Water oxidation can lead to a sustainable source of energy, but for water oxidation catalysts to be economical they must use earth abundant metals. We report here 2:1 6,6'-dihydroxybipyridine (6,6'-dhbp)/copper complexes that are capable of electrocatalytic water oxidation in aqueous base (pH = 10-14). Two crystal structures of the complex that contains 6,6'-dhbp and copper(II) in a ratio of 2:1 (complex 1) are presented at different protonation states. The thermodynamic acid dissociation constants were measured for complex 1, and these show that the complex is fully deprotonated above pH = 8.3 (i.e., under water oxidation conditions). CW-EPR, ENDOR, and HYSCORE spectroscopy confirmed that the 6,6'-dhbp ligand is bound to the copper ion over a wide pH range which shows how pH influences precatalyst structure. Additional copper(II) complexes were synthesized from the ligands 4,4'-dhbp (complex 2) and 6,6'-dimethoxybipyridine (complexes 3 and 4). A zinc complex of 6,6'-dhbp was also synthesized (complex 5). Crystal structures are reported for 1 (in two protonation states), 3, 4, and 5. Water oxidation studies using several of the above compounds (1, 2, 4, and 5) at pH = 12.6 have illustrated that both copper and proximal OH groups are necessary for water oxidation at a low overpotential. Our most active catalyst 1 was found to have an overpotential of 477 mV for water oxidation at a moderate rate of kcat = 0.356 s(-1) with a competing irreversible oxidation event at a rate of 1.082 s(-1). Furthermore, our combined work supports previous observations in which OH/O(-) groups on the bipyridine rings can hydrogen bond with metal bound substrate, support unusual binding modes, and potentially facilitate proton coupled electron transfer.

Water‐oxidation catalysts (WOCs) can potentially be improved by installing pendant electron‐donor groups that may also be proton donors or acceptors. We have modified one of the most well‐studied WOCs with alkoxy or hydroxy substituents on the bidentate bipyridine ligand (N,N), thereby forming [(terpy)RuII(N,N)X] (X = Cl, H2O; terpy = 2,2′;6′,2"‐terpyridine). A combination of NMR spectroscopy (particularly 15N chemical‐shift data), UV/Vis spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and oxygen evolution data point to interesting and beneficial effects of an oxygenated group proximal to X. A methoxy group on the 2,2′‐bipyridyl (bipy) ring cis to X = Cl is shown to facilitate ionization of the chloride ligand in aqueous acetone, perhaps by acceptance of a hydrogen bond from the aquo ligand. Hydrogen‐bond donation of a proximal hydroxy group to a bound aquo ligand is shown by X‐ray diffraction. Distinct differences in pKa values for the 4,4′‐ and 6,6′‐dihydroxy bipy complexes are seen. In water oxidation driven by ceric ammonium nitrate, the 6,6′‐dimethoxy species is somewhat faster and longer‐lived than the analogue that lacks the oxygenated groups [a turnover number (TON) of 215 instead of 138 in 10 h, and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.36 min–1 instead of 0.23 over the same time period]. Taken together, oxygenated groups near the WOC active site are promising electron or proton donors and/or hydrogen‐bond acceptors, and are the subject of further scrutiny.

Aqueous solutions of group nine metal(III) (M = Co, Rh, Ir) complexes of tetra(3,5-disulfonatomesityl)porphyrin [(TMPS)M(III)] form an equilibrium distribution of aquo and hydroxo complexes ([(TMPS)M(III)(D(2)O)(2-n)(OD)(n)]((7+n)-)). Evaluation of acid dissociation constants for coordinated water show that the extent of proton dissociation from water increases regularly on moving down the group from cobalt to iridium, which is consistent with the expected order of increasing metal-ligand bond strengths. Aqueous (D(2)O) solutions of [(TMPS)Ir(III)(D(2)O)(2)](7-) react with dihydrogen to form an iridium hydride complex ([(TMPS)Ir-D(D(2)O)](8-)) with an acid dissociation constant of 1.8(0.5) × 10(-12) (298 K), which is much smaller than the Rh-D derivative (4.3 (0.4) × 10(-8)), reflecting a stronger Ir-D bond. The iridium hydride complex adds with ethene and acetaldehyde to form organometallic derivatives [(TMPS)Ir-CH(2)CH(2)D(D(2)O)](8-) and [(TMPS)Ir-CH(OD)CH(3)(D(2)O)](8-). Only a six-coordinate carbonyl complex [(TMPS)Ir-D(CO)](8-) is observed for reaction of the Ir-D with CO (P(CO) = 0.2-2.0 atm), which contrasts with the (TMPS)Rh-D analog which reacts with CO to produce an equilibrium with a rhodium formyl complex ([(TMPS)Rh-CDO(D(2)O)](8-)). Reactivity studies and equilibrium thermodynamic measurements were used to discuss the relative M-X bond energetics (M = Rh, Ir; X = H, OH, and CH(2)-) and the thermodynamically favorable oxidative addition of water with the (TMPS)Ir(II) derivatives.

Aqueous solutions of iridium(III) tetra-(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin [(TSPP)Ir(III)] form a hydrogen ion dependent equilibrium distribution of bisaquo ([(TSPP)Ir(III)(OD(2))(2)](3-)), monoaquo/monohydroxo ([(TSPP)Ir(III)(OD(2))(OD)](4-)) and bishydroxo ([(TSPP)Ir(III)(OD)(2)](5-)) complexes. Comparison of acid dissociation constants of group nine ([(TSPP)M(III)(OD(2))(2)](3-)) (M = Co, Rh, Ir) complexes show that the extent of proton dissociation in water increases regularly on moving down the group from cobalt to iridium consistent with increasing metal ligand bond strength. Addition of small quantities of methanol to aqueous solutions of [(TSPP)Ir(III)] results in the formation of methanol and methoxide complexes in equilibria with aquo and hydroxo complexes that are observed by (1)H NMR. Direct quantitative evaluation of competitive equilibria of [(TSPP)Ir(III)] complexes reveals a remarkable thermodynamic preference for methanol binding over that of water (DeltaG degrees (298 K) = -5.2 kcal mol(-1)) and methoxide binding over that of hydroxide (DeltaG degrees (298 K) = -6.1 kcal mol(-1)) in aqueous media. A comparison of equilibrium thermodynamic values for displacement of hydroxide by methoxide for group nine (TSPP)M(III) (M = Co, Rh, Ir) complexes in aqueous media are also reported.