Light-induced oxidation of water by photosystem II (PS II) in plants, algae and cyanobacteria has generated most of the dioxygen in the atmosphere. PS II, a membrane-bound multi-subunit pigment-protein complex, couples the one-electron photochemistry at the reaction center with the four-electron redox chemistry of water oxidation at the Mn4CaO5 cluster in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) (Fig. 1a, Extended Data Fig. 1). Under illumination, the OEC cycles through five intermediate S-states (S0 to S4)1, where S1 is the dark stable state and S3 is the last semi-stable state before O-O bond formation and O2 evolution2,3. A detailed understanding of the O-O bond formation mechanism remains a challenge, and elucidating the structures of the OEC in the different S-states, as well as the binding of the two substrate waters to the catalytic site4-6, is a prerequisite for this purpose. Here we report the use of femtosecond pulses from an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) to obtain damage free, room temperature (RT) structures of dark-adapted (S1), two-flash illuminated (2F; S3-enriched), and ammonia-bound two-flash illuminated (2F-NH3; S3-enriched) PS II. Although the recent 1.95 Å structure of PS II7 at cryogenic temperature using an XFEL provided a damage-free view of the S1 state, RT measurements are required to study the structural landscape of proteins under functional conditions8,9, and also for in situ advancement of the S-states. To investigate the water-binding site(s), ammonia, a water analog, has been used as a marker, as it binds to the Mn4CaO5 cluster in the S2 and S3 states10. Since the ammonia-bound OEC is active, the ammonia-binding Mn site is not a substrate water site10-13. Thus, this approach, together with a comparison of the native dark and 2F states, is used to discriminate between proposed O-O bond formation mechanisms.

Oxygenation of [Cu2(UN-O−)(DMF)]2+ (1), a structurally characterized dicopper Robin–Day class I mixed-valent Cu(II)Cu(I) complex, with UN-O− as a binucleating ligand and where dimethylformamide (DMF) binds to the Cu(II) ion, leads to a superoxo-dicopper(II) species [CuII2(UN-O−)(O2•−)]2+ (2). The formation kinetics provide that kon = 9 × 10−2 M−1 s−1 (−80 °C), ΔH‡ = 31.1 kJ mol−1 and ΔS‡ = −99.4 J K−1 mol−1 (from −60 to −90 °C data). Complex 2 can be reversibly reduced to the peroxide species [CuII2(UN-O−)(O22−)]+ (3), using varying outer-sphere ferrocene or ferrocenium redox reagents. A Nernstian analysis could be performed by utilizing a monodiphenylamine substituted ferrocenium salt to oxidize 3, leading to an equilibrium mixture with Ket = 5.3 (−80 °C); a standard reduction potential for the superoxo–peroxo pair is calculated to be E° = +130 mV vs SCE. A literature survey shows that this value falls into the range of biologically relevant redox reagents, e.g., cytochrome c and an organic solvent solubilized ascorbate anion. Using mixed-isotope resonance Raman (rRaman) spectroscopic characterization, accompanied by DFT calculations, it is shown that the superoxo complex consists of a mixture of μ-1,2- (21,2) and μ-1,1- (21,1) isomers, which are in rapid equilibrium. The electron transfer process involves only the μ-1,2-superoxo complex [CuII2(UN-O−)(μ-1,2-O2•−)]2+ (21,2) and μ-1,2-peroxo structures [CuII2(UN-O−)(O22−)]+ (3) having a small bond reorganization energy of 0.4 eV (λin). A stopped-flow kinetic study results reveal an outer-sphere electron transfer process with a total reorganization energy (λ) of 1.1 eV between 21,2 and 3 calculated in the context of Marcus theory.

At −90 °C in acetone, a stable hydroperoxo complex [(BA)CuII-OOH]+ (2) (BA, a tetradentate N4 ligand possessing a pendant –N(H)CH2C6H5 group) is generated by reacting [(BA)CuII(CH3COCH3)]2+ with only one equiv H2O2/Et3N. The exceptional stability of 2 is ascribed to internal H-bonding. Species 2 is also generated in a manner not previously known in copper chemistry, by adding 3/2 equiv H2O2 (no base) to the cuprous complex [(BA)CuI]+. The broad implications for this finding are discussed. 2 slowly converts to a μ-1,2-peroxo dicopper(II) analogue (3) characterized by UV-Vis and resonance Raman spectroscopies. Unlike a close analogue not possessing internal H-bonding, [(BA)CuII-OOH]+ (2) affords no oxidative reactivity with internal or external substrates. However, 2 can be protonated to release H2O2, but only with HClO4, while one equiv Et3N restores 2.

Photocatalytic enantioselective epoxidation of terminal olefins using a mononuclear non-heme chiral manganese catalyst, [(R,R-BQCN)Mn], and water as an oxygen source yields epoxides with relatively high enantioselectivities (e.g., up to 60% enantiomeric excess). A synthetic mononuclear non-heme chiral Mn(IV)-oxo complex, [(R,R-BQCN)Mn(O)], affords similar enantioselectivities in the epoxidation of terminal olefins under stoichiometric reaction conditions. Mechanistic details of each individual step of the photoinduced catalysis, including formation of the Mn(IV)-oxo intermediate, are discussed on the basis of combined results of laser flash photolysis and other spectroscopic methods.