Tetranuclear Manganese Research Articles

Bioinspired Tetranuclear Manganese Cubane Complex as an Efficient Molecular Electrocatalyst for Two‐Electron Water Oxidation Towards Hydrogen Peroxide

AbstractStable homogeneous two‐electron water oxidation electrocatalysts are highly demanded to understand the precise mechanism and reaction intermediates of electrochemical H2O2 production. Here we report a tetranuclear manganese complex with a cubane structure which can electrocatalyze water oxidation to hydrogen peroxide under alkaline and neutral conditions. Such a complex demonstrates an optimal Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 87 %, which is amongst (if not) the highest FE(H2O2) of reported homogeneous and heterogeneous electrocatalysts. In addition, active species were identified and co‐catalysts were excluded through ESI‐MS characterization. Furthermore, we identified water binding sites and isolated one‐electron oxidation intermediate by chemical oxidation of the catalyst in the presence of water substrates. It is evident that efficient proton‐accepting electrolytes avoid rapid proton building‐up at electrode and substantially improve reaction rate and selectivity. Accordingly, we propose a two‐electron catalytic cycle model for water oxidation to hydrogen peroxide with the bioinspired molecular electrocatalyst. The present work is expected to provide an ideal platform to elucidate the two‐electron WOR mechanism at the atomic level.

Bioinspired Tetranuclear Manganese Cubane Complex as an Efficient Molecular Electrocatalyst for Two-Electron Water Oxidation Towards Hydrogen Peroxide.

Stable homogeneous two-electron water oxidation electrocatalysts are highly demanded to understand the precise mechanism and reaction intermediates of electrochemical H2O2 production. Here we report a tetranuclear manganese complex with a cubane structure which can electrocatalyze water oxidation to hydrogen peroxide under alkaline and neutral conditions. Such a complex demonstrates an optimal Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 87 %, which is amongst (if not) the highest FE(H2O2) of reported homogeneous and heterogeneous electrocatalysts. In addition, active species were identified and co-catalysts were excluded through ESI-MS characterization. Furthermore, we identified water binding sites and isolated one-electron oxidation intermediate by chemical oxidation of the catalyst in the presence of water substrates. It is evident that efficient proton-accepting electrolytes avoid rapid proton building-up at electrode and substantially improve reaction rate and selectivity. Accordingly, we propose a two-electron catalytic cycle model for water oxidation to hydrogen peroxide with the bioinspired molecular electrocatalyst. The present work is expected to provide an ideal platform to elucidate the two-electron WOR mechanism at the atomic level.

Investigation of electrocatalytic activity of a new mononuclear Mn(II) complex for water oxidation in alkaline media.

Water splitting is a promising way to alleviate the energy crisis. In nature, water oxidation is done by a tetranuclear manganese cluster in photosystem II. Therefore, the study of water oxidation by Mn complexes is attractive in water splitting systems. In this report, a new mononuclear Mn(II) complex, MnL2 (HL = (E)-3-hydroxy-N'-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)-2-naphthohydrazide) was prepared and characterized by spectroscopic techniques and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystallographic analysis indicated that the geometry around the Mn(II) ion is distorted octahedral. The MnN4O2 coordination moiety is achieved by bounding of oxygen and two nitrogen donor atoms of two hydrazone ligands. The synthesized complex was also investigated for electrochemical water oxidation using electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and PXRD analysis. Linear sweep voltammetry experiment showed that the modified carbon paste electrode by the complex displays high activity for water oxidation reaction with an overpotential of 565mV at a current density of 10mAcm-2 and Tafel slope of 105mV dec-1 in an alkaline solution. It was found that the complex structure finally changes during the reaction and converts to Mn oxide nanoparticles which act as active catalytic species and oxidize the water.

Water Oxidation Catalyzed by a Bioinspired Tetranuclear Manganese Complex: Mechanistic Study and Prediction.

