Vitamin B12 Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin B12, including details on cyanocobalamin, benefits, supplements, deficiency, side-effects, sources.

Properties and reactivity of chlorovinylcobalamin and vinylcobalamin and their implications for vitamin B12-catalyzed reductive dechlorination of chlorinated alkenes.

McCauley KM, Pratt DA, Wilson SR, Shey J, Burkey TJ, van der Donk WA

Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Vitamin B12-catalyzed reductive dechlorination of perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) is a potential strategy for cleanup of polluted environments. Presented are crystal structures of vinylcobalamin 2 and cis-chlorovinylcobalamin 1. They show a strong resistance toward photolysis. Reduction of 2 is difficult, but reduction of 1 occurs readily and produces 2. The mechanism of this latter reaction involves acetylene as an intermediate. These and other findings are discussed in the context of environmental studies on B12-catalyzed dechlorination of PCE and TCE and investigations of the haloalkene reductive dehalogenases that catalyze similar reactions.

Published 26 January 2005 in J Am Chem Soc, 127(4): 1126-36.
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