Computational studies on electron and proton transfer in phenol‐imidazole‐base triads

The electron and proton transfer in phenol‐imidazole‐base systems (base = NH₂^? or OH^?) were investigated by density‐functional theory calculations. In particular, the role of bridge imidazole on the electron and proton transfer was discussed in comparison with the phenol‐base systems (base = imidazole, H₂O, NH₃, OH^?, and NH₂^?). In the gas phase phenol‐imidazole‐base system, the hydrogen bonding between the phenol and the imidazole is classified as short strong hydrogen bonding, whereas that between the imidazole and the base is a conventional hydrogen bonding. The n value in spⁿ hybridization of the oxygen and carbon atoms of the phenolic CO sigma bond was found to be closely related to the CO bond length. From the potential energy surfaces without and with zero point energy correction, it can be concluded that the separated electron and proton transfer mechanism is suitable for the gas‐phase phenol‐imidazole‐base triads, in which the low‐barrier hydrogen bond is found and the delocalized phenolic proton can move freely in the single‐well potential. For the gas‐phase oxidized systems and all of the triads in water solvent, the homogeneous proton‐coupled electron transfer mechanism prevails. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Lewis Acid Coupled Electron Transfer of Metal–Oxygen Intermediates

Redox‐inactive metal ions and Brønsted acids that function as Lewis acids play pivotal roles in modulating the redox reactivity of metal–oxygen intermediates, such as metal–oxo and metal–peroxo complexes. The mechanisms of the oxidative C?H bond cleavage of toluene derivatives, sulfoxidation of thioanisole derivatives, and epoxidation of styrene derivatives by mononuclear nonheme iron(IV)–oxo complexes in the presence of triflic acid (HOTf) and Sc(OTf)₃ have been unified as rate‐determining electron transfer coupled with binding of Lewis acids (HOTf and Sc(OTf)₃) by iron(III)–oxo complexes. All logarithms of the observed second‐order rate constants of Lewis acid‐promoted oxidative C?H bond cleavage, sulfoxidation, and epoxidation reactions of iron(IV)–oxo complexes exhibit remarkably unified correlations with the driving forces of proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) and metal ion‐coupled electron transfer (MCET) in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer when the differences in the formation constants of precursor complexes were taken into account. The binding of HOTf and Sc(OTf)₃ to the metal–oxo moiety has been confirmed for Mn^IV–oxo complexes. The enhancement of the electron‐transfer reactivity of metal–oxo complexes by binding of Lewis acids increases with increasing the Lewis acidity of redox‐inactive metal ions. Metal ions can also bind to mononuclear nonheme iron(III)–peroxo complexes, resulting in acceleration of the electron‐transfer reduction but deceleration of the electron‐transfer oxidation. Such a control on the reactivity of metal–oxygen intermediates by binding of Lewis acids provides valuable insight into the role of Ca²⁺ in the oxidation of water to dioxygen by the oxygen‐evolving complex in photosystem II.     

Dioxygen Activation of a Trinuclear CuICuICuI Cluster Capable of Mediating Facile Oxidation of Organic Substrates: Competition between O‐Atom Transfer and Abortive Intercomplex Reduction

