Oxygen-evolving Complex Of Photosystem Research Articles

Enhanced water oxidation stability and activity in MnO2 nanosheet arrays through Ti doping

Efficient and sustainable hydrogen production via water electrolysis relies on the utilization of highly active electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Birnessite (δ-MnO2), a type of manganese oxide with a local atomic structure similar to the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II, has emerged as a highly promising OER catalyst. Despite considerable efforts have been dedicated to enhancing its activity, the crucial aspect of stability has been often overlooked. Herein, Ti ions have been selectively incorporated into the in-layered lattice of δ-MnO2 nanosheet arrays using a hydrothermal method, aiming to enhance the stability without reducing its activity. The resulting optimal Ti-MnO2 catalyst demonstrates enhanced OER activity in alkaline electrolyte, exhibiting an impressive 85 mV reduction in overpotential at 10 mA cm−2, surpassing the initial MnO2 (495 mV reduced to 410 mV). Remarkably, it shows exceptional durability, with negligible performance decrease observed over the entire 50-hour testing period. It has been demonstrated that the incorporation of Ti serves a dual purpose: it adjusts the electronic structure around Mn, enhancing activity, and simultaneously stabilizes the Mn3+ active sites, resulting in exceptional durability. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations provide additional confirmation of the optimized electronic structure of MnO2 achieved through Ti doping, leading to a reduction in the free energy of adsorbed intermediates and expediting the kinetics of the OER process. Our findings open a pathway for enhancing OER stability and activity by doping electrocatalytic inert ions into the lattice of MnO2, applicable not only to Mn-based oxides but also other non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts.

Bioinspired Water Preorganization in Confined Space for Efficient Water Oxidation Catalysis in Metallosupramolecular Ruthenium Architectures.

ConspectusNature has established a sustainable way to maintain aerobic life on earth by inventing one of the most sophisticated biological processes, namely, natural photosynthesis, which delivers us with organic matter and molecular oxygen derived from the two abundant resources sunlight and water. The thermodynamically demanding photosynthetic water splitting is catalyzed by the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II (OEC-PSII), which comprises a distorted tetramanganese-calcium cluster (CaMn4O5) as catalytic core. As an ubiquitous concept for fine-tuning and regulating the reactivity of the active site of metalloenzymes, the surrounding protein domain creates a sophisticated environment that promotes substrate preorganization through secondary, noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions. Based on the high-resolution X-ray structure of PSII, several water channels were identified near the active site, which are filled with extensive hydrogen-bonding networks of preorganized water molecules, connecting the OEC with the protein surface. As an integral part of the outer coordination sphere of natural metalloenzymes, these channels control the substrate and product delivery, carefully regulate the proton flow by promoting pivotal proton-coupled electron transfer processes, and simultaneously stabilize short-lived oxidized intermediates, thus highlighting the importance of an ordered water network for the remarkable efficiency of the natural OEC.Transferring this concept from nature to the engineering of artificial metal catalysts for fuel production has fostered the fascinating field of metallosupramolecular chemistry by generating defined cavities that conceptually mimic enzymatic pockets. However, the application of supramolecular approaches to generate artificial water oxidation catalysts remained scarce prior to our initial reports, since such molecular design strategies for efficient activation of substrate water molecules in confined nanoenvironments were lacking. In this Account, we describe our research efforts on combining the state-of-the art Ru(bda) catalytic framework with structurally programmed ditopic ligands to guide the water oxidation process in defined metallosupramolecular assemblies in spatial proximity. We will elucidate the governing factors that control the quality of hydrogen-bonding water networks in multinuclear cavities of varying sizes and geometries to obtain high-performance, state-of-the-art water oxidation catalysts. Pushing the boundaries of artificial catalyst design, embedding a single catalytic Ru center into a well-defined molecular pocket enabled sophisticated water preorganization in front of the active site through an encoded basic recognition site, resulting in high catalytic rates comparable to those of the natural counterpart OEC-PSII.To fully explore their potential for solar fuel devices, the suitability of our metallosupramolecular assemblies was demonstrated under (electro)chemical and photocatalytic water oxidation conditions. In addition, testing the limits of structural diversity allowed the fabrication of self-assembled linear coordination oligomers as novel photocatalytic materials and long-range ordered covalent organic framework (COF) materials as recyclable and long-term stable solid-state materials for future applications.

