[Polychromatic kinetics of conformational and spin relaxation of reduced intermediates of myoglobin].

Moessbauer spectroscopy was used to study the relaxation of a non-equilibrium myoglobin state produced at 77 K by reduction of metmyoglobin Fe(III) with thermalized electrons. The intermediate is characterized with the metMb (r) conformation of the protein globule and a low spin heme Fe(II) with a water molecule on the sixth coordination site. The intermediate is stable at 77 K but relaxes with increasing temperature into equilibrium deoxymyoglobin with dissociation of the bond Fe(II)-H2O and the transition of the Iron into the high spin state.