A time-resolved mass spectrometric technique has been used for the determination of rates of exchange of mu-O atoms with water for the complexes [(mes-terpy)2Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O)2(H2O)2](NO3)3 (1, mes-terpy = 4'-mesityl-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine), [(bpy)4Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O)2](ClO4)3 (2, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), [(phen)4Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O)2](ClO4)3 (3, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), [(bpea)2Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O)2(mu-OAc)](ClO4)2 (4, bpea = bis(2-pyridyl)ethylamine), [(bpea)2Mn2(IV/IV)(mu-O)2(mu-OAc)](ClO4)3 (4ox), [(terpy)4Mn4(IV/IV/IV/IV)(mu-O)5(H2O)2](ClO4)6 (5, terpy = 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine), and [(tacn)4Mn4(IV/IV/IV/IV)(mu-O)6]Br(3.5)(OH)0.5.6H2O (6, tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane). The rate of exchange of mu-OAc bridges with free acetate in solution has been measured for complexes 4 and 4ox. These are the first measurements of rates of ligand exchange on biologically relevant high-valent Mn complexes. The data analysis method developed here is of general utility in the quantitation of isotope exchange processes by mass spectrometry. We find that the presence of labile coordination sites on Mn increases mu-O exchange rates, and that all-Mn(IV) states are more inert toward exchange than mixed Mn(III)-Mn(IV) states. The rates of mu-O exchange obtained in this work for a di-mu-oxo Mn2(III/IV) dimer with labile coordination sites are compared with the oxygen isotope incorporation rates from substrate water to evolved dioxygen measured in different S states of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII). On the basis of this comparison, we propose that both substrate waters are not bound as mu-O bridges between Mn atoms in the S2 and S3 states of the OEC.

[Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O) 2(terpy)2(OH 2)2](NO3)3 (1, where terpy = 2,2':6'2''-terpyridine) acts as a water-oxidation catalyst with HSO5(-) as the primary oxidant in aqueous solution and, thus, provides a model system for the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II (Limburg, J.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 423-430). The majority of the starting [Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O)2](3+) complex is converted to the[Mn2(IV/IV)(mu-O)2](4+) form (2) during this reaction (Chen, H.; et al. Inorg. Chem. 2007, 46, 34-43). Here, we have used stopped-flow UV-visible spectroscopy to monitor UV-visible absorbance changes accompanying the conversion of 1 to 2 by HSO5(-). With excess HSO5(-), the rate of absorbance change was found to be first-order in [1] and nearly zero-order in [HSO5(-)]. At relatively low [HSO5(-)], the change of absorbance with time is distinctly biphasic. The observed concentration dependences are interpreted in terms of a model involving the two-electron oxidation of 1 by HSO5(-), followed by the rapid reaction of the two-electron-oxidized intermediate with another molecule of 1 to give two molecules of 2. In order to rationalize biphasic behavior at low [HSO5(-)], we propose a difference in reactivity of the [Mn2(III/)(IV)(mu-O)2](3+) complex upon binding of HSO5(-) to the Mn(III) site as compared to the reactivity upon binding HSO5(-) to the Mn(IV) site. The kinetic distinctness of the Mn(III) and Mn(IV) sites allows us to estimate upper limits for the rates of intramolecular electron transfer and terminal ligand exchange between these sites. The proposed mechanism leads to insights on the optimization of 1 as a water-oxidation catalyst. The rates of terminal ligand exchange and electron transfer between oxo-bridged Mn atoms in the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II are discussed in light of these results.

A series of complexes with the formula [Mn(III/IV)2(mu-O)2(L)2(X)2]3+ have been prepared in situ from Mn(II)LCl2 precursors by a general preparative method (L = terpy, Cl-terpy, Br-terpy, Ph-terpy, tolyl-terpy, mesityl-terpy, t Bu3-terpy, EtO-terpy, py-phen, dpya, Me2N-terpy, or HO-terpy, and X = a labile ligand such as water, chloride, or sulfate). The parent complex, where L = terpy and X = water, is a functional model for the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II (Limburg, et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 423-430). Crystals of Mn(II)(dpya)Cl2, Mn(II)(Ph-terpy)Cl2, Mn(II)(mesityl-terpy)Cl2, and an organic-soluble di-mu-oxo di-aqua dimanganese complex, [Mn(III/)(IV)2(mu-O)2(mesityl-terpy)2(OH2)2](NO3)3, were obtained and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Solutions of the in situ-formed di-mu-oxo dimanganese complexes were characterized by electrospray mass spectrometry, EPR spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy, and the rates of catalytic oxygen-evolving activity were assayed. The use of Mn(II)LCl2 precursors leads to higher product purity of the Mn dimers while achieving the 1:1 ligand to Mn stoichiometry appropriate for catalytic activity assay. These methods can be used to screen the catalytic activity of other di-mu-oxo dimanganese complexes generated by using a ligand library.

