Binuclear Manganese Compounds of Potential Biological Significance. Part 2. Mechanistic Study of Hydrogen Peroxide Disproportionation by Dimanganese Complexes:  The Two Oxygen Atoms of the Peroxide End up in a Dioxo Intermediate

The dimanganese(II,II) complexes 1a [Mn2(L)(OAc)2(CH3OH)](ClO4) and 1b [Mn2(L)(OBz)2(H2O)](ClO4), where HL is the unsymmetrical phenol ligand 2-(bis-(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl)-6-((2-pyridylmethyl)(benzyl)aminomethyl)-4-methylphenol, react with hydrogen peroxide in acetonitrile solution. The disproportionation reaction was monitored by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and EPR and UV−visible spectroscopies. Extensive EPR studies have shown that a species (2) exhibiting a 16-line spectrum at g ∼ 2 persists during catalysis. ESI-MS experiments conducted similarly during catalysis associate 2a with a peak at 729 (791 for 2b) corresponding to the formula [MnIIIMnIV(L)(O)2(OAc)]+ ([MnIIIMnIV(L)(O)2(OBz)]+ for 2b). At the end of the reaction, it is partly replaced by a species (3) possessing a broad unfeatured signal at g ∼ 2. ESI-MS associates 3a with a peak at 713 (775 for 3b) corresponding to the formula [MnIIMnIII(L)(O)(OAc)]+ ([MnIIMnIII(L)(O)(OBz)]+ for 3b). In the presence of H2 18O, these two peaks move to 733 and to 715 indicating the presence of two and one oxo ligands, respectively. When H2 18O2 is used, 2a and 3a are labeled showing that the oxo ligands come from H2O2. Interestingly, when an equimolar mixture of H2O2 and H2 18O2 is used, only unlabeled and doubly labeled 2a/b are formed, showing that its two oxo ligands come from the same H2O2 molecule. All these experiments lead to attribute the formula [MnIIIMnIV(L)(O)2(OAc)]+ to 2a and to 3a the formula [MnIIMnIII(L)(O)(OAc)]+. Freeze−quench/EPR experiments revealed that 2a appears at 500 ms and that another species with a 6-line spectrum is formed transiently at ca. 100 ms. 2a was prepared by reaction of 1a with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as shown by EPR and UV−visible spectroscopies and ESI-MS experiments. Its structure was studied by X-ray absorption experiments which revealed the presence of two or three O atoms at 1.87 Å and three or two N/O atoms at 2.14 Å. In addition one N atom was found at a longer distance (2.3 Å) and one Mn at 2.63 Å. 2a can be one-electron oxidized at E 1/2 = 0.91 VNHE (ΔE 1/2 = 0.08 V) leading to its MnIVMnIV analogue. The formation of 2a from 1a was monitored by UV−visible and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. Both concur to show that an intermediate MnIIMnIII species, resembling 4a [Mn2(L)(OAc)2(H2O)](ClO4)2, the one-electron-oxidized form of 1a, is formed initially and transforms into 2a. The structures of the active intermediates 2 and 3 are discus