4184761 - Photoactive complexes of manganese in low oxidation states

Transition metal complexes that can be excited into a charge-separate state with visible light have numerous applications, such as in solar energy conversion, photovoltaics, and more recently as photoredox catalysts. Traditionally, these complexes involve metals such as ruthenium, iridium, or rhenium, which are rare and expensive. Manganese, on the other hand, is the third-most abundant transition metal on earth, cheap, non-toxic, and has several oxidation states available. As such, it is an attractive alternative to develop earth-abundant photoactive coordination complexes.
Our research focuses on complexes of manganese in low oxidation states using polydentate aromatic ligands. In this work, we report the syntheses of these compounds, describe their crystal structures, and use optical spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and computational modelling to interrogate their properties.