Homogeneous Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrate by an Iron Complex in Water
An iron complex of the macrocyclic pyridine-(diimine) ligand 2,13-dimethyl-3,6,9,12,18-pentaazabicyclo[12.3.1]-octadeca-1(18),2,12,14,16-pentaene (<b>FeN</b> <sub><b>5</b></sub> <b>H</b> <sub><b>2</b></sub> ) is demonstrated as a homogeneous electrocatalyst in a system with a mercury working electrode for multielectron nitrate reduction in buffered water near neutral pH. At -1.4 V vs Ag/AgCl (1 M KCl), the primary products detected are hydroxylamine (15% Faradaic efficiency) and ammonium (40% Faradaic efficiency), along with small quantities of nitrous oxide. MOPS (3-(<i>N</i>-morpholino)-propanesulfonic acid) buffer is shown to enhance activity unless present at high concentrations.
Authors
- Kara L. Bren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8082-3634)
- Sanjukta Bandyopadhyay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0197-1293)
- Jesse R. Stroka
- William W. Brennessel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5461-1825)
- María Fernanda Lizarazo
- Kaye L. Kuphal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2527-7535)
Institutions
- University of Rochester (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JACS Au
- Published
- 2025-07-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00361
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.39
Funders
- Division of Chemistry