Stabilizing intermediate-spin state in iron(III) porphyrins

Hemoproteins serve many diverse biological functions through the nearly identical heme prosthetic group. The elucidation of the electronic structures of synthetic hemes is quite important in understanding the function and catalytic processes of naturally occurring heme proteins. For example, an important step in cytochrome P450 catalysis has been the spin-state crossover upon substrate binding which thereby facilitates the reduction of the iron...