Catalysts for light-driven water oxidation are a critical component for development of solar fuels technology. The multielectron redox chemistry required for this process has been successfully deployed on a global scale in natural photosynthesis by green plants and cyanobacteria using photosystem II (PSII). PSII employs a conserved, cuboidal Mn4CaOX cluster called the O2-evolving complex (OEC) that offers inspiration for artificial O2-evolution catalysts. In this Account, we describe our work on manganese model chemistry relevant to PSII, particularly the functional model [Mn(III/IV)2(terpy)2(μ-O)2(OH2)2](NO3)3 complex (terpy = 2,2';6',2″-terpyridine), a mixed-valent di-μ-oxo Mn dimer with two terminal aqua ligands. In the presence of oxo-donor oxidants such as HSO5(-), this complex evolves O2 by two pathways, one of which incorporates solvent water in an O-O bond-forming reaction. Deactivation pathways of this catalyst include comproportionation to form an inactive Mn(IV)Mn(IV) dimer and also degradation to MnO2, a consequence of ligand loss when the oxidation state of the complex is reduced to labile Mn(II) upon release of O2. The catalyst's versatility has been shown by its continued catalytic activity after direct binding to the semiconductor titanium dioxide. In addition, after binding to the surface of TiO2 via a chromophoric linker, the catalyst can be oxidized by a photoinduced electron-transfer mechanism, mimicking the natural PSII process. Model oxomanganese complexes have also aided in interpreting biophysical and computational studies on PSII. In particular, the μ-oxo exchange rates of the Mn-terpy dimer have been instrumental in establishing that the time scale for μ-oxo exchange of high-valent oxomanganese complexes with terminal water ligands is slower than O2 evolution in the natural photosynthetic system. Furthermore, computational studies on the Mn-terpy dimer and the OEC point to similar Mn(IV)-oxyl intermediates in the O-O bond-forming mechanism. Comparison between the OEC and the Mn-terpy dimer indicates that challenges remain in the development of synthetic Mn water-oxidation catalysts. These include redox leveling to couple multielectron reactions with one-electron steps, avoiding labile Mn(II) species during the catalytic cycle, and protecting the catalyst active site from undesired side reactions. As the first example of a functional manganese O2-evolution catalyst, the Mn-terpy dimer exemplifies the interrelatedness of biomimetic chemistry with biophysical studies. The design of functional model complexes enriches the study of the natural photosynthetic system, while biology continues to provide inspiration for artificial photosynthetic technologies to meet global energy demand.

Isotopic exchange between oxygens of water and mu-O bridges in the di-mu-O dimanganese complexes, [(mes-terpy)2Mn2(III/IV)(mu-O)2(H2O)2](NO3)3 (1, mes-terpy = 4'-mesityl-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine) and [(phen)4Mn2III/IV(mu-O)2](ClO4)3 (2, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), has been investigated by a study of the kinetics of exchange. The data provide evidence for distinct mechanisms of exchange in 1 and 2 and suggest that these differences arise due to the presence and absence of terminal water-binding sites in 1 and 2, respectively. Exchange of oxygen atoms between water and mu-O bridges must involve the elementary steps of bridge protonation, deprotonation, opening, and closing. On the basis of the existing literature on these reactions in oxo-bridged metal complexes and our present data, we propose pathways of exchange in 1 and 2. The mechanism proposed for 1 involves an initial fast protonation of an oxo-bridge by water coordinated to Mn(IV), followed by a slow opening of the protonated bridge as proposed earlier for an analogous complex on the basis of DFT calculations. The mechanism proposed for 2 involves initial dissociation of phen, followed by coordination of water at the vacated sites, as observed for rearrangement of 2 to a trinuclear complex. The subsequent steps are proposed to be analogous to those for 1. Our results are discussed in the context of data on 18O-labeled water isotope exchange in photosystem II and provide support for the existence of fully protonated terminal waters bound to Mn in the O2-evolving complex of photosystem II.