Fe(III) Docking-Activated Sites in Layered Birnessite for Efficient Water Oxidation

Non-noble metal catalysts for promoting the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are essential to efficient water splitting for sustainable hydrogen production. Birnessite has a local atomic structure similar to that of an oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II, while the catalytic activity of birnessite is far from satisfactory. Herein, we report a novel Fe-Birnessite (Fe-Bir) catalyst obtained by controlled Fe(III) intercalation- and docking-induced layer reconstruction. The reconstruction dramatically lowers the OER overpotential to 240 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and the Tafel slope to 33 mV/dec, making Fe-Bir the best of all the reported Bir-based catalysts, even on par with the best transition-metal-based OER catalysts. Experimental characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations elucidate that the catalyst features active Fe(III)-O-Mn(III) centers interfaced with ordered water molecules between neighboring layers, which lower reorganization energy and accelerate electron transfer. DFT calculations and kinetic measurements show non-concerted PCET steps conforming to a new OER mechanism, wherein the neighboring Fe(III) and Mn(III) synergistically co-adsorb OH* and O* intermediates with a substantially reduced O-O coupling activation energy. This work highlights the importance of elaborately engineering the confined interlayer environment of birnessite and more generally, layered materials, for efficient energy conversion catalysis.

Release of Electrons and Protons from Substrate Water Molecules at the Oxygen-Evolving Complex in Photosystem II

Oxygen evolution proceeds at the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), the Mn4CaO5 cluster, in photosystem II (PSII), releasing protons and electrons from substrate water molecules. However, most mechanisms proposed for oxygen evolution is based on theoretical studies, where the deprotonation and oxidation sites of the Mn4CaO5 cluster are pre-assumed without analyzing the redox active site (e.g., redox potential) or the H-bond (e.g., pKa) for the release of the electrons or protons, respectively. Here, we summarize the characteristics of the OEC, focusing on the energetics of the electron-releasing and proton-releasing sites based on the PSII structure.

Hemicubane topological analogs of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II mediating water-assisted propylene carbonate oxidation.

A series of Ca-Mn clusters with the ligand 2-pyridinemethoxide (Py-CH2O) have been prepared with varying degrees of topological similarity to the biological oxygen-evolving complex. These clusters activate water as a substrate in the oxidative degradation of propylene carbonate, with activity correlated with topological similarity to the OEC, lowering the onset potential of the oxidation by as much as 700 mV.

A Computational Study of the S2 State in the Oxygen-Evolving Complex of Photosystem II by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

The S2 state produces two basic electron paramagnetic resonance signal types due to the manganese cluster in oxygen-evolving complex, which are influenced by the solvents, and cryoprotectant added to the photosystem II samples. It is presumed that a single manganese center oxidation occurs on S1 → S2 state transition. The S2 state has readily visible multiline and electron paramagnetic resonance signals and hence it has been the most studied of all the Kok cycle intermediates due to the ease of experimental preparation and stability. The S2 state was studied using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at X-band frequencies. The aim of this study was to determine the spin states of the signal. The multiline signal was observed to arise from a ground state spin ½ centre while the 4.1 signal generated at ≈140 K NIR illumination was proposed to arise from a spin center with rhombic distortion. The ‘ground’ state 4.1 signal was generated solely or by conversion from the multiline. The data analysis methods used involved numerical simulations of the experimental spectra on relevant models of the oxygen-evolving complex cluster. A strong focus in this paper was on the ‘ground’ state 4.1 signal, whether it is a rhombic spin state signal or an axial spin state signal. The data supported an X-band CW-EPR-generated 4.1 signal as originating from a near rhombic spin 5/2 of the S2 state of the PSII manganese cluster.

