Discovery of high-spin manganese centers sheds light on photosynthesis

In a small manganese oxide cluster, teams from HZB and HU Berlin have discovered a particularly exciting compound: two high-spin manganese centers in two very different oxidation states. This complex is the simplest model of a catalyst that occurs as a slightly larger cluster in natural photosynthesis, where it enables the formation of molecular oxygen. The discovery is considered an important step towards a complete understanding of photosynthesis.