MECHANISM OF Co(SALEN)-CATALYZED OXYGENOLYSIS OF INDOLE RING AS A MODEL FOR THE TRYPTOPHAN-2,3-DIOXYGENASE REACTION

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)81368-4

In the Co(Salen)-catalyzed oxygenolysis of 3-methylindole giving rise to o-formyl-aminoacetophenone, the actual active catalyst species has been found to be the Co(III)-(Salen) complex of an anion of the product.The catalysis involves activation of the substrate but not molecular oxygen.The activation of the substrate involves the rate determining proton transfer from the substrate to the product anion in the coordination sphere of the catalyst.