LAUSR

Abstract Manganese(III)-peroxo complexes are invoked as key intermediates in the enzymatic cycles of Mn-containing enzymes, and the synthesis of reactive manganese(III)-peroxo complexes with rationally designed ligand has been of great interest in the communities of bioinorganic and biomimetic chemistry. Herein, we designed a novel pentadentate aminobenzimidazole ligand and obtained its manganese(II) complex, which was successfully applied in the synthesis of a reactive manganese(III)-peroxo complex by treatment with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of triethylamine. The manganese(III)-peroxo complex was well characterized with various spectroscopic techniques, including ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry, coldspray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CSI-TOF MS), and continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW-EPR) spectroscopy. Besides, its reactivity in aldehyde deformylation was investigated, demonstrating second-order kinetics in the reaction with 2-phenylpropionaldehyde and affording acetophenone as the sole product.