Density functional theory calculations were utilized to elucidate the water oxidation mechanism catalyzed by polyanionic tetramanganese complex a [MnIII 3 MnIV O3 (CH3 COO)3 (A-α-SiW9 O34 )]6- . Theoretical results indicated that catalytic active species 1 (Mn4 III,III,IV,IV ) was formed after O2 formation in the first turnover. From 1, three sequential proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) oxidations led to the MnIV -oxyl radical 4 (Mn4 IV,IV,IV,IV -O⋅). Importantly, 4 had an unusual butterfly-shaped Mn2 O2 core for the two substrate-coordinated Mn sites, which facilitated O-O bond formation via direct coupling of the oxyl radical and the adjacent MnIV -coordinated hydroxide to produce the hydroperoxide intermediate Int1 (Mn4 III,IV,IV,IV -OOH). This step had an overall energy barrier of 24.9 kcal mol-1 . Subsequent PCET oxidation of Int1 to Int2 (Mn4 III,IV,IV,IV -O2 ⋅) enabled the O2 release in a facile process. Furthermore, apart from the Si-centered complex, computational study suggested that tetramanganese polyoxometalates with Ge, P, and S could also catalyze the water oxidation process, where those bearing P and S likely present higher activities.

Is Deprotonation of the Oxygen-Evolving Complex of Photosystem II during the S1 → S2 Transition Suppressed by Proton Quantum Delocalization?

We address the protonation state of the water-derived ligands in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII), prepared in the S2 state of the Kok cycle. We perform quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations of isotropic proton hyperfine coupling constants, with direct comparisons to experimental data from two-dimensional hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). We find a low-barrier hydrogen bond with significant delocalization of the proton shared by the water-derived ligand, W1, and the aspartic acid residue D1-D61 of the D1 polypeptide. The lowering of the zero-point energy of a shared proton due to quantum delocalization precludes its release to the lumen during the S1→ S2 transition. Retention of the proton facilitates the shuttling of a proton during the isomerization of the tetranuclear manganese-calcium-oxo (Mn4Ca-oxo) cluster, from the "open" to "closed" conformation, a step suggested to be necessary for oxygen evolution from previous studies. Our findings suggest that quantum-delocalized protons, stabilized by low-barrier hydrogen bonds in model catalytic systems, can facilitate the accumulation of multiple oxidizing equivalents at low overpotentials.

A protecting group strategy to access stable lacunary polyoxomolybdates for introducing multinuclear metal clusters

Although metal-containing polyoxomolybdates (molybdenum oxide clusters) exhibit outstanding catalytic properties, their precise synthetic method has not yet been developed. This is mainly because the very low stability of the multivacant lacunary polyoxomolybdates limited their use as synthetic precursors. Here, we present a “protecting group strategy” in polyoxometalate synthesis and successfully develop an efficient method for synthesising multinuclear metal-containing polyoxomolybdates using pyridine as a protecting group for unstable trivacant lacunary Keggin-type polyoxomolybdate [PMo9O34]9−. Specifically, tetranuclear cubane- and planar-type manganese clusters were selectively synthesised in the polyoxomolybdates using the present method. The importance of this work is that, in addition to being the first practical way of utilizing multivacant lacunary polyoxomolybdates as precursors, this new “protecting group strategy” will make it possible to produce polyoxometalates with unexplored structures and properties.

Comparative NMR Relaxivity Study of Polyoxometalate-Based Clusters [Mn4(H2O)2(P2W1SO56)2]16\u2212 and [{Dy(H2O)6}2Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2]10\u2212 from 20\xa0MHz to 1.2\xa0GHz

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance relaxivities are a measure for the sensitivity of a contrast agent (CA), i.e. the potential of a paramagnetic moiety to enhance longitudinal and transverse relaxation of molecules in its near neighbourhood. The underlying mechanism is called Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement (PRE). The relaxivity, characterizing PRE, depends not only on the external applied magnetic field but also depends on numerous factors, such as number of coordinated water molecules, water exchange rate, rotational diffusion, first and second coordination hydration sphere, electronic and magnetic properties of paramagnetic centers and the molecular shape/size of the CA. Relaxation rates are usually normalized to the concentration of the contrast agent to provide the relaxivities. To investigate the influence of these factors on PRE of newly synthesized potential CA, two paramagnetic metals containing polyoxometalates (POMs) [Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2]16− (Mn4-P2W15) and [{Dy(H2O)6}2Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2]10− (Dy2Mn4-P2W15) were selected as models to be studied at 1H Larmor frequencies from 20 MHz to 1.2 GHz. Structurally, the POM Dy2Mn4-P2W15 is similar to the tetra-nuclear manganese(II)-substituted sandwich-type POM Mn4-P2W15, with the two coordinated DyIII cations acting as linkers connecting Mn4-P2W15 units, thus forming a 1D ladder-like chain structure based on sandwich-type rungs strung together by the dysprosium cations. This study shows that POM (Dy2Mn4-P2W15) is a promising CA at high magnetic fields and proves that the use of heterometallic clusters is an effective strategy to increase PRE due to the synergistic effects from different metal ions.

Synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic and electrochemiluminescence properties of three manganese(II) complexes.

Three novel complexes, namely, penta-μ-acetato-bis(μ2-2-{[2-(6-chloropyridin-2-yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}-6-methoxyphenolato)-μ-formato-tetramanganese(II), [Mn4(C13H11ClN3O2)2(C2H3O2)5.168(CHO2)0.832], 1, hexa-μ2-acetato-bis(μ2-2-{[2-(6-bromopyridin-2-yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}-6-methoxyphenolato)tetramanganese(II), [Mn4(C13H11BrN3O2)2(C2H3O2)6], 2, and catena-poly[[μ2-acetato-acetatoaqua(μ2-2-{[2-(6-chloropyridin-2-yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}-6-methoxyphenolato)dimanganese(II)]-μ2-acetato], [Mn2(C13H11ClN3O2)(C2H3O2)3(H2O)]n, 3, have been synthesized using solvothermal methods. Complexes 1-3 were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complexes 1 and 2 are tetranuclear manganese clusters, while complex 3 has a one-dimensional network based on tetranuclear Mn4(L1)2(CH3COO)6(H2O)2 building units (L1 is 2-{[2-(6-chloropyridin-2-yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}-6-methoxyphenolate). Magnetic studies reveal that complexes 1-3 display dominant antiferromagnetic interactions between MnII ions through μ2-O bridges. In addition, 1-3 also display favourable electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties.

Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Magnetic Properties of Mixed-Valent Tetranuclear Complexes with Y-Shaped MnII2MnIII2 Core

Tetranuclear MnII2MnIII2 complexes with 1,3-bis(5-bromo-3-metoxysalicylidenaminomethyl)-2-propanol (H3bmsap) and 1,3-bis(5-chloro-3-methoxysalicylidenaminomethyl)-2-propanol (H3cmsap), [Mn4(bmsap)2(CH3CO2)3(CH3O)] (3) and [Mn4(cmsap)2(CH3CO2)3(CH3O)] (4), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and diffused reflectance spectra and variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements in the 2–300 K range. The crystal structures of 3 and 4 revealed a Y-shaped tetranuclear manganese cluster formed by the two Schiff-base ligands, three kinds of acetato ligands (bidentate, syn–anti-bridging, and syn–syn-bridging), and µ-methoxido ligand. The magnetic data showed the magnetic interactions among the four manganese atoms are antiferromagnetic as a whole within the tetranuclear cluster.

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.

Oxo-bridged trinuclear and tetranuclear manganese complexes supported with nitrogen donor ligands: syntheses, structures and properties.

In this work, we present the syntheses of two μ3-oxo bridged mixed-valent trinuclear MnIIMnIII complexes (1 and 2) and a μ4-oxo bridged tetranuclear Mn complex (3). All the three manganese complexes have been characterized crystallographically and by using different analytical techniques. Both mixed-valent trinuclear complexes 1 and 2 exhibited Jahn-Teller distortion for the Mn(iii) ion. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility studies of all three complexes revealed antiferromagnetic coupling between the closely placed paramagnetic manganese ions mediated via a μ-oxo bridge. Cyclic voltammetry studies displayed both Mn(iii)/Mn(ii) and Mn(iv)/Mn(iii) redox couples in 1 whereas only the Mn(iii)/Mn(ii) couple was observed for complexes 2 and 3. Importantly, complexes 2 and 3 were found to disproportionate H2O2, and the catalase activity has been related to their structural features and redox properties.

Dinuclear manganese alkoxide complexes as catalysts for C-N bond cleavage of simple tertiary N,N-dialkylamides to give esters.

