Water Oxidation Mechanism of Non-heme Iron Complexes

What is it about?

By analyzing the mechanism of water oxidation by two non-heme iron complexes, we show that these complexes serve as homogeneous catalysts under mildly acidic conditions, and that the bulk of the catalytic activity is due to monomeric species.

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Why is it important?

Water oxidation is being actively researched as a necessary component of artificial photosynthetic cells. The non-heme iron catalysts studied were reported several years ago, but the mechanism by which they operate has been the subject of some contention. In order to clarify these catalysts' mechanism, we studied how they operate under mildly acidic conditions.