title: Fragments of layered manganese oxide are the real water oxidation catalyst after transformation of molecular precursor on clay.
abstract: A binuclear manganese molecular complex [(OH2)(terpy)Mn(μ-O)2Mn(terpy)(OH2)](3+) (1) is the most prominent structural and functional model of the water-oxidizing Mn complex operating in plants and cyanobacteria. Supported on montmorillonite clay and using Ce(IV) as a chemical oxidant, 1 has been reported to be one of the best Mn-based molecular catalysts toward water oxidation. By X-ray absorption spectroscopy and kinetic analysis of the oxygen evolution reaction, we show that [(OH2)(terpy)Mn(μ-O)2Mn(terpy)(OH2)](3+) is transformed into layered type Mn-oxide particles which are the actual water oxidation catalyst.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Center of Climate Change and Global Warming, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) , Zanjan, 45137-66731 Iran.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Najafpour
authors.forename: Atefeh N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dau
authors.forename: Ivelina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zaharieva