Carboxylate-bridged dinuclear manganese systems – From catalases to oxidation catalysis

Hydrogen Peroxide Disproportionation Activity Is Sensitive to Pyridine Substitutions on Manganese Catalysts Derived from 12-Membered Tetra-Aza Macrocyclic Ligands

The abundance of manganese in nature and versatility to access different oxidation states have made manganese complexes attractive as catalysts for oxidation reactions in both biology and industry. Macrocyclic ligands offer the advantage of substantially controlling the reactivity of the manganese center through electronic tuning and steric constraint. Inspired by the manganese catalase enzyme, a biological catalyst for the disproportionation of H2O2 into water and O2, the work herein employs 12-membered tetra-aza macrocyclic ligands to study how the inclusion of and substitution to the pyridine ring on the macrocyclic ligand scaffold impacts the reactivity of the manganese complex as a H2O2 disproportionation catalyst. Synthesis and isolation of the manganese complexes was validated by characterization using UV-vis spectroscopy, SC-XRD, and cyclic voltammetry. Potentiometric titrations were used to study the ligand basicity as well as the thermodynamic equilibrium with Mn(II). Manganese complexes were also produced in situ and characterized using electrochemistry for comparison to the isolated species. Results from these studies and H2O2 reactivity showed a remarkable difference among the ligands studied, revealing instead a distinction in the reactivity regarding the number of pyridine rings within the scaffold. Moreover, electron-donating groups on the 4-position of the pyridine ring enhanced the reactivity of the manganese center for H2O2 disproportionation, demonstrating a handle for control of oxidation reactions using the pyridinophane macrocycle.

Comparative Density Functional Theory Study of Magnetic Exchange Couplings in Dinuclear Transition-Metal Complexes

Multicenter transition-metal complexes (MCTMs) with magnetically interacting ions have been proposed as components for information-processing devices and storage units. For any practical application of MCTMs as magnetic units, it is crucial to characterize their magnetic behavior, and in particular, the isotropic magnetic exchange coupling, J, between its magnetic centers. Due to the large size of typical MCTMs, density functional theory is the only practical electronic structure method for evaluating the J coupling. Here, we assess the accuracy of different density functional approximations for predicting the magnetic couplings of eight dinuclear transition-metal complexes, including five dimanganese, two dicopper, and one divanadium with known reliable experimental J couplings spanning from ferromagnetic to strong antiferromagnetic. The density functionals considered include global hybrid functionals which mix semilocal density functional approximations and exact exchange with a fixed admixing parameter, six local hybrid functionals where the admixing parameters are extended to be spatially dependent, the SCAN and r2SCAN meta-generalized gradient approximations (GGAs), and two widely used GGAs. We found that global hybrids tested in this work have a tendency to over-correct the error in magnetic coupling parameters from the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) GGA as seen for manganese complexes. The performance of local hybrid density functionals shows no improvement in terms of bias and is scattered without a clear trend, suggesting that more efforts are needed for the extension from global to local hybrid density functionals for this particular property. The SCAN and r2SCAN meta-GGAs are found to perform as well as benchmark global hybrids on most tested complexes. We further analyze the charge density redistribution of meta-GGAs as well as global and local hybrid density functionals with respect to that of PBE, in connection to the self-interaction error or delocalization error.

The missing MIL-101(Mn): geometrically guided synthesis and topologically correlated valence states

Through a geometrically guided approach, i.e. with the aid of pyridyl modulators, the long-sought MIL-101(Mn) structure is finally achieved, which features emergent topologically correlated mixed-valence states that are apt for enzymatic catalysis.

Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes by O2 with a Non-Heme Manganese Catalyst

The oxidative cleavage of C=C double bonds with molecular oxygen to produce carbonyl compounds is an important transformation in chemical and pharmaceutical synthesis. In nature, enzymes containing the first-row transition metals, particularly heme and non-heme iron-dependent enzymes, readily activate O₂ and oxidatively cleave C=C bonds with exquisite precision under ambient conditions. The reaction remains challenging for synthetic chemists, however. There are only a small number of known synthetic metal catalysts that allow for the oxidative cleavage of alkenes at an atmospheric pressure of O₂, with very few known to catalyze the cleavage of nonactivated alkenes. In this work, we describe a light-driven, Mn-catalyzed protocol for the selective oxidation of alkenes to carbonyls under 1 atm of O₂. For the first time, aromatic as well as various nonactivated aliphatic alkenes could be oxidized to afford ketones and aldehydes under clean, mild conditions with a first row, biorelevant metal catalyst. Moreover, the protocol shows a very good functional group tolerance. Mechanistic investigation suggests that Mn–oxo species, including an asymmetric, mixed-valent bis(μ-oxo)-Mn(III,IV) complex, are involved in the oxidation, and the solvent methanol participates in O₂ activation that leads to the formation of the oxo species.

