Mononuclear Cobalt (II) Schiff Base Antipyrine Complexes for Catalytic CO2 Reduction

Abuse of fossil fuels has led to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations which are responsible for global warming. In order to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, clean alternative energy sources must be developed. Artificial photosynthesis is a promising remedy to this issue as it can be used to generate hydrogen, a clean burning, energy dense fuel through the reduction of protons. Similar strategies can be employed for the reduction of carbon dioxide, which can result in a multitude of value-added chemicals and carbon neutral fuels. The goal of this project is to develop an active and robust molecular catalyst for homogeneous CO2 reduction. A salen ligand has been developed and complexed with iron and cobalt. Both complexes were tested for catalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction reactions.