The dioxygen activation of a series of Cu^ICu^ICu^I complexes based on the ligands ( L ) 3,3′‐(1,4‐diazepane‐ 1,4‐diyl)bis(1‐{[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl](methyl)amino}propan‐2‐ol) ( 7‐Me ) or 3,3′‐(1,4‐diazepane‐1,4‐diyl)bis(1‐{[2‐(diethylamino)ethyl](ethyl)amino}propan‐2‐ol) ( 7‐Et ) forms an intermediate capable of mediating facile O‐atom transfer to simple organic substrates at room temperature. To elucidate the dioxygen chemistry, we have examined the reactions of 7‐Me , 7‐Et , and 3,3′‐(1,4‐diazepane‐1,4‐diyl)bis[1‐(4‐methylpiperazin‐1‐yl)propan‐2‐ol] ( 7‐N‐Meppz ) with dioxygen at ?80, ?55, and ?35 °C in propionitrile (EtCN) by UV‐visible, 77 K EPR, and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, and 7‐N‐Meppz and 7‐Me with dioxygen at room temperature in acetonitrile (MeCN) by diode array spectrophotometry. At both ?80 and ?55 °C, the mixing of the starting [Cu^ICu^ICu^I( L )]¹⁺ complex ( 1 ) with O₂‐saturated propionitrile (EtCN) led to a bright green solution consisting of two paramagnetic species: the green dioxygen adduct [Cu^IICu^II(μ‐η²:η²‐peroxo)Cu^II( L )]²⁺ ( 2 ) and the blue [Cu^IICu^II(μ‐O)Cu^II( L )]²⁺ species ( 3 ). These observations are consistent with the initial formation of [Cu^IICu^II(μ‐O)₂Cu^III( L )]¹⁺ ( 4 ), followed by rapid abortion of this highly reactive species by intercluster electron transfer from a second molecule of complex 1 to give the blue species 3 and subsequent oxygenation of the partially oxidized [Cu^IICu^ICu^I( L )]²⁺ ( 5 ) to form the green dioxygen adduct 2 . Assignment of 2 to [Cu^IICu^II(μ‐η²:η²‐peroxo)Cu^II( L )]²⁺ is consistent with its reactivity with water to give H₂O₂ and the blue species 3 , as well as its propensity to be photoreduced in the X‐ray beam during X‐ray absorption experiments at room temperature. In light of these observations, the development of an oxidation catalyst based on the tricopper system requires consideration of the following design criteria: 1) rapid dioxygen chemistry; 2) facile O‐atom transfer from the activated cluster to substrate; and 3) a suitable reductant to rapidly regenerate complex 1 to accomplish efficient catalytic turnover.     

Formation of the iron-oxo hydroxylating species in the catalytic cycle of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases

The first part of the catalytic cycle of the pterin‐dependent, dioxygen‐using nonheme‐iron aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, leading to the Fe^IV?O hydroxylating intermediate, has been investigated by means of density functional theory. The starting structure in the present investigation is the water‐free Fe? O₂ complex cluster model that represents the catalytically competent form of the enzymes. A model for this structure was obtained in a previous study of water‐ligand dissociation from the hexacoordinate model complex of the X‐ray crystal structure of the catalytic domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase in complex with the cofactor (6R)‐L ‐erythro‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄) (PAH‐Fe^II‐BH₄). The O? O bond rupture and two‐electron oxidation of the cofactor are found to take place via a Fe‐O‐O‐BH₄ bridge structure that is formed in consecutive radical reactions involving a superoxide ion, O₂^?. The overall effective free‐energy barrier to formation of the Fe^IV?O species is calculated to be 13.9 kcal mol^?1, less than 2 kcal mol^?1 lower than that derived from experiment. The rate‐limiting step is associated with a one‐electron transfer from the cofactor to dioxygen, whereas the spin inversion needed to arrive at the quintet state in which the O? O bond cleavage is finalized, essentially proceeds without activation.     

Ru–bis(pyridine)pyrazolate (bpp)‐Based Water‐Oxidation Catalysts Anchored on TiO2: The Importance of the Nature and Position of the Anchoring Group

Three distinct functionalisation strategies have been applied to the in,in‐[{Ru^II(trpy)}₂(μ‐bpp)(H₂O)₂]³⁺ (trpy=2,2′:6′,2′′‐terpyridine, bpp=bis(pyridine)pyrazolate) water‐oxidation catalyst framework to form new derivatives that can adsorb onto titania substrates. Modifications included the addition of sulfonate, carboxylate, and phosphonate anchoring groups to the terpyridine and bis(pyridyl)pyrazolate ligands. The complexes were characterised in solution by using 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis and electrochemical techniques. The complexes were then anchored on TiO₂‐coated fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) films, and the reactivity of these new materials as water‐oxidation catalysts was tested electrochemically through controlled‐potential electrolysis (CPE) with oxygen evolution detected by headspace analysis with a Clark electrode. The results obtained highlight the importance of the catalyst orientation with respect to the titania surface in regard to its capacity to catalytically oxidize water to dioxygen.     

A Dendritic Nanostructured Copper Oxide Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

To use water as the source of electrons for proton or CO₂ reduction within electrocatalytic devices, catalysts are required for facilitating the proton‐coupled multi‐electron oxygen evolution reaction (OER, 2 H₂O→O₂+4 H⁺+4 e⁻). These catalysts, ideally based on cheap and earth abundant metals, have to display high activity at low overpotential and good stability and selectivity. While numerous examples of Co, Mn, and Ni catalysts were recently reported for water oxidation, only few examples were reported using copper, despite promising efficiencies. A rationally designed nanostructured copper/copper oxide electrocatalyst for OER is presented. This material derives from conductive copper foam passivated by a copper oxide layer and further nanostructured by electrodeposition of CuO nanoparticles. The generated electrodes are highly efficient for catalyzing selective water oxidation to dioxygen with an overpotential of 290 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in 1 m NaOH solution.     