Amide bonds are stable due to the resonance between the nitrogen lone pair and the carbonyl moiety, and therefore the chemical transformation of amides, especially tertiary amides, involving C-N bond fission is considered one of the most difficult organic reactions, unavoidably requiring harsh reaction conditions and strong acids or bases. We report the catalytic C-N bond cleavage of simple tertiary N,N-dialkylamides to give corresponding esters using a catalyst system (2 mol% based on Mn atoms) of a tetranuclear manganese alkoxide, [Mn(acac)(OEt)(EtOH)]4 (1c), combined with four equivalents of 4,7-bis(dimethylamino)-1,10-phenanthroline (L1: Me2N-Phen). Regarding the reaction mechanism, we isolated a dinuclear manganese complex, [Mn(acac)(OEt)(Phen)]2 (6c), which was revealed as the catalytically active species for the esterification of tertiary amides.

Synthesis, Characterization and Magnetic Studies of a Tetranuclear Manganese(II/IV) Compound Incorporating an Amino-Alcohol Derived Schiff Base

A new tetranuclear mixed-valence manganese(II/IV) compound [MnIIMnIV3(μ-Cl)3(µ3-O)(L)3] (1) (where H3L = (3E)-3-((Z)-4-hydroxy-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-ylideneamino)propane-1,2-diol) has been synthesized and characterized by different physicochemical methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1 is a tetrahedral cluster consisting of a Mn4Cl3O4 core in which the only Mn(II) ion is joined through three μ2-O bridges to an equilateral triangle of Mn(IV) ions, which are connected by a μ3-O and three μ2-Cl bridges. The redox behavior of 1 was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 revealed predominant antiferromagnetic coupling inside the Mn4Cl3O4 cluster.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Heterometallic Extended Architecture Based on a Manganese(II)-Substituted Sandwich-Type Polyoxotungstate.

The reaction of [α-P2W15O56]12− with MnII and DyIII in an aqueous basic solution led to the isolation of an all inorganic heterometallic aggregate Na10(OH2)42[{Dy(H2O)6}2Mn4P4W30O112(H2O)2]·17H2O (Dy2Mn4-P2W15). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that Dy2Mn4-P2W15 crystallizes in the triclinic system with space group P, and consists of a tetranuclear manganese(II)-substituted sandwich-type phosphotungstate [Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2]16− (Mn4-P2W15), Na, and DyIII cations. Compound Dy2Mn4-P2W15 exhibits a 1D ladder-like chain structure based on sandwich-type segments and dysprosium cations as linkers, which are further connected into a three-dimensional open framework by sodium cations. The title compound was structurally and compositionally characterized in solid state by single-crystal XRD, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TGA), and elemental analyses. Further, the absorption and emission electronic spectra in aqueous solutions of Dy2Mn4-P2W15 and Mn4-P2W15 were studied. Also, magnetic properties were studied and compared with the magnetic behavior of [Mn4(H2O)2(P2W15O56)2]16−.

Mixed-valent tetranuclear manganese complexes with pentadentate Schiff-base ligand having a Y-shaped core

Reaction of pentadentate Schiff-base ligands, 1,3-bis(3-methoxysalicylideneamino)-2-propanol (H3msap) with manganese(II) salts afforded tetranuclear mixed-valent manganese complexes, [Mn4(msap)2(CH3CO2)3(CH3O)(H2O)]·H2O (1) and [Mn4(msap)2(C6H5CO2)3(CH3O)] (2), which were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and diffused reflectance spectra and temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibilities (4.5–300 K). Single-crystal X-ray crystallography of these complexes showed that four manganese atoms are chelated by two Schiff-base ligands and further coordinated by syn–syn bridging, syn–anti bridging, and monodentate or bidentate-carboxylato groups, forming a Y-shaped cluster made up of two MnII and two MnIII atoms. Diffused reflectance spectra are featureless, showing broad bands around at near-UV and visible regions. Magnetic moments decrease with lowering of temperature, showing an antiferromagnetic behavior of these complexes.

Intramolecular C-H and C-F Bond Oxygenation by Site-Differentiated Tetranuclear Manganese Models of the OEC.

