ABSTRACT
ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CO2 BY BINUCLEAR Co AND Ni COMPLEXES
A. Mackor, T.P.M. Koster
TNO Institutes, P.O. Box 108, NL-3700 AC Zeist
and
J.P. Collin, A. Jouaiti and J.P. Sauvage
Institut de Chimie, CNRS/Universite
B.P. 296R8, F-67008 Strasbourg
ABSTRACT
Several bis(metal) complexes of biscyclam 2 (Me=Co,Ni) were prepared by Fabbrizzi's method and they were electrochemically characterised,
using a rotating ring-disk electrode. It was confirmed that these
complexes have no special advantage for the electrocatalytic
reduction of CO2. A second class of binuclear metal complexes was
prepared, using 2,5-diformylfuran as a starting material. They were
found to decompose at the electrode. Thereupon the research was
continued with the mononuclear tetraazamacrocyclic complexes of Co
and Ni, as used before, now in completely dry solvent. The complexes
were found to be stable at the electrode only when traces of water
were present. Finally, some Rh and Ir complexes with (substituted) diphos ligands were prepared and characterised, following a report
on Rh(diphos)2 by Slater et al. The electron-withdrawing
substituent -CF3 was found to lower the reduction potential for CO2.
INTRODUCTION
