title: Efficient molecular ruthenium catalysts containing anionic ligands for water oxidation.
abstract: Two new mononuclear Ru complexes RuII(bipa)(pic)3(1; H2bipa = 6-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)picolinic acid, pic = 4-picoline) and RuII(pbic)(pic)3(2; H2pbic = 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-7-carboxylic acid, pic = 4-picoline) based on anionic ligands were successfully synthesized, and characterized using NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. These catalysts showed high activities and stabilities in water oxidation in homogeneous systems with a high turnover number of 2100 and a turnover frequency of 0.21 s-1for complex 1. The O-O band formation mechanism involved water nucleophilic attack. An active catalytic intermediate, i.e., RuIV-OH, was detected using high-resolution mass spectrometry.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Institute of Artificial Photosynthesis, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Center on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology (DUT), Dalian 116024, China. dr.gaoyan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhongkai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Institute of Artificial Photosynthesis, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Center on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology (DUT), Dalian 116024, China. dr.gaoyan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Institute of Artificial Photosynthesis, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Center on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology (DUT), Dalian 116024, China. dr.gaoyan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Institute of Artificial Photosynthesis, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Center on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology (DUT), Dalian 116024, China. dr.gaoyan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lifang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Institute of Artificial Photosynthesis, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Center on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology (DUT), Dalian 116024, China. dr.gaoyan@dlut.edu.cn and Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Licheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun