Nitrite impurities are responsible for the reaction observed between vitamin B12 and nitric oxide in acidic aqueous solution

The reaction between aquacobalamin, Cbl(H2O), and NO was studied at low pH. As previously reported, the final product of the reaction is the same as that obtained in the reaction of NO and reduced Cbl(H2O), viz. Cbl(NO-). Nevertheless, this reductive nitrosylation is preceded by a faster reaction (accompanied by small absorbance changes) that depends on the HNO2 concentration but not on the NO concentration. Kinetic and UV-vis spectroscopic data show that Cbl(NO2-) is generated during this reaction. Spectroscopic data show that the dimethylbenzimidazole group trans to the NO2- ligand is protonated and partially dechelated at pH 1, by which a reaction with NO is induced. DFT calculations were performed to compare the ability of NO and NO2- to bind to cobalamin and their influence on the stability of the dimethylbenzimidazole group. The reductive nitrosylation reaction shows a quadratic dependence on the HNO2 concentration and an inverse dependence on the NO concentration. It also strongly depends on pH and is no longer observed at pH > 4. On the basis of earlier work performed on a series of Co(III) porphyrins, a mechanism is proposed that can quantitatively account for the HNO2 and NO dependencies. The reductive nitrosylation reaction is practically dominated by a back reaction, i.e., the reaction between Cbl(NO-) and HNO2, which accounts for the strange NO and HNO2 concentration dependencies observed.