Transcriptome profiling reveals histone deacetylase 1 gene overexpression improves flavonoid, isoflavonoid, and phenylpropanoid metabolism in Arachis hypogaea hairy roots.

BackgroundThe peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a crop plant of high economic importance, but the epigenetic regulation of its root growth and development has not received sufficient attention. Research on Arabidopsis thaliana has shown that histone deacetylases (HDACs) are involved in cell growth, cell differentiation, and stress response. Few studies have focused on the role of HDACs in the root development of other plants, particularly crop plants. In earlier studies, we found large accumulations of A. hypogaea histone deacetylase 1 (AhHDA1) mRNA in peanut roots. However, we did not explore the role of AhHDA1 in peanut root development.MethodsIn this paper, we investigated the role of the peanut AhHDA1 gene and focused on the effect of altered AhHDA1 expression in hairy roots at both the phenotypic and transcriptional levels. We analyzed the transformation of A. hypogaea hairy roots using Agrobacterium rhizogenes and RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes that were assigned to specific metabolic pathways. Transgenic hairy roots were used as experimental material to analyze the downstream genes expression and histone acetylation levels. To thoroughly understand AhHDA1 function, we also simultaneously screened the AhHDA1-interacting proteins using a yeast two-hybrid system.ResultsAhHDA1-overexpressing hairy roots were growth-retarded after 20 d in vitro cultivation, and they had a greater accumulation of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide than the control and RNAi groups. AhHDA1 overexpression in hairy roots accelerated flux through various secondary synthetic metabolic pathways, as well as inhibited the primary metabolism process. AhHDA1 overexpression also caused a significant upregulation of genes encoding the critical enzyme chalcone synthase (Araip.B8TJ0, CHS) in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, hydroxyisoflavanone synthase (Araip.0P3RJ) in the isoflavonoid biosynthesis pathway, and caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase (Aradu.M62BY, CCoAOMT) in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. In contrast, ferredoxin 1 (Araip.327XS), the polypeptide of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II (Araip.N6ZTJ), and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Aradu.5IY98) in the photosynthetic pathway were significantly downregulated by AhHDA1 overexpression. The expression levels of these genes had a positive correlation with histone acetylation levels.ConclusionOur results revealed that the relationship between altered gene metabolism activities and AhHDA1 overexpression was mainly reflected in flavonoid, isoflavonoid, and phenylpropanoid metabolism. AhHDA1 overexpression retarded the growth of transgenic hairy roots and may be associated with cell metabolism status. Future studies should focus on the function of AhHDA1-interacting proteins and their effect on root development.

Proton transfer pathway from the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II substantiated by extensive mutagenesis

We report a structure-based biological approach to identify the proton-transfer pathway in photosystem II. First, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to analyze the H-bond network that may serve as a Grotthuss-like proton conduit. MD simulations show that D1-Asp61, the H-bond acceptor of H2O at the Mn4CaO5 cluster (W1), forms an H-bond via one water molecule with D1-Glu65 but not with D2-Glu312. Then, D1-Asp61, D1-Glu65, D2-Glu312, and the adjacent residues, D1-Arg334, D2-Glu302, and D2-Glu323, were thoroughly mutated to the other 19 residues, i.e., 114 Chlamydomonas chloroplast mutant cells were generated. Mutation of D1-Asp61 was most crucial. Only the D61E and D61C cells grew photoautotrophically and exhibit O2-evolving activity. Mutations of D2-Glu312 were less crucial to photosynthetic growth than mutations of D1-Glu65. Quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations indicated that in the PSII crystal structure, the proton is predominantly localized at D1-Glu65 along the H-bond with D2-Glu312, i.e., pKa(D1-Glu65) > pKa(D2-Glu312). The potential-energy profile shows that the release of the proton from D1-Glu65 leads to the formation of the two short H-bonds between D1-Asp61 and D1-Glu65, which facilitates downhill proton transfer along the Grotthuss-like proton conduit in the S2 to S3 transition. It seems possible that D1-Glu65 is involved in the dominant pathway that proceeds from W1 via D1-Asp61 toward the thylakoid lumen, whereas D2-Glu312 and D1-Arg334 may be involved in alternative pathways in some mutants.