Assessment of Double-Hybrid Density Functional Theory for Magnetic Exchange Coupling in Manganese Complexes

Molecular systems containing magnetically interacting (exchange-coupled) manganese ions are important in catalysis, biomimetic chemistry, and molecular magnetism. The reliable prediction of exchange coupling constants with quantum chemical methods is key for tracing the relationships between structure and magnetic properties in these systems. Density functional theory (DFT) in the broken-symmetry approach has been employed extensively for this purpose and hybrid functionals with moderate levels of Hartree–Fock exchange admixture have often been shown to perform adequately. Double-hybrid density functionals that introduce a second-order perturbational contribution to the Kohn–Sham energy are generally regarded as a superior approach for most molecular properties, but their performance remains unexplored for exchange-coupled manganese systems. An assessment of various double-hybrid functionals for the prediction of exchange coupling constants is presented here using a set of experimentally characterized dinuclear manganese complexes that cover a wide range of exchange coupling situations. Double-hybrid functionals perform more uniformly compared to conventional DFT methods, but they fail to deliver improved accuracy or reliability in the prediction of exchange coupling constants. Reparametrized double-hybrid density functionals (DHDFs) perform no better, and most often worse, than the original B2-PLYP double-hybrid method. All DHDFs are surpassed by the hybrid-meta-generalized gradient approximation (GGA) TPSSh functional. Possible directions for future methodological developments are discussed.

Biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of dinuclear Mn-sites in artificial four-helix bundle proteins

To better understand metalloproteins with Mn-clusters, we have designed artificial four-helix bundles to have one, two, or three dinuclear metal centers able to bind Mn(II). Circular dichroism measurements showed that the Mn-proteins have substantial α-helix content, and analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra is consistent with the designed number of bound Mn-clusters. The Mn-proteins were shown to catalyze the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into molecular oxygen. The loss of hydrogen peroxide was dependent upon the concentration of protein with bound Mn, with the proteins containing multiple Mn-clusters showing greater activity. Using an oxygen sensor, the oxygen concentration was found to increase with a rate up to 0.4μM/min, which was dependent upon the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and the Mn-protein. In addition, the Mn-proteins were shown to serve as electron donors to bacterial reaction centers using optical spectroscopy. Similar binding of the Mn-proteins to reaction centers was observed with an average dissociation constant of 2.3μM. The Mn-proteins with three metal centers were more effective at this electron transfer reaction than the Mn-proteins with one or two metal centers. Thus, multiple Mn-clusters can be incorporated into four-helix bundles with the capability of performing catalysis and electron transfer to a natural protein.

Synthesis, characterization, and reactivity studies of a water-soluble bis(alkoxo)(carboxylato)-bridged diMn(III) complex modeling the active site in catalase

A new diMn(III) complex, Na[Mn2(5-SO3-salpentO)(μ-OAc)(μ-OMe)(H2O)]·4H2O, where 5-SO3-salpentOH = 1,5-bis(5-sulphonatosalicylidenamino)pentan-3-ol, has been prepared and characterized. ESI-mass spectrometry, paramagnetic (1)H NMR, EPR and UV-visible spectroscopic studies on freshly prepared solutions of the complex in methanol and 9 : 1 methanol-water mixtures showed that the compound retains the triply bridged bis(μ-alkoxo)(μ-acetato)Mn2(3+) core in solution. In the 9 : 1 methanol-water mixture, slow substitution of acetate by water molecules took place, and after one month, the doubly bridged diMn(III) complex, [Mn2(5-SO3-salpentO)(μ-OMe)(H2O)3]·5H2O, formed and could be characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. In methanolic or aqueous basic media, acetate shifts from a bridging to a terminal coordination mode, affording the highly stable [Mn2(5-SO3-salpentO)(μ-OMe)(OAc)](-) anion. The efficiency of the complex in disproportionating H2O2 depends on the solvent and correlates with the stability of the complex (towards metal dissociation) in each medium: basic buffer > aqueous base > water. The buffer preserves the integrity of the catalyst and the rate of O2 evolution remains essentially constant after successive additions of excess of H2O2. Turnovers as high as 3000 mol H2O2 per mol of catalyst, without significant decomposition and with an efficiency of k(cat)/K(M) = 1028 M(-1) s(-1), were measured for the complex in aqueous buffers of pH 11. Kinetic and spectroscopic results suggest a catalytic cycle that runs between Mn(III)2 and Mn(IV)2 oxidation states, which is consistent with the low redox potential observed for the Mn(III)2/Mn(III)Mn(IV) couple of the catalyst in basic medium.

