Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and hydroxylation of Mn(II) complexes with bis(2-pyridylmethyl)benzylamine

Two new Mn(II) complexes of bis(2-pyridylmethyl)benzylamine (bpa) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR and UV-visible spectroscopies, thermal analyses and ES-MS. These complexes are stable in air with the formula of [(pba)2Mn2Cl2(μ-Cl)2] (1) and [(pba)2Mn2(H2O)2(μ-Ac)2] (Ac)2 (2). The spectroscopic titration results show that the complexes could react with H2O2 resulting active oxidants, which could cause the intramolecular aromatic hydroxylation. The hydroxylated ligand (pba-OH) was confirmed by ES-MS and HPLC.