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CO2 Hydrogenation to Formate and Methanol as an Alternative to Photo- and Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
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Methanol catalyst deactivation
Catalyst (Oleic Acid) - Pd-C
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Catalytic Partial Oxidation
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Hydrogen Storage 2015
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Corrosion Rev 1
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BNL-108316-2015-JA
CO2 Hydrogenation to Formate and Methanol as an
Alternative to Photo- and Electrochemical CO2
Wan-Hui Wang,a,* Yuichiro Himeda,b,c,* James T. Muckerman,d Gerald F. Manbeck,d
and Etsuko Fujitad,*
School of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin
124221, China.
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba Central 5-1, 1-1-1
Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan.
JST, ACT-C, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan.
Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000, USA.
Email: Chem_wangwh@dlut.edu.cn, himeda.y@aist.go.jp, fujita@bnl.gov
2. Recent developments in CO2 hydrogenation to formate
2.1. Catalysts with phosphine ligands
2.2. Catalysts with pincer ligands.
2.3. Catalysts with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands
2.4. Half-sandwich catalysts with/without proton-responsive ligands
2.4.1. Electronic effects
2.4.2. Second coordination sphere effects
2.4.3. Mechanistic investigations
2.4.4. pH-dependent solubility and catalyst recovery
3. Formic Acid Dehydrogenation with Various Metal Complexes
3.1.1. Organic solvent systems
3.1.2. Aqueous solvent systems
3.2. Catalysts with pincer-type ligands
3.3. Catalysts with bidentate C,N-/N,N-ligands
3.4.2. Pendent-base effect changing RDS of formic acid dehydrogenation
3.4.3. Solution pH changing RDS of formic acid dehydrogenation
3.5. Non-precious metals
4. Interconversion of CO2 and Formic acid
4.2. Reversible H2 storage controlled by temperature or pressure
4.3. Reversible H2 storage controlled by pH
5. Recent developments in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol
5.1. Hydrogenation of formate, carbonate, carbamate, and urea derivatives to MeOH
5.2. Catalytic disproportionation of formic acid to MeOH
5.3. Cascade catalysis of CO2 to MeOH
5.4. Direct hydrogenation of CO2 to MeOH
6. Summary and Future Outlook
acac acetylacetonate
BIH 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole
Bmim 1-butyl-3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene
Bpm 2,2'-bipyrimidine
Bpy 2,2'-bipyridine
Cod 1,5-cyclooctadiene
Cyclam 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane
DBU 1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene
dcpm 1,1-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane
DHPT 4,7-dihydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline
diphos Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2
DMOA dimethyloctylamine
dmpe 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane
dppb 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane
dppe 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane
dppm 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane
EMIM 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
FA Formic acid
HMD 5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,11-diene
H4MPT tetrahydromethanopterin
HER hydrogen evolation reaction
IL ionic liquid
KIE kinetic isotope effect
methallyl (CH2C(CH3)CH2–)
MSA methanesulfonic acid
N-N' pyridinylazolato
NADH reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
NBD norbornadiene
nDHBP n,n′-dihydroxy-2,2′-bipyridine
NHC N-heterocyclic carbene
NP3 tris[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]amine
NTf2 bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide
PC propylene carbonate
PEI polyethyleneimine
Phen 1,10-phenathroline
I2P phenyl-substituted bis(imino)pyridine
PP3 P(CH2CH2PPh2)3
PTA 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane
pz 1-phenylpyrazole
RDS rate-determining step
PNHP HN{CH2CH2(PR2)}2; R = iPr or Cy
SDS sodium dodecylsulfate
TaON N-doped Ta2O5 semiconductor
THBPM 4,4',6,6'-tetrahydroxy-2,2'-bipyrimidine
TMM trimethylenemethane
TOF turnover frequency
TON turnover number
tos p-toluene sulfonate
tppms 3-sulfonatophenyldiphenylphosphine
tppts tris(3-sulfontophenyl)phosphine
tpy 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine
triphos 1,1,1-tris-(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane
Carbon dioxide is one of the end products of combustion, and is not a benign component of
the atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has reached unprecedented levels
and continues to increase owing to an escalating rate of fossil fuel combustion, causing concern
about climate change and rising sea levels.1-6 In view of the inevitable depletion of fossil fuels, a
possible solution to this problem is the recycling of carbon dioxide, possibly captured at its point
of generation, to fuels.5,7-12 Researchers in this field are using solar energy for CO2 activation and
utilization in several ways: (i) so-called artificial photosynthesis using photo-induced electrons;
(ii) bulk electrolysis of a CO2 saturated solution using electricity produced by photovoltaics; (iii)
CO2 hydrogenation using solar-produced H2; and (iv) the thermochemical reaction of metal
oxides at extremely high temperature reached by solar collectors. Since the thermodynamics of
CO2 at high temperature (> 1000 ºC) are quite different from those near room temperature, only
chemistry below 200 ºC is discussed in this review.