Formation of the High-Spin S2 State Related to the Extrinsic Proteins in the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II.

The high-spin S2 state was investigated with photosystem II (PSII) from spinach, Thermosynechococcus vulcanus, and Cyanidioschyzon merolae. In extrinsic protein-depleted PSII, high-spin electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals were not detected in either species, whereas all species showed g ∼ 5 signals in the presence of a high concentration of Ca2+ instead of the multiline signal. In the intact and PsbP/Q-depleted PSII from spinach, the g = 4.1 EPR signal was detected. These results show that formation of the high-spin S2 state of the manganese cluster is regulated by the extrinsic proteins through a charge located near the Mn4 atom in the Mn4CaO5 cluster but is independent of the intrinsic proteins. The shift to the g ∼ 5 state is caused by tilting of the z-axis in the Mn4 coordinates through hydrogen bonds or external divalent cations. The structural modification may allow insertion of an oxygen atom during the S2-to-S3 transition.

HYSCORE and DFT Studies of Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in a Bioinspired Artificial Photosynthetic Reaction Center.

SummaryThe photosynthetic water-oxidation reaction is catalyzed by the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II (PSII) that comprises the Mn4CaO5 cluster, with participation of the redox-active tyrosine residue (YZ) and a hydrogen-bonded network of amino acids and water molecules. It has been proposed that the strong hydrogen bond between YZ and D1-His190 likely renders YZ kinetically and thermodynamically competent leading to highly efficient water oxidation. However, a detailed understanding of the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) at YZ remains elusive owing to the transient nature of its intermediate states involving YZ⋅. Herein, we employ a combination of high-resolution two-dimensional 14N hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy and density functional theory methods to investigate a bioinspired artificial photosynthetic reaction center that mimics the PCET process involving the YZ residue of PSII. Our results underscore the importance of proximal water molecules and charge delocalization on the electronic structure of the artificial reaction center.

Molecular Structure of the S2 State with a g = 5 Signal in the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II.

The g-factor shift of the g = 4.1 EPR signal was detected in spinach PsbO/P/Q-depleted PS II. The effective g-factor of the signal shifts up to ∼4.9, depending on the Ca2+ concentration. Hyperfine structure spacing with about 3 mT was detected in this g = 5 (4.9) signal. The shift to g = 5 (4.9) was related to the distortion of the manganese cluster, derived from the modification of the chemical bond or the crystalline field of the Mn4(III) in the manganese cluster. Based on the EPR analysis of the g = 5 (4.9) spin state, another molecular structure of the S2 state, a "distant Mn" structure, was discussed as an intermediate state between the S2 and S3 states.

Mechanistic Insights on the Formation of High‐Valent MnIII/IV=O Species Using Oxygen as Oxidant: A Theoretical Perspective

