Publications by authors named "Cesar A Masitas"

Flavodiiron proteins (FDPs) contain a unique active site consisting of a non-heme diiron carboxylate site proximal to a flavin mononucleotide (FMN). FDPs serve as the terminal components for reductive scavenging of dioxygen (to water) or nitric oxide (to nitrous oxide), which combats oxidative or nitrosative stress in many bacteria. Characterizations of FDPs from spirochetes or from any oral microbes have not been previously reported.

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A series of Ru(II) catalysts inspired by the metalloenzyme nitrile hydratase catalyze the hydration of benzonitrile with up to 242 turnovers under neutral conditions with very low catalysts loading. Catalysts with an oxidized sulfur environment are less susceptible to product inhibition increasing the catalytic efficiency at low nitrile : water ratios.

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Nitrile hydratases (NHases) are Fe(III)- and Co(III)-containing hydrolytic enzymes that convert nitriles into amides. The metal-center is contained within an N(2)S(3) coordination motif with two post-translationally modified cysteinates contained in a cis arrangement, which have been converted into a sulfinate (R-SO(2)(-)) and a sulfenate (R-SO(-)) group. Herein, we utilize Ru L-edge and ligand (N-, S-, and P-) K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopies to probe the influence that these modifications have on the electronic structure of a series of sequentially oxidized thiolate-coordinated Ru(II) complexes ((bmmp-TASN)RuPPh(3), (bmmp-O(2)-TASN)RuPPh(3), and (bmmp-O(3)-TASN)RuPPh(3)).

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The ruthenium(II) dithiolate complex (bmmp-TASN)RuPPh(3) (1) reacts with O(2) under limiting conditions to yield isolable sulfur oxygenated derivatives as a function of reaction time. With this approach, a family of sulfur-oxygenates has been prepared and isolated without the need for O-atom transfer agents or column chromatography. Addition of 5 equiv of O(2) to 1 yields the thiolato/sulfinato complex (bmmp-O(2)-TASN)RuPPh(3) (2) in 70% yield within 5 min.

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The dithiolate complex (bmmp-TASN)RuPPh(3) reacts with O(2) under limiting conditions to yield the mixed sulfenato/sulfinato product (bmmp-O(3)-TASN)RuPPh(3) in 82% yield. Isotopic labeling studies confirm O(2) as the sole source of O atoms in the product complex. X-ray crystallographic studies reveal decreases in the Ru-S bond distances of 0.

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