In aqueous media (pH 2.5 -6.0), the Mn IV tetramer [Mn 4 (m-O) 6 A C H T U N G T R E N N U N G (bipy) 6 ] 4+ (1 4+ ; bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine) oxidizes both glyoxylic and pyruvic acid to formic and acetic acid, respectively, under formation of CO 2 . Kinetics studies suggest that the species 1 4+ , its oxo-bridge protonated form [1H], the reducing acids (RH) and their conjugate bases (R À ) all take part in the reaction. The oxo-bridge protonated oxidant [1H] 5+ was found to react much faster than 1
4+. Thereby, the gemdiol forms of the a-oxo acids (especially in the case of glyoxylic acid) are the possible reductants. A one-electron/one-proton electroprotic mechanism operates in the rate-determining step.Introduction. , resulting from protonation of the oxo bridges, has important implications in interpreting the changes in magnetic behavior of the OEC upon S-state advancement and changes in configuration. Oxo-bridge protonations also cause a substantial increase in the MnÀMn distance in multinuclear Mn complexes, and an increase in reduction potential [14 -18]. Besides these physical effects, investigations on chemical aspects resulting from oxo-bridge protonation have hardly been studied, expect in a few reports where it was observed that catalase activity of [Mn(salpn)(m-O)] 2 (salpn = 1,3-bis(salicylideneamineto)propane) is inhibited by a single protonation on the oxo-bridge [18], whereas disproportionation of a (Mn III ) 2 complex requires oxo-bridge protonation [19]. It is also of note that oxo-bridge protonation in multinuclear higher-valent Mn complexes sometimes leads to cluster breakup [16] [20], rendering their redox chemistry H