The one-electron reduction of CO2 to CO2●− (eq 1) has the standard potential of −1.90 V vs.
NHE,13 and is highly unfavorable owing in part to the geometric rearrangement from linear to
bent. The potentials for proton assisted multi-electron reductions at pH 7 (eqs 2 – 4) are
substantially lower;14-16 however, catalysts are necessary to mediate the multi-proton, multi-
electron reductions when we use methods (i) to (iii) listed above.
CO2 + e− → CO2●− E°′ = −1.90 V (1)
CO2 + 2H+ + 2e− → CO + H2O E°′ = −0.53 V (2)
CO2 + 2H+ + 2e− → HCO2H E°′ = −0.61 V (3)
CO2 + 6H+ + 6e− → CH3OH + H2O E°′ = −0.38 V (4)
Researchers in this field have investigated photochemical and electrochemical CO2 reduction
to CO or formate, even to methanol, using transition metal electrodes, metal complexes,
semiconductors and also organic molecules, and the details of these achievements can be found
in many reviews recently published.14-31 While recent progress in this field is quite remarkable in
photochemical CO2 reduction using semiconductors or heterogeneous systems, most experiments
have not been confirmed using labeled CO2 (i.e., 13CO2) and H2O (i.e., H218O and/or D2O). When
quantum yields of product formation are relatively low, carbon sources in the photochemical
reaction must be carefully investigated. Since CO2 is more stable than any other carbon-
containing contaminants, these systems may be decomposing carbon-containing impurities
attached to the surfaces of the semiconductors leading to an overestimation of the real catalytic
activity. As a case study, Mul and coworkers investigated 13CO2 photoconversion over Cu(I)TiO2
and found significant amounts of CO product implicating surface residues as the source of
CO.32 The photo-Kolbe reaction (CH3CO2H → CH4 + CO2) is catalyzed by TiO2,33,34 and is a
significant source of CH4 during photolysis of TiO2 under CO2 due to the approximately 1 nano-
mol/mg content of acetic acid adsorbed on TiO2 as reported by Ishitani.32,35 Complete removal of
acetic acid and therefore suppression of CH4 production required calcination at 350 °C and
thorough washing with deionized water.
The homogeneous photochemical reduction of CO2 is inherently difficult due to the multi-
electron requirement of reduction limited by single-photon, single-electron-transfer reactions. A
classical approach to photocatalysis employs a catalyst, photosensitizer, and sacrificial reductant
with a low oxidation potential as a substitute for the oxidation of water which must ultimately
complement the production of solar fuels. For example, CO is produced by irradiation of
[Ru(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), [Ni(cyclam)]2+ (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-
tetraazacyclotetradecane) and ascorbic acid in pH 4 aqueous solution.36 In most cases, the
reaction is driven by reductive quenching of the photosensitizer excited state by the electron
donor which is present in large excess (upwards of 25-50% solvent by volume). Transfer of an
electron from the reduced photosensitizer to the catalyst precursor initiates catalysis. It follows
logically that a competent sensitizer/catalyst pair requires stability in a variety of oxidation states
and appropriately aligned redox potentials for favorable electron transfer between the pair.