A Z‐Scheme‐Inspired Photobioelectrochemical H2O/O2 Cell with a 1 V Open‐Circuit Voltage Combining Photosystem II and PbS Quantum Dots

A biohybrid photobioanode mimicking the Z‐scheme has been developed by functional integration of photosystem II (PSII) and PbS quantum dots (QDs) within an inverse opal TiO₂ architecture giving rise to a rather negative water oxidation potential of about ?0.55 V vs. Ag/AgCl, 1 m KCl at neutral pH. The electrical linkage between both light‐sensitive entities has been established through an Os‐complex‐modified redox polymer (P_Os), which allows the formation of a multi‐step electron‐transfer chain under illumination starting with the photo‐activated water oxidation at PSII followed by an electron transfer from PSII through P_Os to the photo‐excited QDs and finally to the TiO₂ electrode. The photobioanode was coupled to a novel, transparent, inverse‐opal ATO cathode modified with an O₂‐reducing bilirubin oxidase for the construction of a H₂O/O₂ photobioelectrochemical cell reaching a high open‐circuit voltage of about 1 V under illumination.     

A Nickel Dithiolate Water Reduction Catalyst Providing Ligand‐Based Proton‐Coupled Electron‐Transfer Pathways

A nickel pyrazinedithiolate ([Ni(dcpdt)₂]²⁻; dcpdt=5,6‐dicyanopyrazine‐2,3‐dithiolate), bearing a NiS₄ core similar to the active center of [NiFe] hydrogenase, is shown to serve as an efficient molecular catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This catalyst shows effectively low overpotentials for HER (330–400 mV at pH 4–6). Moreover, the turnover number of catalysis reaches 20 000 over the 24 h electrolysis with a high Faradaic efficiency, 92–100 %. The electrochemical and DFT studies reveal that diprotonated one‐electron‐reduced species (i.e., [Ni^II(dcpdt)(dcpdtH₂)]⁻ or [Ni^II(dcpdtH)₂]⁻) forms at pH<6.4 via ligand‐based proton‐coupled electron‐transfer (PCET) pathways, leading to electrocatalytic HER without applying the highly negative potential required to generate low‐valent nickel intermediates. This is the first example of catalysts exhibiting such behavior.     

O−O Bond Formation and Liberation of Dioxygen Mediated by N5‐Coordinate Non‐Heme Iron(IV) Complexes

Formation of the O?O bond is considered the critical step in oxidative water cleavage to produce dioxygen. High‐valent metal complexes with terminal oxo (oxido) ligands are commonly regarded as instrumental for oxygen evolution, but direct experimental evidence is lacking. Herein, we describe the formation of the O?O bond in solution, from non‐heme, N₅‐coordinate oxoiron(IV) species. Oxygen evolution from oxoiron(IV) is instantaneous once meta‐chloroperbenzoic acid is administered in excess. Oxygen‐isotope labeling reveals two sources of dioxygen, pointing to mechanistic branching between HAT (hydrogen atom transfer)‐initiated free‐radical pathways of the peroxides, which are typical of catalase‐like reactivity, and iron‐borne O?O coupling, which is unprecedented for non‐heme/peroxide systems. Interpretation in terms of [Fe^IV(O)] and [Fe^V(O)] being the resting and active principles of the O?O coupling, respectively, concurs with fundamental mechanistic ideas of (electro‐) chemical O?O coupling in water oxidation catalysis (WOC), indicating that central mechanistic motifs of WOC can be mimicked in a catalase/peroxidase setting.     