AbstractHigh‐valent metal−oxo species are of great interest as they serve as a robust catalyst for various organic transformations, and at the same time, they offer significant insight into the reactivity of various metalloenzymes. Formation of Mn−Oxo species is of great interest as they are involved in the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II, and various bio‐mimic models were synthesized to understand its reactivity. In this context, using urea decorated amine ligands, Borovik et al. have reported the facile formation of MnIII=O and MnIV=O species from [MnIIH2buea]2− (here H2buea=tris[(N′‐tert‐butylureayl)‐N‐ethyl]amine) precursor complex using oxygen as the oxidant. While reactivity of these species is thoroughly studied, mechanism of formation of such species is scarcely explored. In this work, we have attempted to establish the formation of these species from the MnII precursor using the experimental conditions. Our calculations reveal the following fundamental steps in the formation of such species: i) O2 activation by MnII lead to formation of MnII−superoxide species wherein the oxidation state of the MnII found to be intact upon O2 binding facilitated by the deprotonated nitrogen atom present in the cavity (ii) in the second step, superoxo species is converted to MnII−hydroperoxo species, [MnIIH2buea(OOH)]2− using dimethylacetamide solvent as source for HAT reaction (iii) presence of water molecule found to aid the O−O bond cleavage in [MnIIH2buea(OOH)]2− species leading to the formation of the putative MnIII=O species, [MnIIIH3buea(O)]2− (iv) one‐electron oxidation of MnIII=O, leads to the formation of [MnIVH3buea(O)]− species and this step is endothermic and need some external oxidants for its formation. While various spin‐states and their roles are explored, our calculations reveal that the Mn atom prefers to be in the high‐spin state across the potential energy surface studied. However, the nature of the formation is strongly correlated to the spin state arising from the radical nature present in the O2 moiety and also in the deprotonated nitrogen atom. This offers a unique multistate reactivity channel for the formation these species easing various kinetic barriers across the potential energy surface. Further, we have also computed the spectral parameters for the experimentally observed species, which are in agreement with the reported data offering confidence on the mechanism established. To this end, our study unveils a facile formation of high‐valent Mn−Oxo species using O2 as oxidant and role of water molecules in the formation of such species, and these mechanistic insights are likely to have implications beyond the example studied here.

On the comparison between differential vibrational spectroscopy spectra and theoretical data in the carboxyl region of photosystem II.

Understanding the structural modification experienced by the Mn4 CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II along the Kok-Joliot's cycle has been a challenge for both theory and experiments since many decades. In particular, differential infrared spectroscopy was extensively used to probe the surroundings of the reaction center, to catch spectral changes between different S-states along the catalytic cycle. Because of the complexity of the signals, only a limited quantity of identified peaks have been assigned so far, also because of the difficulty of a direct comparison with theoretical calculations. In the present work, we critically reconsider the comparison between differential vibrational spectroscopy and theoretical calculations performed on the structural models of the photosystem II active site and an inorganic structural mimic. Several factors are currently limiting the reliability of a quantitative comparison, such as intrinsic errors associated to theoretical methods, and most of all, the uncertainty attributed to the lack of knowledge about the localization of the underlying structural changes. Critical points in this comparison are extensively discussed. Comparing several computational data of differential S2 /S1 infrared spectroscopy, we have identified weak and strong points in their interpretation when compared with experimental spectra.

Hyperfine tensors for a model system for the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II: calculation of the anisotropy shift that occurs beyond the strong exchange limit.

Broken-symmetry density functional calculations have been used to calculate effective 55Mn hyperfine (A) tensors for a mixed-valence tetranuclear manganese complex, a model system for the S2 state of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II. Recent investigations carried out in our laboratory showed that for calculations within the strong exchange limit, density functional calculations cannot reproduce the relative magnitude of the anisotropy of the hyperfine tensors of the MnIII center compared to the MnIV centers. In this work we therefore go beyond the strong exchange limit and investigate the effect of multiplet mixing, induced by zero-field splitting, on the effective hyperfine tensors through a perturbational treatment within the numerical spin projection procedure. Results show that the inclusion of zero-field splitting leads to a shift of the anisotropy from the MnIII ion towards the three MnIV ions, thus reconciling the calculated and experimentally observed anisotropy pattern. However, the final results are quite sensitive to the energy gap between the ground (doublet) and the first excited (quartet) state and therefore critically depend on the appropriate choice of the isotropic exchange coupling constants.

Resolving Ambiguous Protonation and Oxidation States in the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II.

