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One of the fundamental processes in nature, the oxidation of water, is catalyzed by a small CaMn3O4⋅MnO cluster located in photosystem II (PS II). Now, the first successful preparation of a series of isolated ligand‐free tetrameric CanMn4−nO4+ (n=0–4) cluster ions is reported, which are employed as structural models for the catalytically active site of PS II. Gas‐phase reactivity experiments with D2O and H218O in an ion trap reveal the facile deprotonation of multiple water molecules via hydroxylation of the cluster oxo bridges for all investigated clusters. However, only the mono‐calcium cluster CaMn3O4+ is observed to oxidize water via elimination of hydrogen peroxide. First‐principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate mechanistic details of the deprotonation and oxidation reactions mediated by CaMn3O4+ as well as the role of calcium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the biological activation and oxidation of water takes place at an inorganic cluster of the stoichiometry CaMn4O5, manganese oxide is one of the materials of choice in the quest for versatile, earth-abundant water splitting catalysts. To probe basic concepts and aid the design of artificial water-splitting molecular catalysts, a hierarchical modeling strategy was employed that explores clusters of increasing complexity, starting from the tetramanganese oxide cluster Mn4O4+ as a molecular model system for catalyzed water activation. First-principles calculations in conjunction with IR spectroscopy provide fundamental insight into the interaction of water with Mn4O4+, one water molecule at a time. All of the investigated complexes Mn4O4(H2O)n+ (n = 1-7) contain deprotonated water with a maximum of four dissociatively bound water molecules, and they exhibit structural fluxionality upon water adsorption, inducing dimensional and structural transformations of the cluster core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]