Exploring Mn–O bonding in the context of an electronically flexible secondary coordination sphere: synthesis of a Mn(iii)–oxo

Abstract

Complexes containing manganese–oxygen bonds have been implicated in a variety of biological and synthetic processes. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a family of stable, high-spin trigonal bipyramidal manganese complexes of the electronically flexible ligand tris(5-cyclohexylimino-pyrrol-2-ylmethyl)amine [H₃N(pi^Cy)₃] featuring apical water, hydroxyl, and oxo ligands. Terminal Mn^III–O complexes are rare and the formation of this species was achieved from a variety of reagents including O₂, PhIO and NO₂⁻. Described herein is the preparation, structural and electronic properties of these manganese complexes.