Reverse Catalase Reaction: Dioxygen Activation via Two-Electron Transfer from Hydroxide to Dioxygen Mediated By a Manganese(III) Salen Complex

Although atmospheric dioxygen is regarded as the most ideal oxidant, O2 activation for use in oxygenation reactions intrinsically requires a costly sacrificial reductant. The present study investigated the use of aqueous alkaline solution for O2 activation. A manganese(III) salen complex, Mn(III)(salen)(Cl), in toluene reacts with aqueous KOH solution under aerobic conditions, which yields a di-μ-oxo dimanganese(IV) salen complex, [Mn(IV)(salen)]2(μ-O)2. The (18)O isotope experiments show that (18)O2 is indeed activated to give [Mn(IV)(salen)]2(μ-(18)O)2 via a peroxide intermediate. Interestingly, the (18)OH(-) ion in H2(18)O was also incorporated to yield [Mn(IV)(salen)]2(μ-(18)O)2, which implies that a peroxide species is also generated from (18)OH(-). The addition of benzyl alcohol as a stoichiometric reductant selectively inhibits the (18)O incorporation from (18)OH(-), indicating that the reaction of Mn(III)(salen)(Cl) with OH(-) supplies the electrons for O2 reduction. The conversion of both O2 and OH(-) to a peroxide species is exactly the reverse of a catalase-like reaction, which has a great potential as the most efficient O2 activation. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the reaction of Mn(III)(salen)(Cl) with OH(-) generates a transient species with strong reducing ability, which effects the reduction of O2 by means of a manganese(II) intermediate.

Light-induced FTIR difference spectroscopy as a powerful tool toward understanding the molecular mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution

The molecular mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution remains a mystery in photosynthesis research. Although recent X-ray crystallographic studies of the photosystem II core complex at 3.0-3.5 A resolutions have revealed the structure of the oxygen-evolving center (OEC), with approximate positions of the Mn and Ca ions and the amino acid ligands, elucidation of its detailed structure and the reactions during the S-state cycle awaits further spectroscopic investigations. Light-induced Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy was first applied to the OEC in 1992 as detection of its structural changes upon the S(1)-->S(2) transition, and spectra during the S-state cycle induced by consecutive flashes were reported in 2001. These FTIR spectra provide extensive structural information on the amino acid side groups, polypeptide chains, metal core, and water molecules, which constitute the OEC and are involved in its reaction. FTIR spectroscopy is thus becoming a powerful tool in investigating the reaction mechanism of photosynthetic oxygen evolution. In this mini-review, the measurement method of light-induced FTIR spectra of OEC is introduced and the results obtained thus far using this technique are summarized.