Photosynthetic water oxidation

Photosynthetic water oxidation is essential for sustaining the ecosystem on earth. This process splits water into protons, chemically bound electrons and molecular oxygen. Thereby this reaction is also an important reference for the development of artificial systems for solar-induced production of hydrogen and oxygen from water. This brief article summarizes the current state of knowledge and gives examples for biophysical experiments that are underway at the MPI for Bioinorganic Chemistry in order to fully understand this fascinating reaction.