Photosystem II (PSII) of photosynthetic organisms converts light energy into chemical energy by oxidizing water to dioxygen at the Mn4CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). Extensive structural data have been collected on the resting dark state (nominally S1 in the standard Kok nomenclature) from crystal diffraction and EXAFS studies but the protonation and Mn oxidation states are still uncertain. A "high-oxidation" model assigns the S1 state to have the formal Mn oxidation level of (III, IV, IV, III), whereas the "low-oxidation" model posits two additional electrons. Generally, additional protons are expected to be associated with the low-oxidation model and were not fully investigated until now. Here we consider structural features of the S0 and S1 states using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method. We systematically alter the hydrogen-bonding network and the protonation states of bridging and terminal oxygens and His337 to investigate how they influence Mn-Mn and Mn-O distances, relative energetics, and the internal distribution of Mn oxidation states, in both high and low-oxidation state paradigms. The bridging oxygens (O1, O2, O3, O4) all need to be deprotonated (O2-) to be compatible with available structural data, whereas the position of O5 (bridging Mn3, Mn4, and Ca) in the XFEL structure is more consistent with an OH- under the low paradigm. We show that structures with two short Mn-Mn distances, which are sometimes argued to be diagnostic of a high oxidation state paradigm, can also arise in low oxidation-state models. We conclude that the low Mn oxidation state proposal for the OEC can closely fit all of the available structural data at accessible energies in a straightforward manner. Modeling at the 4 H+ protonation level of S1 under the high paradigm predicts rearrangement of bidentate D1-Asp170 to H-bond to O5 (OH-), a geometry found in artificial OEC catalysts.

Thermodynamics of Proton and Electron Transfer in Tetranuclear Clusters with Mn-OH2/OH Motifs Relevant to H2O Activation by the Oxygen Evolving Complex in Photosystem II.

We report the synthesis of site-differentiated heterometallic clusters with three Fe centers and a single Mn site that binds water and hydroxide in multiple cluster oxidation states. Deprotonation of FeIII/II3MnII-OH2 clusters leads to internal reorganization resulting in formal oxidation at Mn to generate FeIII/II3MnIII-OH. 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals that oxidation state changes (three for FeIII/II3Mn-OH2 and four for FeIII/II3Mn-OH clusters) occur exclusively at the Fe centers; the Mn center is formally MnII when water is bound and MnIII when hydroxide is bound. Experimentally determined p Ka (17.4) of the [FeIII2FeIIMnII-OH2] cluster and the reduction potentials of the [Fe3Mn-OH2] and [Fe3Mn-OH] clusters were used to analyze the O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEO-H) for multiple cluster oxidation states. BDEO-H increases from 69 to 78 and 85 kcal/mol for the [FeIIIFeII2MnII-OH2], [FeIII2FeIIMnII-OH2], and [FeIII3MnII-OH2] clusters, respectively. Further insight of the proton and electron transfer thermodynamics of the [Fe3Mn-OH x] system was obtained by constructing a potential-p Ka diagram; the shift in reduction potentials of the [Fe3Mn-OH x] clusters in the presence of different bases supports the BDEO-H values reported for the [Fe3Mn-OH2] clusters. A lower limit of the p Ka for the hydroxide ligand of the [Fe3Mn-OH] clusters was estimated for two oxidation states. These data suggest BDEO-H values for the [FeIII2FeIIMnIII-OH] and [FeIII3MnIII-OH] clusters are greater than 93 and 103 kcal/mol, which hints to the high reactivity expected of the resulting [Fe3Mn═O] in this and related multinuclear systems.

Concerted Mechanism of Water Insertion and O2 Release during the S4 to S0 Transition of the Oxygen-Evolving Complex in PhotosystemII.

