Multistate reactivity in styrene epoxidation by compound I of cytochrome P450: Mechanisms of products and side products formation

Density functional theoretical calculations are used to elucidate the epoxidation mechanism of styrene with a cytochrome P450 model Compound I, and the formation of side products. The reaction features multistate reactivity (MSR) with different spin states (doublet and quartet) and different electromeric situations having carbon radicals and cations, as well as iron(III) and iron(IV) oxidation stales. The mechanisms involve state-specific product formation, as follows: a) The low-spin pathways lead to epoxide formation in effectively concerted mechanisms, b) The high-spin pathways have finite barriers for ring-closure and may have a sufficiently long lifetime to undergo rearrangement and lead to side products, c) The high-spin radical intermediate, ⁴2_rad-IV, has a ring closure barrier as small as the C-C rotation barrier. This intermediate will therefore lose stereochemistry and lead to a mixture of cis and trans epoxides. The barriers for the production of aldehyde and suicidal complexes are too high for this intermediate, d) The high-spin radical intermediate, ⁴2_rad-III, has a substantial ring closure barrier and may survive long enough time to lead to suicidal, phenacetaldehyde and 2-hydroxostyrene side products, e) The phenacetaldehyde and 2-hydroxostyrene products both originate from crossover from the ⁴2_rad-III radical intermediate to the cationic state, ⁴2_cat,z2. The process involves an N-protonated porphyrin intermediate that re-shuttles the proton back to the substrate to form either phenacetaldehyde or 2-hydroxostyrene products. This resembles the internally mediated NIH-shift observed during benzene hydroxylation.