Further electron transfer steps are inherently difficult to analyze because they likely involve
reactive intermediates, and any such system requires careful control experiments since the
sensitizer itself may decompose and catalyze CO2 reduction.37 Because multi-electron reactions
are needed, researchers have developed creative methods for accumulation of multiple photo-
induced redox equivalents.38 One approach is to use catalysts that can change the formal
oxidation state by 2 such as M(I) to M(III). The detection of key intermediates in photochemical
CO2 reduction is rather difficult. However, using transient UV-vis spectroscopy,
[CoIII(HMD)(CO22–)S]+ (HMD = 5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-
4,11-diene, S = solvent) has been observed in photochemical CO2 reduction in CH3CN/MeOH
(v/v = 4/1) with p-terphenyl as a photosensitizer and trimethylamine as an electron donor.39 It
should be noted that a XANES study clearly indicates that the photo-reduced Co(I) species
donates two electrons to the bound CO2 to facilitate 2-electron reduction of CO2 to CO.40 The
second approach to the multi-electron problem is to choose catalysts that undergo
disproportionation after 1e− reduction while a third approach employs catalysts, such as
[Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl], that react in a 2:1 stoichiometry with CO2 after a single reduction.41
The multicomponent photochemical reduction of CO2 is also limited by the requirement of
bimolecular electron transfer which is diffusion controlled and concentration dependent. Recent
efforts have focused on multinuclear systems in which the sensitizer and catalyst are covalently
linked through a bridging ligand.19,22 Ideally, the supramolecules are designed to minimize the
interaction of the sensitizer and catalyst (which can lead to an inactive system) while promoting
vectorial intramolecular electron transfer. Supramolecular Ru-Re complexes with a Ru
trisdiimine moiety linked to a Re(I)(diimine)(CO)2 catalyst are remarkable examples of this
approach, and current results have shown that by using the more powerful electron donor 1,3-
dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (BIH) instead of the more common 1-
benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide the efficiency, durability and reaction rate are improved
significantly (ΦCO = 0.45, TONCO = 3029, and TOFCO = 35.5 min−1).42 However, we are still far
from a practical system that overcomes numerous limitations including: (i) low turnover numbers
and low turnover frequencies with the more frequently used electron donors such as
triethanolamine or trimethylamine; (ii) product selectivity (i.e., CO, formate, H2, and other minor
products such as methanol and hydrocarbons); (iii) use of precious metal catalysts; (iv) use of
organic solvents and sacrificial reagents; (v) controlling the pH; and (vi) the requirement of
coupling oxidative and reductive half-reactions. Furthermore, it is difficult to compare
photocatalytic results from different laboratories because the efficiencies are dependent on
various factors such as light intensity, light wavelength, catalyst concentration, electron donors,
solvents, proton donors, etc. that are often not the same.16
It should be noted that the photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2 with 70% selectivity for
formate using the so-called Z-scheme was successfully demonstrated by Sato et al.43-45 The
system was constructed using p-type InP modified with a combination of electropolymerized and
covalently bound ruthenium catalysts as the photo-cathode. Anatase TiO2 was the photo-anode,
and the estimated −0.5 V difference between the conduction band of TiO2 and the valance band
of InP was sufficient to drive electron transfer between the two electrodes without application of
an external bias. Under AM1.5 solar simulation, the turnover number for formic acid was 17
after 24 h, and the conversion efficiency determined as the energy content in formic acid relative
to the integrated solar simulation was 0.03-0.04%. While yet inefficient, this is a significant
achievement for combining the reductive and oxidative half-reactions to remove a sacrificial
reagent in aqueous solution while realizing photo-electrochemical CO2 reduction without the
often unavoidable external potential. They confirmed that water and CO2 are the proton donor
and carbon source, respectively, by labeling experiments (i.e., formation of O2, H13CO2– and
DCO2–). In the mechanistic study, the electron transfer rate from N-doped Ta2O5 semiconductor
(i.e., TaON) to the ruthenium catalyst was measured on the ultrafast timescale of 12 ps which
was faster than the internal trapping of charge carriers within the semiconductor (24 ps).45
Ishitani's group constructed an artificial Z-scheme using Ag/TaON with a Ru dinuclear
complex to couple the two-electron reduction of CO2 to formate to the two-electron oxidation of
methanol to formaldehyde in a single vessel without compartmentalizing oxidative and reductive
half reactions (Figure 1).46 This photosystem was designed such that photoexcitation of the
semiconductor and the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ moiety (Ruphoto) of the dinuclear complex was required. The
best turnover number for formate after 9 h was 41, and isotope labeling experiments verified
CH3OH and CO2 as the sources of H13COH and H13COOH, respectively. Consideration of
redox potentials of the TaON conduction band, the Ruphoto (excited and ground states), and the
Ru catalyst (Rucat) led the authors to conclude that electron transfer from TaON to Ruphoto could
occur in the Ruphoto excited state or one-electron oxidized state but not to the ground state. The
Rucat reduction potential of −1.6 V implies electron transfer from the reduced Ruphoto (−1.85V) is
possible, but oxidative quenching of the excited state (−1.3V) is unfavorable.
