Cis-aconitate is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle that connects the structure of citrate with isocitrate. It’s not always shown explicitly in the scheme for the TCA cycle because it occurs as an intermediate at the active site of the enzyme aconitase:
An iron sulfur cluster is central to aconitase’s activity. Draw the following scenarios. You may draw the iron sulfur cluster simply as “Fe2+”, the iron center responsible for binding the citrate/isocitrate molecule.
Question: How does the metal cluster activate a water molecule for nucleophilic attack on the cis-aconitate alkene
intermediate (hydration)?