The dangler manganese center in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II plays an important role in the oxidation of water to dioxygen. Inspired by the structure of the OEC, we synthesized a series of site-differentiated tetra-manganese clusters [LMn3(PhPz)3OMn][OTf]x (2: x = 2; 3: x = 1) that features an apical manganese ion-distinct from the others-that is appended to a trinuclear manganese core through an μ4-oxygen atom bridge. This cluster design was targeted to facilitate studies of high-valent Mn-oxo formation, which is a proposed step in the mechanism for water oxidation by the OEC. Terminal Mn-oxo species-supported by a multinuclear motif-were targeted by treating 2 and 3 with iodosobenzene. Akin to our previously reported iron complexes, intramolecular arene hydroxylation was observed to yield the C-H bond oxygenated complexes [LMn3(PhPz)2(OArPz)OMn][OTf]x (5: x = 2; 6: x = 1). The fluorinated series [LMn3(F2ArPz)3OMn][OTf]x (8: x = 2; 9: x = 1) was also synthesized to mitigate the observed intramolecular hydroxylation. Treatment of 8 and 9 with iodosobenzene results in intramolecular arene C-F bond oxygenation as judged by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The observed aromatic C-H and C-F hydroxylation is suggestive of a putative high-valent terminal metal-oxo species, and it is one of the very few examples capable of oxygenating C-F bonds.

Tetranuclear Manganese Models of the OEC Displaying Hydrogen Bonding Interactions: Application to Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation to Hydrogen Peroxide.

Toward the development of structural and functional models of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II, we report the synthesis of site-differentiated tetranuclear manganese complexes featuring three six-coordinate and one five-coordinate Mn centers. To incorporate biologically relevant second coordination sphere interactions, substituents capable of hydrogen bonding are included as pyrazolates with arylamine substituents. Complexes with terminal anionic ligands, OH- or Cl-, bound to the lower coordinate metal center are supported through the hydrogen-bonding network in a fashion reminiscent of the enzymatic active site. The hydroxide complex was found to be a competent electrocatalyst for O-O bond formation, a key transformation pertinent to the OEC. In an acetonitrile-water mixture, at neutral pH, electrochemical water oxidation to hydrogen peroxide was observed, albeit with low (15%) Faradaic yield, likely due to competing reactions with organics. In agreement, 9,10-dihydroanthracene is electrochemically oxidized in the presence of this cluster both via H-atom abstraction and oxygenation with ∼50% combined Faradaic yield.

A study of the exchangeable protons in the QA site of photosystem II

Plants have developed the only biological system capable of oxidizing water. Through the oxidation of water plants are able to convert light energy into chemical energy. This water oxidation is catalyzed by photosystem II (PSII) at a site called the oxygen‐evolving complex (OEC). The OEC consists of a tetranuclear manganese cluster and is the only known biological system capable of oxidizing water (Blakenship 2001).Removal of the manganese cluster allows for study of the mechanism called photoactivation, a light‐and dark‐dependent process by which the OEC assembles. Further study of this process can provide great detail as to repair of PSII following inhibition (G. Dismukes 2008). Removal of the manganese cluster and associated extrinsic proteins also allows unhindered exploration of electron transfer during photochemical events. Plastoquinone A (QA) and plastoquinone B (QB) are electron carriers found in PSII. Despite sharing the same molecular structure, QA and QB exhibit unique redox properties determined by their protein environment. QA participates only in one‐electron transfers, transiently forming paramagnetic semiquinone QA−•(SQA), whereas QB function as a two‐electron gate. Hydrogen bonding from nearby amino acids residues is believed to be partly responsible for such differences in redox properties due to redistribution of electron density. High‐resolution electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has the ability to measure magnetic interactions between unpaired electrons and nearby nuclei and provide information about the strength of these interactions (Rutherford, A. W. 1999).Previous pulsed EPR studies established the formation of the H‐bonds between carbonyl oxygens of the QA−• and an amide nitrogen from the protein backbone, and the amino nitrogen, Nd, of an imidazole (Rutherford; Lakshmi). Two‐dimensional pulsed EPR of the SQA in Mn depleted, CN‐treated PSII at pH 9.8, resolved five pairs of cross‐peaks from different types of protons (Lakshmi). They were assigned to the methyl, β‐methylene, and ring protons of the SQA and two protons of the H‐bonds. Unfortunately, these assignments were not verified by the influence of 1H2O/2H2O exchange on the spectra. As a consequence, the assignment of the couplings is not consistent with the values obtained in the DFT calculations (T.‐J. Lin and P. J. O'Malley 2011). In this work we performed 2D pulsed EPR with the SQA in the PS II samples in 1H2O and 2H2O buffered solution in order to unambiguously identify contribution of the exchangeable protons and to determine corresponding hyperfine couplings. These results form a more supported basis for comparison with the results of theoretical computations.Support or Funding InformationPulsed EPR studies were supported by DE‐FG02‐08ER15960 Grant from Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Sciences, US DOE (S.A.D.), and NCRR/NIH Grants S10‐RR15878 and S10‐RR025438 for pulsed EPR instrumentation. Continuous wave EPR studies were supported by NSF‐MRI CHE‐1229498.

