The compound[Mn
2III,IVO
2(bisimMe
2en)
2](ClO
4)
3·H
2O(bisimMe
2en =
N,
N'-dimethyl-
N,
N'-bis(imidazol-4-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine) was synthesized. Itcrystallizes in the monoclinic space group
C2/
cwith
a = 18.139(8) Å,
b = 12.694(5) Å,
c =17.694(8) Å,
= 107.5(6)
,
V =3885(6) Å
3, and
Z = 4. Thecation[Mn
2III,IVO
2(bisimMe
2en)
2]
3+contains a di-manganese di-
-oxo unit. The Mn-Mn axis is a
C2 axis. The Mn-imidazole distances for Mn
III or Mn
IV aredistinct: respectively, 2.208(9) and 2.004(8) Å. Theground state is a
SA=2,
SB=
3/
2,
S=
1/
2>state separated by 420 cm
-1 from the
S =
3/
2 state. The EPR spectrum has beensimulatedwith
A1x,y =160.10
-4 cm
-1,
A1z = 136.10
-4cm
-1,
A2x,y =72.10
-4 cm
-1,
A2z = 71.10
-4cm
-1,
gxy = 1.997,
gz= 1.993. The ESEEM spectrum is reported. The
2Hnuclei corresponding to the exchangeable hydrogen atoms ofimidazole groups in D
2O have been detected at 2.4 MHz at3480 G. In cyclic voltammetry,[Mn
2III,IVO
2(bisimMe
2en)
2]
3+ presents in oxidation two reversiblewaves at 1.04 and 1.40 V (all potentials versus NHE) in strongcontrastwith what has been always observed on otherMn
2III,IVO
2 units, for which onlyone wave in oxidation ([III,IV]
[IV,IV]) is observed. EPR spectroelectrochemistry revealsthe disappearance of the 16 line spectrum of the[III,IV]species on oxidation at 1.24 V. UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry atthis potential confirms the formation of the [IV,IV] dimer. The existence of two waves was related to the presenceof slow equilibrium between two different[III,IV] forms. UV-irradiation of the s
tarting[Mn
2III,IVO
2(bisimMe
2en)
2]
3+complex in an aqueous borate buffer atpH = 10 at 77 K resulted in the formation of an EPR signal that isattributed to an imidazole radical coupled to theMn
III-Mn
IV pair. This signal is unsplitand is understandable in a simple model of two spins
S =
1/
2 in magneticinteraction. It has some analogy with that observed by Boussac etal. (
Nature 1990,
347, 303-306) onthe S
3 stateof the Ca
2+ and Cl
--depletedoxygen-evolving center, although in that case the signal was split.We relate thisdifference to small differences in the magnetic interaction of the twospins
S =
1/
2. ESEEM spectraof the irradiated[Mn
2III,IVO
2(bisimMe
2en)
2]
3+complex are reported for magnetic fields corresponding to the resonanceof the radicalor the metal cluster. These results suggest that the formedimidazole radical stays linked to the metal core despitethe weak magnetic interaction detected. This rises the possibilitythat the S
3 radical in the natural system, is adirectligand to Mn cluster.