Resonance Raman detection of the hydroperoxo intermediate in the cytochrome P450 enzymatic cycle

Resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy is used to provide the first direct observation of the structure-sensitive internal vibrational modes of the (Fe-OOH) fragment of the hydroperoxo-ferric intermediate of the CYP101 enzyme. The stabilization and structural characterization of the intermediate precursors to the reactive products formed from O-O bond cleavage might lead to an effective strategy to structurally characterize fleeting intermediates that appear later in the cycle.