WATER CLEAVAGE BY SOLAR-RADIATION - AN INSPIRING CHALLENGE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH

Solar energy exploitation by photosynthetic water cleavage is of central relevance for the development and sustenance of all higher forms of living matter in the biosphere. The key steps of this process take place within an integral protein complex referred to as Photosystem II (PS II) which is anisotropically incorporated into the thylakoid membrane. This minireview concentrates on mechanistic questions related to i) the generation of strongly oxidizing equivalents (holes) at a special chlorophyll alpha complex (designated as P680) and ii) the cooperative reaction of four holes with two water molecules at a manganese containing unit WOC (water oxidizing complex) resulting in the release of molecular oxygen and four protons. The classical work of Pierre Joliot and Bessel Kok and their coworkers revealed that water oxidation occurs via a sequence of univalent oxidation steps including intermediary redox states S-i (i = number of accumulated holes within the WOC). Based on our current stage of knowledge, an attempt is made a) to identify the nature of the redox states S-i, b) to describe the structural arrangement of the (four) manganese centers and their presumed coordination and ligation within the protein matrix, and c) to propose a mechanism of photosynthetic water oxidation with special emphasis on the key step, i.e. oxygen-oxygen bond formation. It is assumed that there exists a dynamic equilibrium in S-3 with one state attaining the nuclear geometry and electronic configuration of a complexed peroxide. This state is postulated to undergo direct oxidation to complexed dioxygen by univalent electron abstraction with Y-Z(ox) and simultaneous internal ligand to metal charge transfer. Key questions on the mechanism will be raised. The still fragmentary answers to these questions not only reflect our limited knowledge but also illustrate the challenges for future research.