Cs(I) Cation Enhanced Cu(II) Catalysis of Water Oxidation

We report here a new catalytic water oxidation system based on Cu(II) ions and a remarkable countercation effect on the catalysis. In a concentrated fluoride solution at neutral to weakly basic pHs, simple Cu(II) salts are highly active and robust in catalyzing water oxidation homogeneously. F(-) in solution acts as a proton acceptor and an oxidatively robust ligand. F(-) coordination prevents precipitation of Cu(II) as CuF2/Cu(OH)2 and lowers potentials for accessing high-oxidation-state Cu by delocalizing the oxidative charge over F(-) ligands. Significantly, the catalytic current is greatly enhanced in a solution of CsF compared to those of KF and NaF. Although countercations are not directly involved in the catalytic redox cycle, UV-vis and (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance measurements reveal that coordination of F(-) to Cu(II) is dependent on countercations by Coulombic interaction. A less intense interaction between F(-) and well-solvated Cs(+) as compared with Na(+) and K(+) leads to a more intense coordination of F(-) to Cu(II), which accounts for the improved catalytic performance.