Catalytic Oxygen Evolution from Manganese Complexes with an Oxidation‐Resistant N,N,O‐Donor Ligand

There is great interest in developing Mn water‐splitting catalysts due to their low cost, abundance, and relevance to the oxygen‐evolving complex (OEC). Three ligands with highly donating pyridine alkoxide moieties, including 2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)propan‐2‐ol (pyalkH), 2,2′‐(pyridine‐2,6‐diyl)bis(propan‐2‐ol) (py‐dialkH2), and 2‐[(2,2′‐bipyridin)‐6‐yl]propan‐2‐ol (bipy‐alkH), have been screened with Mn for oxygen‐evolution catalysis. Complexes with the ligand bipy‐alkH were shown to evolve O2 when driven by Oxone (potassium peroxymonosulfate). The catalytic mixture generated from the precursor complex [Mn(bipy‐alkH)Cl2] retained activity in unbuffered solution beyond 160 h.