Unraveling the Mechanism of Water Oxidation Catalyzed by Nonheme Iron Complexes

Density functional theory (DFT) is employed to: 1) propose a viable catalytic cycle consistent with our experimental results for the mechanism of chemically driven (Ce^IV) O₂ generation from water, mediated by nonheme iron complexes; and 2) to unravel the role of the ligand on the nonheme iron catalyst in the water oxidation reaction activity. To this end, the key features of the water oxidation catalytic cycle for the highly active complexes [Fe(OTf)₂(Pytacn)] (Pytacn: 1‐(2′‐pyridylmethyl)‐4,7‐dimethyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane; OTf: CF₃SO₃^?) ( 1 ) and [Fe(OTf)₂(mep)] (mep: N,N′‐bis(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐N,N′‐dimethyl ethane‐1,2‐diamine) ( 2 ) as well as for the catalytically inactive [Fe(OTf)₂(tmc)] (tmc: N,N′,N′′,N′′′‐tetramethylcyclam) ( 3 ) and [Fe(NCCH₃)(^MePy₂CH‐tacn)](OTf)₂ (^MePy₂CH‐tacn: N‐(dipyridin‐2‐yl)methyl)‐N′,N′′‐dimethyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane) ( 4 ) were analyzed. The DFT computed catalytic cycle establishes that the resting state under catalytic conditions is a [Fe^IV(O)(OH₂)(LN₄)]²⁺ species (in which LN₄=Pytacn or mep) and the rate‐determining step is the O?O bond‐formation event. This is nicely supported by the remarkable agreement between the experimental (ΔG^≠=17.6±1.6 kcal mol^?1) and theoretical (ΔG^≠=18.9 kcal mol^?1) activation parameters obtained for complex 1 . The O?O bond formation is performed by an iron(V) intermediate [Fe^V(O)(OH)(LN₄)]²⁺ containing a cis‐Fe^V(O)(OH) unit. Under catalytic conditions (Ce^IV, pH 0.8) the high oxidation state Fe^V is only thermodynamically accessible through a proton‐coupled electron‐transfer (PCET) process from the cis‐[Fe^IV(O)(OH₂)(LN₄)]²⁺ resting state. Formation of the [Fe^V(O)(LN₄)]³⁺ species is thermodynamically inaccessible for complexes 3 and 4 . Our results also show that the cis‐labile coordinative sites in iron complexes have a beneficial key role in the O?O bond‐formation process. This is due to the cis‐OH ligand in the cis‐Fe^V(O)(OH) intermediate that can act as internal base, accepting a proton concomitant to the O?O bond‐formation reaction. Interplay between redox potentials to achieve the high oxidation state (Fe^V?O) and the activation energy barrier for the following O?O bond formation appears to be feasible through manipulation of the coordination environment of the iron site. This control may have a crucial role in the future development of water oxidation catalysts based on iron.     

A Chromium(III)‐Superoxo Complex as a Three‐Electron Oxidant with a Large Tunneling Effect in Multi‐Electron Oxidation of NADH Analogues

Metal‐superoxo species are involved in a variety of enzymatic oxidation reactions, and multi‐electron oxidation of substrates is frequently observed in those enzymatic reactions. A Cr^III‐superoxo complex, [Cr^III(O₂)(TMC)(Cl)]⁺ ( 1 ; TMC=1,4,8,11‐tetramethyl‐1,4,8,11‐tetraazacyclotetradecane), is described that acts as a novel three‐electron oxidant in the oxidation of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) analogues. In the reactions of 1 with NADH analogues, a Cr^IV‐oxo complex, [Cr^IV(O)(TMC)(Cl)]⁺ ( 2 ), is formed by a heterolytic O−O bond cleavage of a putative Cr^II‐hydroperoxo complex, [Cr^II(OOH)(TMC)(Cl)], which is generated by hydride transfer from NADH analogues to 1 . The comparison of the reactivity of NADH analogues with 1 and p ‐chloranil (Cl₄Q) indicates that oxidation of NADH analogues by 1 proceeds by proton‐coupled electron transfer with a very large tunneling effect (for example, with a kinetic isotope effect of 470 at 233 K), followed by rapid electron transfer.     

A Binuclear Iron–Thiolate Catalyst for Electrochemical Hydrogen Production in Aqueous Micellar Solution

The substituted iron–thiolate complex [Fe₂(μ‐bdt)(CO)₄{P(OMe)₃}₂] (bdt=benzenedithiolate) is an active catalyst for electrochemical hydrogen production in aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, with a high apparent rate constant of 4×10⁶ M ^?1 s^?1. The half‐peak potential for catalysis of proton reduction is less negative than ?0.6 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode at pH 3. Voltammetric data are consistent with the rate of electrode reaction controlled by diffusion. A mechanism that begins with the rapid protonation of the iron–thiolate catalyst is proposed. The Faradaic efficiency in diluted HCl solutions is close to 100 %, but the catalytic activity decayed after about twelve turnovers when electrolysis was carried out in the presence of acetic acid.     

Catalytic Water Splitting with an Iridium Carbene Complex: A Theoretical Study

Catalytic water oxidation at Ir (OH)⁺ ( Ir =IrCp*(Me₂NHC), where Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl and Me₂NHC=N,N′‐dimethylimidazolin‐2‐ylidene) can occur through various competing channels. A potential‐energy surface showing these various multichannel reaction pathways provides a picture of how their importance can be influenced by changes in the oxidant potential. In the most favourable calculated mechanism, water oxidation occurs via a pathway that includes four sequential oxidation steps, prior to formation of the O?O bond. The first three oxidation steps are exothermic upon treatment with cerium ammonium nitrate and lead to formation of Ir ^V(?O)(O ^. )⁺, which is calculated to be the most stabile species under these conditions, whereas the fourth oxidation step is the potential‐energy‐determining step. O?O bond formation takes place by coupling of the two oxo ligands along a direct pathway in the rate‐limiting step. Dissociation of dioxygen occurs in two sequential steps, regenerating the starting material Ir (OH)⁺. The calculated mechanism fits well with the experimentally observed rate law: v=k_obs[ Ir ][oxidant]. The calculated effective barrier of 24.6 kcal mol^?1 fits well with the observed turnover frequency of 0.88 s^?1. Under strongly oxidative conditions, O?O bond formation after four sequential oxidation steps is the preferred pathway, whereas under milder conditions O?O bond formation after three sequential oxidation steps becomes competitive.     

Self‐Assembled Amphiphilic Water Oxidation Catalysts: Control of O−O Bond Formation Pathways by Different Aggregation Patterns

The oxidation of water to molecular oxygen is the key step to realize water splitting from both biological and chemical perspective. In an effort to understand how water oxidation occurs on a molecular level, a large number of molecular catalysts have been synthesized to find an easy access to higher oxidation states as well as their capacity to make O?O bond. However, most of them function in a mixture of organic solvent and water and the O?O bond formation pathway is still a subject of intense debate. Herein, we design the first amphiphilic Ru‐bda (H₂bda=2,2′‐bipyridine‐6,6′‐dicarboxylic acid) water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) of formula [Ru^II(bda)(4‐OTEG‐pyridine)₂] ( 1 , OTEG=OCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂OCH₃) and [Ru^II(bda)(PySO₃Na)₂] ( 2 , PySO₃^?=pyridine‐3‐sulfonate), which possess good solubility in water. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), critical aggregation concentration (CAC) experiments and product analysis demonstrate that they enable to self‐assemble in water and form the O?O bond through different routes even though they have the same bda^2? backbone. This work illustrates for the first time that the O?O bond formation pathway can be regulated by the interaction of ancillary ligands at supramolecular level.     

Selective Formation of an FeIVO or an FeIIIOOH Intermediate From Iron(II) and H2O2: Controlled Heterolytic versus Homolytic Oxygen–Oxygen Bond Cleavage by the Second Coordination Sphere

We demonstrate that the devised incorporation of an alkylamine group into the second coordination sphere of an Fe^II complex allows to switch its reactivity with H₂O₂ from the usual formation of Fe^III species towards the selective generation of an Fe^IV‐oxo intermediate. The Fe^IV‐oxo species was characterized by UV/Vis absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Variable‐temperature kinetic analyses point towards a mechanism in which the heterolytic cleavage of the O?O bond is triggered by a proton transfer from the proximal to the distal oxygen atom in the Fe^II‐H₂O₂ complex with the assistance of the pendant amine. DFT studies reveal that this heterolytic cleavage is actually initiated by an homolytic O?O cleavage immediately followed by a proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) that leads to the formation of the Fe^IV‐oxo and release of water through a concerted mechanism.     

Effect of Proton Transfer on Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation by Manganese Phosphates

The effect of proton transfer on water oxidation has hardly been measurably established in heterogeneous electrocatalysts. Herein, two isomorphous manganese phosphates (NH₄MnPO₄ ⋅ H₂O and KMnPO₄ ⋅ H₂O) were designed to form an ideal platform to study the effect of proton transfer on water oxidation. The hydrogen-bonding network in NH₄MnPO₄ ⋅ H₂O has been proven to be solely responsible for its better activity. The differences of the proton transfer kinetics in the two materials indicate a fast proton hopping transfer process with a low activation energy in NH₄MnPO₄ ⋅ H₂O. In addition, the hydrogen-bonding network can effectively promote the proton transfer between adjacent Mn sites and further stabilize the Mn^III−OH intermediates. The faster proton transfer results in a higher proportion of zeroth-order in [H⁺] for OER. Thus, proton transfer-affected electrocatalytic water oxidation has been measurably observed to bring detailed insights into the mechanism of water oxidation.     

