High-valent metal-oxo complexes are postulated as key intermediates for a wide range of enzymatic and synthetic processes. To gain an understanding of these processes, the reactivity of an isolated, well-characterized Mn(V)-oxo complex, (TBP8Cz)MnVO (1), (TBP8Cz = octakis(para-tert-butylphenyl)corrolazinato(3-)) has been examined. This complex has been shown to oxidize a series of substituted phenols (4-X-2,6-t-Bu2C6H2OH, X = C(CH3)3 (3), H, Me, OMe, CN), resulting in the production of phenoxyl radicals and the MnIII complex [(TBP8Cz)MnIII] (2). Kinetic studies have led to the determination of second-order rate constants for the phenol substrates, which give a Hammett correlation ((log k''x/k''H) vs sigmap+) with rho = -1.26. A plot of log k versus BDE(O-H) also reveals a linear correlation. These data, combined with a KIE of 5.9 for 3-OD, provide strong evidence for a concerted hydrogen-atom-abstraction mechanism. Substrates with C-H bonds (1,4-cyclohexadiene and 9,10-dihydroanthracene) are also oxidized via H-atom abstraction by 1, although at a much slower rate. Given the stability of 1, and in particular its low redox potential, (-0.05 V vs SCE), the observed H atom abstraction ability is surprising. These findings support a hypothesis regarding how certain heme enzymes can perform difficult H-atom abstractions while avoiding the generation of high-valent metal-oxo intermediates with oxidation potentials that would lead to the destruction of the surrounding protein environment.

The structural and physicochemical properties of the manganese-corrolazine (Cz) complexes (TBP8Cz)Mn(V)O (1) and (TBP8Cz)Mn(III) (2) (TBP = p-tert-butylphenyl) have been determined. Recrystallization of 2 from toluene/MeOH resulted in the crystal structure of (TBP8Cz)Mn(III)(CH3OH) (2 x MeOH). The packing diagram of 2 x MeOH reveals hydrogen bonds between MeOH axial ligands and meso N atoms of adjacent molecules. Solution binding studies of 2 with different axial ligands (Cl-, Et3PO, and Ph3PO) reveal strong binding, corroborating the preference of the Mn(III) ion for a five-coordinate environment. High-frequency and field electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR) spectroscopy of solid 2 x MeOH shows that 2 x MeOH is best described as a high-spin (S = 2) Mn(III) complex with zero-field splitting parameters typical of corroles. Structural information on 1 was obtained through an X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES)/extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) study and compared to XANES/EXAFS data for 2 x MeOH. The XANES data for 1 shows an intense pre-edge transition characteristic of a high-valent metal-oxo species, and a best fit of the EXAFS data gives a short Mn-O bond distance of 1.56 A, confirming the structure of the metal-oxo unit in 1. Detailed spectroelectrochemical studies of 1 and 2 were performed revealing multiple reversible redox processes for both complexes, including a relatively low potential for the Mn(V) --> Mn(IV) process in 1 (near 0.0 V vs saturated calomel reference electrode). Chemical reduction of 1 results in the formation of a Mn(III)Mn(IV)(mu-O) dimer as characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.