Fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide by a series of hydroxo complexes of divalent metal ions and the implication for the catalytic role of metal ion in carbonic anhydrase. Synthesis, characterization, and molecular structure of [LM(OH)]n (n = 1 or 2) and LM(.mu.-CO3)ML (M(II) = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn; L = HB(3,5-iso-Pr2pz)3)