An Elusive  Intermediate Uncovered in the Pathway for Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction by Ruthenium Polypyridyl Catalyst - Combined Spectroscopic and Computational Investigation

• A scrutinous study of the catalytic cycle for electrochemical CO2 reduction by the ruthenium 2,2:6,2-terpyridine (tpy) 2,2-bipyridine (bpy) class of catalysts is presented. An unprecedented 2-(C,O)-carboxycarboxylatoruthenium(II) metalacyclic intermediate, critical for C-O bond dissociation at low overpotentials, so far precluded from mechanistic considerations of polypyridyl transition metal complex catalysts, is unearthed by infra-red spectroscopy coupled to controlled potential electrolysis in corroboration with density functional theory (DFT) investigations. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses of the intermediate reveal the important role of the structural flexibility of polypyridyl ligands and fine electronic tunability of the metal center, along with kinetic trans effect, in propelling catalysis at lower overpotentials. The choice of metal center, Ru in the present case, points to the fact that the requirement of an additional Lewis acid to enhance C-O bond dissociation, hence increase the catalytic rate or turnover, can be circumvented.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Organisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Organic Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)