Structure and electronic configurations of the intermediates of water oxidation in blue ruthenium dimer catalysis

Catalytic O(2) evolution with cis,cis-[(bpy)(2)(H(2)O)Ru(III)ORu(III)(OH(2))(bpy)(2)](4+) (bpy is 2,2-bipyridine), the so-called blue dimer, the first designed water oxidation catalyst, was monitored by UV-vis, EPR, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with ms time resolution. Two processes were identified, one of which occurs on a time scale of 100 ms to a few seconds and results in oxidation of the catalyst with the formation of an intermediate, here termed [3,4]'. A slower process occurring on the time scale of minutes results in the decay of this intermediate and O(2) evolution. Spectroscopic data suggest that within the fast process there is a short-lived transient intermediate, which is a precursor of [3,4]'. When excess oxidant was used, a highly oxidized form of the blue dimer [4,5] was spectroscopically resolved within the time frame of the fast process. Its structure and electronic state were confirmed by EPR and XAS. As reported earlier, the [3,4]' intermediate likely results from reaction of [4,5] with water. While it is generated under strongly oxidizing conditions, it does not display oxidation of the Ru centers past [3,4] according to EPR and XAS. EXAFS analysis demonstrates a considerably modified ligand environment in [3,4]'. Raman measurements confirmed the presence of the O-O fragment by detecting a new vibration band in [3,4]' that undergoes a 46 cm(-1) shift to lower energy upon (16)O/(18)O exchange. Under the conditions of the experiment at pH 1, the [3,4]' intermediate is the catalytic steady state form of the blue dimer catalyst, suggesting that its oxidation is the rate-limiting step.     

Theoretical study of hydrogen and deuterium bond in glutaric acid crystal dimer

In the spirit of the work of Blaise et al. [J Chem Phys, 2005, 122, 64306], we have extended their quantum theoretical approach by accounting for the intrinsic anharmonicity of the slow frequency mode, which is described by a Morse potential to reproduce the polarized infrared line shapes of glutaric acid dimer and its deuterium derivative at different temperatures. In this approach, the adiabatic approximation is performed for each separate H‐bond bridge of the dimer, and a strong nonadiabatic correction is introduced into the model via the resonant exchange between the fast mode excited states of the two moieties. Working within the strong anharmonic coupling theory, according to which the high‐frequency mode is anharmonically coupled to the H‐bond bridge, this approach incorporated the Davydov coupling between the excited states of the two moieties, the quantum direct and indirect dampings and the intrinsic anharmonicity of the H‐bond bridge. The spectral density was obtained within the linear response theory by Fourier transform of the damped autocorrelation functions. The numerical results show that the theoretical line shapes of the glutaric acid dimer are in fairly good agreement with the experimental ones. Using a minimum number of independent parameters, this theoretical approach fits correctly the experimental line shapes of the glutaric acid dimer. The effects of deuteration and temperature have been successfully reproduced by our calculations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Basic ancillary ligands promote O-O bond formation in iridium-catalyzed water oxidation: a DFT study

The cationic iridium complex [Ir(OH(2))(2)(phpy)(2)](+) (phpy = o-phenylpyridine) is among the most efficient mononuclear catalysts for water oxidation. The postulated active species is the oxo complex [Ir(O)(X)(phpy)(2)](n), with X = OH(2) (n = +1), OH(-) (n = 0) or O(2-) (n = -1), depending on the pH. The reactivity of these species has been studied computationally at the DFT(B3LYP) level. The three [Ir(O)(X)(phpy)(2)](n) complexes have an electrophilic Ir(v)-oxo moiety, which yields an O-O bond by undergoing a nucleophilic attack of water in the critical step of the mechanism. In this step, water transfers one proton to either the Ir(V)-oxo moiety or the ancillary X ligand. Five different reaction pathways associated with this acid/base mechanism have been characterized. The calculations show that the proton is preferably accepted by the X ligand, which plays a key role in the reaction. The higher the basicity of X, the lower the energy barrier associated with O-O bond formation. The anionic species, [Ir(O)(2)(phpy)(2)](-), which has the less electrophilic Ir(V)-oxo moiety but the most basic X ligand, promotes O-O bond formation through the lowest energy barrier, 14.5 kcal mol(-1). The other two active species, [Ir(O)(OH)(phpy)(2)] and [Ir(O)(OH(2))(phpy)(2)](+), which have more electrophilic Ir(V)-oxo moieties but less basic X ligands, involve higher energy barriers, 20.2 kcal mol(-1) and 25.9 kcal mol(-1), respectively. These results are in good agreement with experiments showing important pH effects in similar catalytic systems. The theoretical insight given by the present study can be useful in the design of more efficient water oxidation catalysts. The catalytic activity may increase by using ligand scaffolds bearing internal bases.     

