are ideal redox-active molecules because of their electron accepting activity and were integrated into a ligand framework to generate a redox-active ligand suitable for coordination about the central atom. This work focuses on two indium based central atom molecules with metallocene ligands and BODIPY diamine ligands. During characterization, the electrochemistry was explored and the indium BODIPY compound showed potential to be useful as a model complex for the biological systems in question.
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Details
- Title
- Designing Lewis acidic electron acceptors for modeling complex biological electron transfer reactions
- Creators
- Jacob Donald Wimpenny
- Contributors
- Zachariah M. Heiden (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Chemistry, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525286501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis