Cyclam-strapped porphyrins and their iron(III)-copper(II) complexes as models for the resting state of cytochrome c oxidase

The ESR study of two cyclam-strapped porphyrins in which, on one side, the cyclam is attached with a variable length linker to the porphyrin and, on t he other side, a non-coordinating strap protects the iron from any intermol ecular interaction, is reported. Variation of the linker length is made pos sible by the use of either a Michael reaction or a nucleophilic substitutio n, leading respectively to three or two carbon atom links. It is shown that in the case of the shortest link, the oxidized iron-copper complex exhibit s a spin interaction. The distance between the two metal centers is evaluat ed to be around 4.5 Angstrom a value consistent with the one found in the n atural enzyme.