Figure 1. Z-Scheme for photocatalytic CO2 reduction coupled to methanol oxidation. Reference
46. Copyright 2013 American Chemical Society.
The electrochemical reduction of CO2 overcomes the problem of photo-induced
multielectron transfer reactions since the electrode source is simply a cathode upon which the
applied potential can be adjusted. Recently, dramatic improvements in efficiencies and
overpotentials (the difference between the applied potential of the catalyst and the
thermodynamic reduction potential of CO2 i.e., eqs. 1-4) have been demonstrated by electrode
surface engineering,47-49 the use of electrocatalysts that have second-coordination-sphere
bases,17,21,50,51 and the use of ionic liquids that might directly interact with CO2.52-54 Mechanistic
and kinetic investigations of electrochemical CO2 reduction using molecular catalysts and
organic proton sources, mainly in CH3CN, point toward formation of metallocarboxylate species,
followed by a protonation to form a metallocarboxylic acid (M = Co, Ni, Ru, Re, etc.) as
precursors for CO production while metal formate complexes generated via insertion of CO2 into
a metal hydride bond are suspected precursors to formate. However, the detection of these
intermediates is rather difficult.39,55 Reports on electrochemical CO2 reduction with molecular
catalysts in water are rare since reduction of protons competetes with CO2 reduction and carbon
dioxide solubility is much lower in water compared to organic media. Exceptions are the well-
known Ni-cyclam and related catalysts.56-58 The active catalyst is an adsorbed Ni(I) species on a
mercury pool electrode. Product selectivity is largely a consequence of the pKa of the adsorbed
Ni(III)(H) species being < 2, thereby preventing H2 formation via protonation of the adsorbed
Ni(I) species under experimental conditions (pH 5).21,58
Hydrogen is a clean fuel with a high gravimetric energy density and potentially zero
contribution to the global carbon cycle. Ironically, the reforming of natural gas (primarily
methane) currently used to produce hydrogen on an industrial scale requires harsh temperatures
and emits as much CO2 into the atmosphere as burning the natural gas.59 If hydrogen is to be an
important alternative fuel, its source must be water. Ideally, this could be accomplished by the
electrolysis of water using solar energy as the power source (i.e., photovoltaic electricity) or
direct solar water splitting (i.e., artificial photosynthesis). The details of the achievements on
electrochemical H2 production using both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts can be
found in recent articles and reviews.60-90 For example, our group developed biomass-derived
electrocatalysts (MoxSoy, x = 0.1-1.0 with x being the weight ratio of the Mo precursor to
soybean powder) from soybeans and (NH4)6Mo7O24•4H2O that is a compound of an earth-
abundant metal, molybdenum, with an environmentally benign, straightforward synthesis.71,91
The catalyst Mo1Soy, composed of a catalytic -Mo2C phase and an acid-proof γ-Mo2N phase,
drives the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with remarkably low overpotentials, and is highly
durable in a corrosive acidic solution over a period exceeding 500 hours. When supported on
graphene sheets, the Mo1Soy catalyst exhibits very fast charge transfer kinetics, and its
performance almost reaches that of noble-metal catalysts such as Pt for hydrogen production.
