Remote amino acid recognition enables effective hydrogen peroxide activation at a manganese oxidation catalyst

Precise delivery of a proton plays a key role in O2 activation at iron oxygenases, enabling the crucial O−O cleavage step that generates the oxidizing high-valent metal–oxo species. Such a proton is delivered by acidic residues that may either directly bind the iron center or lie in its second coordination sphere. Herein, a supramolecular strategy for enzyme-like H2O2 activation at a biologically inspired manganese catalyst, with a nearly stoichiometric amount (1–1.5 equiv) of a carboxylic acid is disclosed. Key for this strategy is the incorporation of an α,ω-amino acid in the second coordination sphere of a chiral catalyst via remote ammonium-crown ether recognition. The properly positioned carboxylic acid function enables effective activation of hydrogen peroxide, leading to catalytic asymmetric epoxidation. Modulation of both amino acid and catalyst structure can tune the efficiency and the enantioselectivity of the reaction, and a study on the oxidative degradation pathway of the system is presented.