Transition metal cations catalyze 16O/18O exchange of catechol motifs with H218O

Abstract

Catechol motifs are ubiquitous in nature, as part of plant, animal and microbial metabolites, and are known to form complexes with various metal cations. Here, we report for the first time that complexation with transition metal cations, especially Fe(III), results in rapid ¹⁶O/¹⁸O exchange of the catecholic hydroxyl groups with H₂¹⁸O. We discuss the implications of this finding for mechanistic studies using H₂¹⁸O and potential relevance for production of ¹⁸O-labeled catechol derivatives.