[DBU‐H]+ and H2o as effective catalyst form for 2,3‐dihydropyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidin‐4(1H)‐ones: A DFT Study

DFT investigations are carried out to explore the effective catalyst forms of DBU and H₂O and the mechanism for the formation of 2,3‐dihydropyrido[2,3‐d]‐pyrimidin‐4(1H)‐ones. Three main pathways are disclosed under unassisted, water‐catalyzed, DBU and water cocatalyzed conditions, which involves concerted nucleophilic addition and H‐transfer, concerted intramolecular cyclization and H‐transfer, and Dimroth rearrangement to form the product. The results indicated that the DBU and water cocatalyzed pathway is the most favored one as compared to the rest two pathways. The water donates one H to DBU and accepts H from 2‐amino‐nicotinonitrile ( 1 ), forming [DBU‐H]⁺‐H₂O as effective catalyst form in the proton migration transition state rather than [DBU‐H]⁺‐OH^?. The hydrogen bond between [DBU‐H]⁺···H₂O··· 1 ^? decreases the activation barrier of the rate‐determining step. Our calculated results open a new insight for the green catalyst model of DBU‐H₂O. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Catalytic Electron‐Transfer Oxygenation of Substrates with Water as an Oxygen Source Using Manganese Porphyrins

Manganese(V)–oxo–porphyrins are produced by the electron‐transfer oxidation of manganese–porphyrins with tris(2,2′‐bipyridine)ruthenium(III) ([Ru(bpy)₃]³⁺; 2 equiv) in acetonitrile (CH₃CN) containing water. The rate constants of the electron‐transfer oxidation of manganese–porphyrins have been determined and evaluated in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer. Addition of [Ru(bpy)₃]³⁺ to a solution of olefins (styrene and cyclohexene) in CH₃CN containing water in the presence of a catalytic amount of manganese–porphyrins afforded epoxides, diols, and aldehydes efficiently. Epoxides were converted to the corresponding diols by hydrolysis, and were further oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes. The turnover numbers vary significantly depending on the type of manganese–porphyrin used owing to the difference in their oxidation potentials and the steric bulkiness of the ligand. Ethylbenzene was also oxidized to 1‐phenylethanol using manganese–porphyrins as electron‐transfer catalysts. The oxygen source in the substrate oxygenation was confirmed to be water by using ¹⁸O‐labeled water. The rate constant of the reaction of the manganese(V)–oxo species with cyclohexene was determined directly under single‐turnover conditions by monitoring the increase in absorbance attributable to the manganese(III) species produced in the reaction with cyclohexene. It has been shown that the rate‐determining step in the catalytic electron‐transfer oxygenation of cyclohexene is electron transfer from [Ru(bpy)₃]³⁺ to the manganese–porphyrins.     

Supramolecular hydrogen‐bonded networks in cytosinium nicotinate monohydrate and cytosinium isonicotinate cytosine dihydrate

The title compounds are proton‐transfer compounds of cytosine with nicotinic acid [systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium nicotinate monohydrate (cytosinium nicotinate hydrate), C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₆H₄NO₂⁻·H₂O, (I)] and isonicotinic acid [systematic name: 4‐amino‐2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐1‐ium isonicotinate–4‐aminopyrimidin‐2(1H)‐one–water (1/1/2) (cytosinium isonicotinate cytosine dihydrate), C₄H₆N₃O⁺·C₆H₄NO₂⁻·C₄H₅N₃O·2H₂O, (II)]. In (I), the cation and anion are interlinked by N—H...O hydrogen bonding to form a one‐dimensional tape. These tapes are linked through water molecules to form discrete double sheets. In (II), the cytosinium–cytosine base pairs are connected by triple hydrogen bonds, leading to one‐dimensional polymeric ribbons. These ribbons are further interconnected via nicotinate–water and water–water hydrogen bonding, resulting in an overall three‐dimensional network.