Heterogeneous water oxidation by bidentate Schiff base manganese complexes in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate

Oxygen evolution was observed upon mixing solid manganese(III) bidentate Schiff base complexes with aqueous solutions of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate. However, oxygen evolution was not observed upon mixing solutions of the complexes (in acetonitrile) with Ce(IV). Electron-withdrawing substituents on the Schiff base ligands (NO2, Br) enhanced the reactivity of the manganese complexes toward oxygen evolution. Oxygen evolution was also affected by R groups on the ligands, in the order Me > Et a parts per thousand << Bz.