Water oxidation catalyzed by molecular di- and nonanuclear Fe complexes: importance of a proper ligand framework.

The synthesis of two molecular iron complexes, a dinuclear iron(III,III) complex and a nonanuclear iron complex, based on the di-nucleating ligand 2,2-(2-hydroxy-5-methyl-1,3-phenylene)bis(1H-benzo[d]imidazole-4-carboxylic acid) is described. The two iron complexes were found to drive the oxidation of water by the one-electron oxidant [Ru(bpy)(3)](3+). Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation; Swedish Research Council [621-2013-4872]; Carl Trygger Foundation; DFG (Metal Sites in Biomolecules: Structures, Regulation and Mechanisms) [IRTG 1422]; Swedish Energy Agency