Reconstitution of the water-oxidizing complex in manganese-depleted photosystem II preparations using synthetic binuclear Mn(II) and Mn(IV) complexes: production of hydrogen peroxide.

Reconstitution of Mn-depleted PSII particles with synthetic binuclear Mn complexes (one Mn(II)(2) complex and one Mn(IV)(2) complex) was examined. In both cases the electron-transfer rates in the reconstituted systems were found to be up to 75-82% of that measured in native PSII but the oxygen evolution activity remained lower (<5-40%). However, hydrogen peroxide was also produced by the reconstituted samples. These samples therefore represent a new type of reconstituted PSII that generates hydrogen peroxide as the final product in reconstituted PSII centers.