Water is a key factor to alter the structure and electrochemical properties of carboxylate-bridged dimanganese(II) complexes

The synthesis and physical properties of dimanganese(II) compounds with varying numbers of water ligands housed in the four bulky carboxylate motifs, including the first complex with a parallelogram core {Mn2(μ-OH2)2(μ-O2CR)}(3+) unit, are described. The isolation of these complexes revealed how water could alter the structural and electrochemical properties of similar carboxylate-bridged dimanganese(II) cores that may occur in a variety of active sites of Mn-containing metalloenzymes. These studies support the notion that water molecules in coordination spheres of active sites of metalloproteins are not a simple spectator medium but the modulation factor of structures and functions.

Multifrequency EPR studies of manganese catalases provide a complete description of proteinaceous nitrogen coordination

Pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is employed at two very different excitation frequencies, 9.77 and 30.67 GHz, in the study of the nitrogen coordination environment of the Mn(III)Mn(IV) state of the dimanganese-containing catalases from Lactobacillus plantarum and Thermus thermophilus. Consistent with previous studies, the lower-frequency results reveal one unique histidine nitrogen-Mn cluster interaction. For the first time, a second, more strongly hyperfine-coupled (14)N atom is unambiguously observed through the use of higher frequency/higher field EPR spectroscopy. The low excitation frequency spectral features are rationalized as arising from the interaction of a histidine nitrogen that is bound to the Mn(IV) ion, and the higher excitation frequency features are attributed to the histidine nitrogen bound to the Mn(III) ion. These results allow for the computation of intrinsic hyperfine coupling constants, which range from 2.2 to 2.9 MHz, for sp(2)-hybridized nitrogens coordinating equatorially to high-valence Mn ions. The relevance of these findings is discussed in the context of recent results from analogous higher frequency EPR studies of the Mn cluster in photosystem II and other exchange-coupled, transition metal-containing systems.

Is there really a diagnostically useful relationship between the carbon-oxygen stretching frequencies in metal carboxylate complexes and their coordination mode?

An investigation into the relationship between the asymmetric and symmetric stretching modes of ancillary carboxylate ligands and their mode of binding in a family of manganese(III) complexes of tetradentate N(2)O(2) Schiff base ligands, which includes comparison of an (18)O isotopically labelled derivative, has been undertaken. The results suggest that caution should be employed in using this technique to assign the binding mode of the carboxylate ligands in these complexes despite its very extensive use in the literature.

The art of building small: from molecular switches to molecular motors

Molecular switches and motors are essential components of artificial molecular machines. In this perspective, we discuss progress in our design, synthesis, and functioning of photochemical and electrochemical switches and chemical and light-driven molecular motors. Special emphasis is given to the control of a range of functions and properties, including luminescence, self-assembly, motion, color, conductance, transport, and chirality. We will also discuss our efforts to control mechanical movement at the molecular level, a feature that is at the heart of molecular motors and machines. The anchoring of molecular motors on surfaces and molecular motors at work are discussed.

Mechanism of Cis-Dihydroxylation and Epoxidation of Alkenes by Highly H2O2 Efficient Dinuclear Manganese Catalysts

In the presence of carboxylic acids the complex [Mn(IV)2(micro-O)3(tmtacn)2]2+ (1, where tmtacn = N,N',N''-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) is shown to be highly efficient in catalyzing the oxidation of alkenes to the corresponding cis-diol and epoxide with H2O2 as terminal oxidant. The selectivity of the catalytic system with respect to (w.r.t.) either cis-dihydroxylation or epoxidation of alkenes is shown to be dependent on the carboxylic acid employed. High turnover numbers (t.o.n. > 2000) can be achieved especially w.r.t. cis-dihydroxylation for which the use of 2,6-dichlorobenzoic acid allows for the highest t.o.n. reported thus far for cis-dihydroxylation of alkenes catalyzed by a first-row transition metal and high efficiency w.r.t. the terminal oxidant (H2O2). The high activity and selectivity is due to the in situ formation of bis(micro-carboxylato)-bridged dinuclear manganese(III) complexes. Tuning of the activity of the catalyst by variation in the carboxylate ligands is dependent on both the electron-withdrawing nature of the ligand and on steric effects. By contrast, the cis-diol/epoxide selectivity is dominated by steric factors. The role of solvent, catalyst oxidation state, H2O, and carboxylic acid concentration and the nature of the carboxylic acid employed on both the activity and the selectivity of the catalysis are explored together with speciation analysis and isotope labeling studies. The results confirm that the complexes of the type [Mn2(micro-O)(micro-R-CO2)2(tmtacn)2]2+, which show remarkable redox and solvent-dependent coordination chemistry, are the resting state of the catalytic system and that they retain a dinuclear structure throughout the catalytic cycle. The mechanistic understanding obtained from these studies holds considerable implications for both homogeneous manganese oxidation catalysis and in understanding related biological systems such as dinuclear catalase and arginase enzymes.