Kenneth Karlin

About

Kenneth D. Karlin is the Ira Remsen Professor of Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University and has served as the department Chair. He earned his B.S. from Stanford University in 1970 and his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1975. Following a N.A.T.O. postdoctoral fellowship at Cambridge University, he began his academic career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at SUNY Albany in 1977. He joined Johns Hopkins University as a professor in 1990. Dr. Karlin's research focuses on bioinorganic chemistry, particularly coordination chemistry relevant to biological and environmental processes involving copper and heme (porphyrin-iron) complexes. His work investigates the chemistry of these metal complexes with molecular oxygen, nitrogen oxides, and pollutants, aiming to understand their reactivity, structure, and mechanisms. His research includes synthetic modeling of enzyme active sites, spectroscopic and structural characterization, and mechanistic studies of oxygen-binding, reduction, and oxidation processes. Dr. Karlin has made notable contributions to understanding reversible copper-dioxygen interactions, models for heme-copper oxidases, and the development of biomimetic catalysts for oxidation and pollutant reduction. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Inorganic Chemistry, has held advisory roles with prominent chemical societies, and has received awards including the 2009 F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry. His work advances the understanding of…

Research topics

• Stereochemistry
• Chemistry
• Photochemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Medicinal chemistry
• Physical chemistry

Selected publications

• Proton Relay in Iron Porphyrins for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

  Inorganic Chemistry · 2021 · 59 citations

  species during the HER changes from intermolecular in FeTPP to intramolecular in FeTPP derivatives with pendant basic groups. However, the inclusion of too many pendant groups leads to a decrease in HER activity because the higher proton binding affinity of these residues slows proton transfer for the HER. These results enrich the existing understanding of how second-sphere proton-transfer residues alter both the kinetics and thermodynamics of transition-metal-catalyzed HER.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Heme-Fe^III Superoxide, Peroxide and Hydroperoxide Thermodynamic Relationships: Fe^III-O₂^•– Complex H-Atom Abstraction Reactivity

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2020 · 58 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  -OOH species being formed via HAT reactivity of the partner ferric heme superoxide complex.

  DOI

• Fenton-like Chemistry by a Copper(I) Complex and H₂O₂ Relevant to Enzyme Peroxygenase C–H Hydroxylation

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2023-05-17 · 57 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases have received significant attention as catalytic convertors of biomass to biofuel. Recent studies suggest that its peroxygenase activity (i.e., using H2O2 as an oxidant) is more important than its monooxygenase functionality. Here, we describe new insights into peroxygenase activity, with a copper(I) complex reacting with H2O2 leading to site-specific ligand–substrate C–H hydroxylation. [CuI(TMG3tren)]+ (1) (TMG3tren = 1,1,1-Tris{2-[N2-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylguan…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Thioether-Ligated Cupric Superoxide Model with Hydrogen Atom Abstraction Reactivity

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2021 · 41 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  ), are presented.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ligand–Copper(I) Primary O₂-Adducts: Design, Characterization, and Biological Significance of Cupric–Superoxides

  Accounts of Chemical Research · 2023-08-01 · 37 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  ConspectusIn this Account, we overview and highlight synthetic bioinorganic chemistry focused on initial adducts formed from the reaction of reduced ligand–copper(I) coordination complexes with molecular oxygen, reactions that produce ligand–CuII(O2•–) complexes (O2•– ≡ superoxide anion). We provide mostly a historical perspective, starting in the Karlin research group in the 1980s, emphasizing the ligand design and ligand effects, structure, and spectroscopy of these O2 adducts and subsequent f…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Reactivity-Activation of O(2) or NO in Copper and Heme-Cu Coordination Complexes

  NIH · $2.9M · 2021–2027

• Bioinorganic Copper Coordination Chemistry

  NIH · $8.4M · 1991–2023

• NIH Grant R01GM045971

  NIH · $295k · 1995

Frequent coauthors

• Edward I. Solomon

  SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  359 shared

• Arnold L. Rheingold

  University of California, San Diego

  230 shared

• Andreas D. Zuberbühler

  University of Basel

  184 shared

• Susan Kaderli

  149 shared

• Keith O. Hodgson

  Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

  127 shared

• Pierre Moënne‐Loccoz

  Oregon Health & Science University

  125 shared

• Britt Hedman

  Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

  124 shared

• Amy A. Sarjeant

  Bristol-Myers Squibb (United States)

  112 shared

Awards & honors

• F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry (200…
• fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sc…
• 2013 DIC Chair (elected)
• Collaborative Research in Environmental Molecular Science (C…

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