LC-MS study of ruthenium catalysts of water oxidation in artificial photosynthesis

Catalysts of water oxidation for artificial photosynthesis, formed from the binuclear oxysulfate ruthenium(IV) complex K₄[Ru₂(SO₄)₂(μ-SO₄)₂(μ-O)₂] · 2H₂O, are studied via chromatography-mass spectrometry. It is shown that these new catalysts do not contain organic ligands and are more stable and active than the familiar blue dimer [(bpy)₂Ru(OH)₂]₂O⁴⁺ and its analogues. It is found that adamantane-like tetra-nuclear and octanuclear ruthenium clusters are active catalysts that oxidize water to oxygen and oxozone O₄, respectively.     

Mechanisms of water oxidation catalyzed by ruthenium diimine complexes

(18)O-isotope-labeling studies have led to the conclusion that there exist two major pathways for water oxidation catalyzed by dimeric ruthenium ions of the general type cis, cis-[L2Ru(III)(OH2)]2O(4+). We have proposed that both pathways involve concerted addition of H and OH fragments derived from H 2O to the complexes in their four-electron-oxidized states, i.e., [L2Ru(V)(O)]2O(4+), ultimately generating bound peroxy intermediates that decay with the evolution of O2. The pathways differ primarily in the site of addition of the OH fragment, which is either a ruthenyl O atom or a bipyridine ligand. In the former case, water addition is thought to give rise to a critical intermediate whose structure is L2Ru(IV)(OH)ORu(IV)(OOH)L2(4+); the structures of intermediates involved in the other pathway are less well defined but may involve bipyridine OH adducts of the type L2Ru(V)(O)ORu(IV)(OH)(L(*)OH)L(4+), which could react further to generate unstable dioxetanes or similar endoperoxides. Published experimental and theoretical support for these pathways is reviewed within the broader context of water oxidation catalysis and related reactions reported for other diruthenium and group 8 monomeric diimine-based catalysts. New experiments that are designed to probe the issue of bipyridine ligand "noninnocence" in catalysis are described. Specifically, the relative contributions of the two pathways have been shown to correlate with substituent effects in 4,4'- and 5,5'-substituted bipyridine complexes in a manner consistent with the formation of a reactive OH-adduct intermediate in one of the pathways, and the formation of OH-bipyridine adducts during catalytic turnover has been directly confirmed by optical spectroscopy. Finally, a photosensitized system for catalyzed water oxidation has been developed that allows assessment of the catalytic efficiencies of the complex ions under neutral and alkaline conditions; these studies show that the ions are far better catalysts than had previously been assumed based upon reported catalytic parameters obtained with strong oxidants in acidic media.     

Theoretical study of the alpha-cyclodextrin dimer

The molecular structure, stabilization energy, and thermodynamic properties of the plausible modes of the interaction for the three possible alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) dimers (head-to-head, tail-to-tail, and head-to-tail) with a water cluster were obtained using quantum chemical methods for the first time. Nine distinct spatial arrangements were investigated. The head-to-head mode of interaction with water is preferred by more than 10 kcal.mol(-1) (BLYP/6-31G(d,p)//PM3 Gibbs free energy difference value at room temperature) in relation to the next stable structure, with a water dimer structure placed inside each cavity and cyclic water tetramers surrounding each tail end. The inter alpha-CD hydrogen bonds play a major role to stabilize the dimeric structures, with no water tetramer being found between the two alpha-CD subunits for the preferred global minimum structure. Therefore, a theoretical model aimed to describe the behavior of alpha-CD dimer, or their inclusion complexes, in the aqueous media should take into account this preference for binding of the water molecules.     

