Cytochrome P450 Mimetics

Cytochrome P450's are a superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor that function as monooxygenases in a multitude of oxidation reactions. Examples include: steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, as well as hormone synthesis and breakdown. The mechanism by which these reactions occur are known, except for the oxidation of organic sulfides. This study was tasked with synthesizing a Cyp. P450 mimetic using a schiff base (salen) for the organometallic complex and studying the turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) of this catalyst. Synthesis of the iron-salen ligand was successful and characterization was done using UV-Vis, FTIR, 1H-NMR, GCMS and cyclic voltammetry as well as finding the melting point. Oxidation of thioanisole from 30% hydrogen peroxide using our iron-salen catalyst was a succes. Unfortunately we were unable to study the TON and TOF of our catalyst, so further work must be done. Future work should include analyzing the yield of sulfoxide product with and without the catalyst to prove that our catalyst does, indeed, function as a catalyst. Some questions that need to be answered include: can 30% hydrogen peroxide oxidize thioanisole without the presence of a catalyst? If so, how much product is obtained? Does the catalyst increase that yield? How many times can the catalyst be used before it degrades?