Chemical and photochemical water oxidation catalyzed by mononuclear ruthenium complexes with a negatively charged tridentate ligand.

Two mononuclear ruthenium complexes [RuL(pic)3] (1) and [RuL(bpy)(pic)] (2) (H2L = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, pic = 4-picoline, bpy =2,2'-bipyridine) have been synthesized and fully characterized. Both complexes could promote water oxidation chemically and photochemically. Compared with other known ruthenium-based water oxidation catalysts using [Ce(NH4)2(NO3)6] (Ce(IV)) as the oxidant in solution at pH 1.0, complex 1 is one of the most active catalysts yet reported with an initial rate of 0.23 turnover s(-1). Under acidic conditions, the equatorial 4-picoline in complex 1 dissociates first. In addition, ligand exchange in 1 occurs when the Ru(III) state is reached. Based on the above observations and MS measurements of the intermediates during water oxidation by 1 using Ce(IV) as oxidant, RuL(pic)2(H2O) is proposed as the real water oxidation catalyst.