Water oxidation by a ruthenium complex with noninnocent quinone ligands: possible formation of an O-O bond at a low oxidation state of the metal

Tanaka and co-workers reported a novel dinuclear Ru complex, [Ru2(OH)2(3,6-Bu2Q)2(btpyan)](SbF6)2 (3,6-Bu2Q = 3,6-di tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone, btpyan = 1,8-bis(2,2':6',2'-terpyrid-4'-yl)anthracene), that contains redox active quinone ligands and has an excellent electrocatalytic activity for water oxidation when immobilized on an indium-tin-oxide electrode (Inorg. Chem., 2001, 40, 329-337). The novel features of the dinuclear and related mononuclear Ru species with quinone ligands, and comparison of their properties to those of the Ru analogues with the bpy ligand (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) replacing quinone, are summarized here together with new theoretical and experimental results that show striking features for both the dinuclear and mononuclear species. The identity and oxidation state of key mononuclear species, including the previously reported oxyl radical, have been reassigned. Our gas-phase theoretical calculations indicate that the Tanaka Ru-dinuclear catalyst seems to maintain predominantly Ru(II) centers while the quinone ligands and water moiety are involved in redox reactions throughout the entire catalytic cycle for water oxidation. Our theoretical study identifies [Ru2(O2(-))(Q(-1.5))2(btpyan)](0) as a key intermediate and the most reduced catalyst species that is formed by removal of all four protons before four-electron oxidation takes place. While our study toward understanding the complicated electronic and geometric structures of possible intermediates in the catalytic cycle is still in progress, the current status and new directions for kinetic and mechanistic investigations, and key issues and challenges in water oxidation with the Tanaka catalyst (and its analogues with Cl(-) or NO(2-)substituted quinones and a species with a xanthene bridge instead an antheracene) are discussed.     

Theoretical study of the polarized infrared spectra of the hydrogen bond in 2‐furoic acid crystal dimer

This work presents a theoretical simulation of ν_{O? H} and ν_{O? D} band shapes in the polarized infrared spectra of 2‐furoic acid dimer crystals measured at liquid‐nitrogen temperature. The line shapes are studied theoretically within the framework of the anharmonic couplings between low‐frequency hydrogen‐bond vibrations and degenerate excited states of high‐frequency hydrogen vibrations in hydrogen‐bonded dimers and the anharmonic coupling between the first excited state of the fast mode and the harmonics or band combinations of some low‐frequency bending modes, which lead to Fermi resonances.This approach takes into account the adiabatic approximation, the intrinsic anharmonicity of the low‐frequency mode through a Morse potential, Davydov coupling triggered by resonance exchange between the excited states of the fast modes of the two hydrogen bonds involved in the cyclic dimer, and the direct and indirect damping of the fast‐stretching modes of the hydrogen bonds and of the bending modes. The infrared spectral density was calculated within the linear response theory by Fourier transform of the autocorrelation function of the transition dipole moment operator of the fast mode. Numerical results show that mixing of all these effects allows satisfactory reproduction of the main features of the experimental IR line shapes of crystalline H‐ and D‐bonded 2‐furoic acid at liquid‐nitrogen temperature and for different polarizations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Generation of sulfate radicals by supported ruthenium catalyst for phenol oxidation in water

In this study we report the preparation of RuO₂/Fe₃O₄@nSiO₂@mSiO₂ core–shell powder mesoporous catalyst for heterogeneous oxidation of phenol by peroxymonosulfate (PMS) as oxidant. The properties of this supported catalyst were characterized by SEM–EDS (scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), XRD (powder X-ray diffraction), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption. It is found that using ruthenium oxide-based catalyst is highly effective in activating PMS for related sulfate radicals. The effects of catalyst loading, phenol concentration, PMS concentration, reaction temperature, and reusability of the as-prepared catalyst on phenol degradation were investigated. In RuO₂/Fe₃O₄@nSiO₂@mSiO₂ mesoporous catalyst, Oxone (PMS) was effectively activated and 100 % phenol degradation occurred in 40 min. The magnetic RuO₂/Fe₃O₄@nSiO₂@mSiO₂ catalyst was facility separated from the solution by an external magnetic field. To regenerate the deactivated catalyst and improve its catalytic properties, three different methods involving annealing in air, washing with water, and applying ultrasonics were used. The catalyst was recovered thoroughly by heat treatment.     

Benzylic intermolecular carbon-carbon bond formation by selective anodic oxidation of dithioacetals

[reaction: see text]. Novel anodic intermolecular carbon-carbon bond formation has been accomplished by the oxidative carbon-sulfur bond fission of benzylic dithioacetals to give a wide variety of aromatic compounds. The substitution reaction successfully took place by the selective anodic oxidation of a sulfur atom of a dithioacetal. Stepwise double-substitution reactions were also achieved by the regulation of oxidation potential.     