The O2 release of the oxygen-evolving complex of the photosystem II (PSII) is one of the essential processes responsible for the highly efficient O2 production. Despite its importance, the detailed molecular mechanism is still unsolved. In the present study, we show that the O2 release is directly coupled with water insertion into the Mn cluster based on the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations. In this mechanism, the O2 molecule first dissociates from the Mn sites in order, that is, the O atom coordinating to the Mn3 (O5a) first dissociates, then the other O atom coordinating to the Mn1 (O5d) dissociates in the next step in the late S4 state (1 → 2). Next, the O2 migrates to a space surrounded by the Val185 and His332 side chains as one water molecule coordinating to the Ca2+ ion (W3) comes into the O2 bonded site (2 → 3). Finally, a pre-S0 state (4) is formed after a proton transfer from the inserted water to the other proton acceptor site (W2) (3 → 4). The highest activation barrier during these reactions was found at the O2 release step (2 → 3) that only requires E⧧ = 12.7 kcal mol-1 ( G⧧ = 10.4 kcal mol-1). A series of the reactions (2 → 3) look like a chain crash of billiard balls because the W3 is inserted into the catalytic center from the water-abundant side (Ca2+ ion side), and then the O2 moiety is pushed out to the opposite side (Val185 side). The hydrophobic residue of Val185 covers the active O5 site and forms an O2-specific permeation tunnel. The present sequential reactions clearly demonstrate the efficient removal of the toxic O2 from the catalytic center and implications of the essential roles of Val185, Ca2+ ions and water molecules, which are all present in the active site of PSII as the indispensable constituents.

A Bio-inspired Cu4 O4 Cubane: Effective Molecular Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation in Aqueous Solution.

Inspired by the cubic Mn4 CaO5 cluster of natural oxygen-evolving complex in Photosystem II, tetrametallic molecular water oxidation catalysts, especially M4 O4 cubane-like clusters (M=transition metals), have aroused great interest in developing highly active and robust catalysts for water oxidation. Among these M4 O4 clusters, however, copper-based molecular catalysts are poorly understood. Now, bio-inspired Cu4 O4 cubanes are presented as effective molecular catalysts for electrocatalytic water oxidation in aqueous solution (pH 12). The exceptional catalytic activity is manifested with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 267 s-1 for [(LGly -Cu)4 ] at 1.70 V and 105 s-1 for [(LGlu -Cu)4 ] at 1.56 V. Electrochemical and spectroscopic study revealed a successive two-electron transfer process in the Cu4 O4 cubanes to form high-valent CuIII and CuIII O. intermediates during the catalysis.

In situ doping brushite on zinc manganese oxide toward enhanced water oxidation performance: Mimicry of an oxygen-evolving complex

We report in situ doping of brushite on zinc manganese oxide (ZMO), fabricated by calcining a Mn(II) oxalate-impregnated metal-organic framework. The doping process was conducted in combination with the photocatalytic water oxidation reaction which was catalyzed by ZMO in neutral phosphate-buffered aqueous solution containing [Ru(bpy)3]2+-Na2S2O8 and calcium(II) triflate salt, exhibiting greatly enhanced water oxidation performance with optimized turnover frequency of 0.18 mmolO2 molMn−1 s−1. Different analytical techniques indicated that photodeposited calcium-phosphate (CaP) acted as a co-catalyst to promote the O2 evolution activity of ZMO. This system involved the use of manganese oxide and calcium ion, and the operation was conducted under ambient temperature and neutral conditions, thus, it efficiently mimicked the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II.

A Spotlight on the Compatibility between XFEL and Ab Initio Structures of the Oxygen Evolving Complex in Photosystem II.

The Mn4 CaO5 cluster of photosystem II promotes a crucial step in the oxygenic photosynthesis, namely, the water-splitting reaction. The structure of such cluster in the S1 state of the Kok-Joliot's cycle has been recently resolved by femtosecond X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) measurements. However, the XFEL results are characterized by appreciable discrepancies with previous X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as with S1 models based on ab initio calculations. We provide here a unifying picture based on a combined set of DFT-based structures and molecular dynamics simulations of the S0 and S1 states. Our findings indicate that the XFEL results cannot be interpreted on the grounds of a single structure. A combination of two S1 stable isomers together with a minority contribution of the S0 state is necessary to reproduce XFEL results within 0.16 Å.