Fluorinated imidazoles as 19F probes for biomimetic studies of heme a3 — Cub site in cytochrome c oxidase

A series of 4,5-imidazole carboxylic acids bearing fluorinated substituents is synthesized from simple commercially available fluorinated substrates utilizing several different approaches to modify the imidazole core. These imidazole derivatives are specifically designed to be sensitive probes for physicochemical studies of processes in the coordination environments of metals employing 19F-NMR techniques, particularly in the context of our ongoing biomimetic work on imidazole-derivatized porphyrins.