VTST/MT studies of the catalytic mechanism of C–H activation by transition metal complexes with [Cu2(μ-O2)], [Fe2(μ-O2)] and Fe(IV)–O cores based on DFT potential energy surfaces

High-valent Cu and Fe species, which are generated from dioxygen activation in metalloenzymes, carry out the functionalization of strong C–H bonds. Understanding the atomic details of the catalytic mechanism has long been one of the main objectives of bioinorganic chemistry. Large H/D kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) were observed in the C–H activation by high-valent non-heme Cu or Fe complexes in enzymes and their synthetic models. The H/D KIE depends significantly on the transition state properties, such as structure, energies, frequencies, and shape of the potential energy surface, when the tunneling effect is large. Therefore, theoretical predictions of kinetic parameters such as rate constants and KIEs can provide a reliable link between atomic-level quantum mechanical mechanisms and experiments. The accurate prediction of the tunneling effect is essential to reproduce the kinetic parameters. The rate constants and HD/KIE have been calculated using the variational transition-state theory including multidimensional tunneling based on DFT potential energy surfaces along the reaction coordinate. Excellent agreement was observed between the predicted and experimental results, which assures the validity of the DFT potential energy surfaces and, therefore, the proposed atomic-level mechanisms. The [Cu2(μ-O)2], [Fe2(μ-O)2], and Fe(IV)–oxo species were employed for C–H activation, and their role as catalysts was discussed at an atomic level.