With the aim of modeling the arrangement of redox-active and photoactive components along the electron-transferpathway of photosystem II, tetra- to nonanuclear transition metal complexes have been synthesized, comprisingone, two, or three manganese ions, oxidizable phenolates, and tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-type units asphotosensitizers. These model complexes are considered to be mononuclear ([L
nMn](PF
6)
m), dinuclear ([L
1aMn
IV2(
-O)
2](PF
6)
6), or trinuclear ([L
nMn
IIMn
IIMn
IIL
n](PF
6)
12) with respect to the number of manganese centers present.Electronic coupling between the manganese ions is strongly antiferromagnetic in the case of the di(
-oxo)dimanganese compound [L
1aMn
IV2(
-O)
2](PF
6)
6, where the "ligand" [H
2L
1a]
4+ consists of two tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-type units covalentely bound to a bismacrocyclic Me
2dtne backbone to which the manganese ionsare coordinated via an additional phenolate oxygen (Me
2dtne = 1,2-bis(4-methyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononyl)ethane).Weak antiferromagnetic coupling is observed in compounds [L
nMn
IIMn
IIMn
IIL
n](PF
6)
12, where the three metalsare in a linear arrangement (face-sharing octahedral). They are bridged by three phenolate oxygens of each of thedeprotonated "ligands" [H
3L
n]
6+, respectively. Each ligand [H
3L
n]
6+ (
n = 1, 2) consists of a tacn ring with threependent arm phenols which are each bound to a tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-type unit (tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane). In these compounds several electron-transfer steps were detected by electrochemical methodswhich are assigned to different redox processes located at individual electrochemically active components (Mn,Ru, bipyridyl, phenolate). For example, in the "mononuclear" compounds [L
nMn](PF
6)
m (
n = 1 or 2) Mn(II),Mn(III), and Mn(IV) are accessible and three Ru(II) centers are reversibly oxidized to Ru(III), and in addition,the coordinated phenolate can be oxidized to a highly reactive, coordinated phenoxyl radical. In several casesvery slow heterogeneous electron-transfer rates were observed for redox processes involving the manganese centers.