Time-resolved study of thymine dimer formation

The formation of thymine dimers in the single-stranded oligonucleotide, (dT)20, is studied at room temperature by laser flash photolysis using 266 nm excitation. It is shown that the (6-4) adduct is formed within 4 ms via a reactive intermediate. The formation of cyclobutane dimers is faster than 200 ns. The overall quantum yield for the (6-4) formation is (3.7 +/- 0.3) x 10-3, and that of the cyclobutane dimers is (2.8 +/- 0.2) x 10-2. No triplet absorption is detected, showing that either the intersystem crossing yield decreases by 1 order of magnitude upon oligomerization (<1.4 x 10-3) or the triplet state reacts with unit efficiency in less than 200 ns to yield cyclobutane dimers.     

Theoretical studies of O-O bond formation in photosystem II

The most critical part of dioxygen evolution in photosystem II is the O-O bond formation step. In order to reach an efficient mechanism, nature uses a unique oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) having four manganese and one calcium center. Even though the structure of the OEC has become much more clear during recent years, it has still been difficult to find a transition state (TS) for O-O bond formation with a sufficiently low barrier. However, about a year ago, a quite surprising type of TS was found. With the latest X-ray ligand assignment, the local barrier for this TS is only 5.1 kcal/mol. It can be described as an attack by an oxygen radical, held by a dangling manganese, on a bridging oxo ligand in the Mn3Ca cube. In the present short Article, energy diagrams describing the entire process of dioxygen formation will be presented. An important conclusion drawn from these diagrams is that the major features of dioxygen formation remain the same irrespective of which one of the experimentally suggested structures the diagram is built on. Compared to earlier presentations of the same type, a slightly different approach has been used for setting up the diagrams. Results from a recent experimental study of the pressure dependence of oxygen release have been used to define the final energy levels. The loss of energy in the electron transfer from Tyrz to P680 has also been incorporated into the diagrams. A good agreement with experimental observations is demonstrated.     

Proton-induced reactivities of ruthenium azido complexes: the first example of boron-carbon bond formation by methylene insertion into a B-H bond

Whereas the reaction of Tp(PhCN)(PPh(3))Ru-N(3) {Tp = HB(pz)(3), pz = pyrazolyl} with CH(3)I in CH(2)Cl(2) led to the cationic ruthenium methyleneimine complex [Tp(PPh(3))(PhCN)Ru(NH=CH(2))]I, the analogous reaction with HCl gave rise to the ruthenium chloride complex containing a methyl tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand (Me)Tp(PPh(3))(PhCN)RuCl, as a result of the highly unusual methylene insertion into a B-H bond of the Tp ligand.     

Theoretical study of helical structure caused by chirality of cysteine dimer

In this work we report a theoretical study of the helix structure and chiral discrimination on the interactions between the chiral cysteine–cysteine. Two reasonable geometries on the potential energy hypersurface of the cysteine–cysteine system are considered with the global minimum. Accurate geometric structures, relative stabilities, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and infrared (IR) intensities were investigated. To take into account the water solvation effect, the Onsager model within the self‐consistent reaction field (SCRF) method and the polarized continuum (PCM) method were used to evaluate the interaction energy, ΔG_solv at the same level employed in the gas phase. The results indicate that the polarity of the solvent plays an important role in the structures and relative stabilities of different isomers. Computational results indicate that the global minimum should be conformer I regardless of whether in the gas phase or in aqueous solution, which differs from previous theoretical reports. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Theoretical study on the oxidation mechanism of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide with water and hydroxyl assistance

This article presents a theoretical study on the oxidation reaction of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide in water or alkaline solutions using density functional and ab initio theories. This work also focuses on the analysis of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the predicted oxidation mechanism of thiourea using density functional and ab initio theories. The calculated results show that the activation energies, activation enthalpies, and activation Gibbs free energies of the reaction decreased and the releasable reaction energies, enthalpies and Gibbs free energies increased with the cooperation of water or hydroxyl anion. We conclude that the oxidation reaction of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide in water or alkaline solutions was easier and more completed than that in the gas state. The calculated results are consistent with the experiments.