Synthesis, characterization, and magnetochemical properties of two Mn4 clusters derived from 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde Schiff base ligands

Two tetranuclear manganese complexes, [Mn4(L1)6](ClO4)2⋅2.75H2O (1) [HL1 = 4-methyl-2-((pyridin-2-ylmethylene)amino)phenol] and [Mn4(L2)4(NO3)3(OH)]⋅pz⋅3H2O (2) [HL2 = (1H-pyrazol-1-yl)(pyridin-2-yl)methanol, pz = pyrazole], have been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and magnetic measurements. The structural analysis revealed that the central manganese ion is linked with three apical manganese ions through six phenoxo-bridges creating a Mn4O6 core for 1; 2 has a cubane-like topology with the Mn(II) ions and the deprotonated oxygens from L2 alternatively occupying vertices. The magnetic studies indicated a weak ferromagnetic coupling interaction (J = 0.48 ± 0.087 cm−1, g = 2.00, θ = −0.78 K) for 1 and a weak antiferromagnetic spin-exchange interaction (J1 = −0.50 ± 0.075 cm−1, J2 = −0.13 ± 0.082 cm−1, g = 1.98) between Mn(II) ions for 2. The magnetostructural correlations of the two Mn4 clusters have been discussed tentatively.

What Controls the Magnetic Exchange and Anisotropy in a Family of Tetranuclear {Mn2IIMn2III} Single-Molecule Magnets?

Twelve heterovalent, tetranuclear manganese(II/III) planar diamond or "butterfly" complexes, 1-12, have been synthesized and structurally characterized, and their magnetic properties have been probed using experimental and theoretical techniques. The 12 structures are divided into two distinct "classes". Compounds 1-8 place the Mn(III), S = 2, ions in the body positions of the butterfly metallic core, while the Mn(II), S = 5/2, ions occupy the outer wing sites and are described as "Class 1". Compounds 9-12 display the reverse arrangement of ions and are described as "Class 2". Direct current susceptibility measurements for 1-12 reveal ground spin states ranging from S = 1 to S = 9, with each complex displaying unique magnetic exchange parameters (J). Alternating current susceptibility measurements found that that slow magnetic relaxation is observed for all complexes, except for 10 and 12, and display differing anisotropy barriers to magnetization reversal. First, we determined the magnitude of the magnetic exchange parameters for all complexes. Three exchange coupling constants (Jbb, Jwb, and Jww) were determined by DFT methods which are found to be in good agreement with the experimental fits. It was found that the orientation of the Jahn-Teller axes and the Mn-Mn distances play a pivotal role in determining the sign and strength of the Jbb parameter. Extensive magneto-structural correlations have been developed for the two classes of {MnII2MnIII2} butterfly complexes by varying the Mnb-O distance, Mnw-O distance, Mnb-O-Mnb angle (α), Mnb-O-Mnb-O dihedral angle (γ), and out-of-plane shift of the Mnw atoms (β). For the magnetic anisotropy the DFT calculations yielded larger negative D value for complexes 2, 3, 4, and 6 compared to the other complexes. This is found to be correlated to the electron-donating/withdrawing substituents attached to the ligand moiety and suggests a possible way to fine tune the magnetic anisotropy in polynuclear Mn ion complexes.