Team NO

Nitric oxide (NO) is a powerful signaling molecule with far reaching effects. Inspired by Cu and Zn environments in biology, we employ synthetic models that outline pathways to interconvert molecules in NO signaling such as nitrate, nitrite, and S-nitrosothiols (RSNO).

Copper(II) thiolates [Cu(II)]-SR reversibly capture NO to form [Cu(I)](RSNO)
S-nitrosothiol adducts, revealing new pathways for NO siganling at copper as well as to interconvert NO and RSNO molecular signals.

Nitrite bound to copper(II) undergoes facile converstion to R2N-NO, RO-NO, and RS-NO species to faciliate nitrite, RSNO, and NO interconversion.

Copper(II) - but not copper(I) - activates nitrite towards O-atom transfer (OAT) to strong nucleophiles.

Lewis acid (LA) binding to S-nitrosothiols facilitate reduction, changing the signaling output from NO to N2O.

A rare, side-on nitrosyl complex enables N-N bond formation at a mononuclear site.

Current Team Members

Pokhraj Ghosh, PhD

pg686@georgetown.edu

examining nitrite and NO reduction at copper

Valiallah Hosseininasab

vh122@georgetown.edu

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Lewis acid facilitated reduction of NOx and species in H2S/NO crosstalk

Molly Atkinson 

mka75@georgetown.edu

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modeling reduction of nitrite at copper

Kelly Harris

kah335@georgetown.edu

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DFT modeling of heme-copper-NO systems