Despite the potential for production of solar-generated hydrogen, the problems of storage and
transport remain. Here we present another approach to solar fuels generation based on CO2
hydrogenation using catalysts for recycling CO2 combined with the use of solar-generated H2. In
our review, we will focus our presentation on the use of molecular catalysts in recent
developments in: (1) CO2 hydrogenation to formate; (2) formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation; (3)
interconversion of CO2 and formic acid; and (4) CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. While formic
acid is not a perfect hydrogen storage medium owing to its relatively small hydrogen content (4.4
wt%), it is currently still one of the best among liquid storage and transport media for H2.92. Also,
formic acid can be used in a formic acid fuel cell,93 or as a substrate for further reduction to a
carbon-based fuel. Compared to FA, methanol has a higher hydrogen density (12.6 wt%) as a
hydrogen storage material. Although currently reversible hydrogen storage using methanol
derived from CO2 is a great challenge,94-96 methanol is a viable fuel which can be used directly in
fuel cells, burned alone, or mixed with gasoline. Research pertaining to CO2 hydrogenation to
methanol is of fundamental importance to the development of a methanol economy.8
The hydrogenation of CO2 primarily produces formic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, and
methane which are all entropically disfavored compared to CO2 and H2 (eqs. 5-7). Therefore,
selection of a proper solvent is important because it affects the entropy difference of reactants
and product via solvation. Although hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid is endergonic in the
gas phase (eq. 5, ΔG°298 = +32.8 kJ mol–1), the reaction is exergonic in the aqueous phase
(ΔG°298 = –4.0 kJ mol–1).97 Another strategy is the use of additives, such as a base (eq. 6) to
improve the enthalpy of CO2 hydrogenation. For the reaction in water, hydroxides, bicarbonates,
and carbonates are commonly used. In organic solvent, amines such as inexpensive Et3N,
amidine, guanidine, or DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene) are utilized. Reaction rates are
often correlated to the strength of the base. Strongly basic Verkade's base (2,8,9-triisopropyl-
2,5,8,9-tetraaza-1-phosphabicyclo[3,3,3]undecane) is highly effective although not inexpensive.
ΔG° = 32.8 kJ mol–1 ΔH° = –31.5 kJ mol–1 ΔS° = –216 J mol–1 K–1
CO2(g) + H2(g) + NH3(aq) HCO2-(aq) + NH4+(aq) (6)
ΔG° = –9.5 kJ mol–1 ΔH° = –84.3 kJ mol–1 ΔS° = –250 J mol–1 K–1
ΔG° = –9.5 kJ mol–1 ΔH° = –131 kJ mol–1 ΔS° = –409 J mol–1 K–1
Furthermore, CO2 hydrogenation in water is complicated owing to the acid/base equilibria of
CO2 in aqueous solutions as shown in eq. 8.98,99 Hydrogenation of bicarbonate into formate is
exergonic and favorable in water (eq. 9) as thermochemical calculations predicted.100 The real
substrate of the hydrogenation should be carefully specified because the
CO2/bicarbonate/carbonate equilibrium is influenced by many factors such as the temperature,
solution pH, and CO2 pressure etc. Despite the term "hydrogenation of CO2" being frequently
used in this review and elsewhere, such reactions in basic aqueous solutions, may involve HCO3
or CO32 as substrates. In some cases "hydrogenation of CO2" can be carried out in a HCO3 or
CO32 solution in the absence of added CO2, but such reactions are not always successful and are
often used as control experiments to prove CO2 as a reaction substrate. Finally, we note that the
"hydrogenation of CO2" is, in fact, the thermal reduction of CO2 by H2, and differs from the
electrochemical (or photo-electrochemical) reduction of CO2 versus the normal hydrogen
electrode only by combining the two half-reactions into an overall net reaction.
While several reviews have been published previously on CO2 hydrogenation to
formate,97,101,102 reversible interconversion of CO2 and formic acid,103,104 and CO2 hydrogenation
to methanol105-107 using homogeneous molecular catalysts, here we describe the remarkable
recent progress toward efficient and selective CO2 hydrogenation using molecular catalysts with
and without bio-inspired ligands. We focus on the rational design of catalysts, and aim at a
fundamental understanding of processes that might lead to a practical scheme for recycling CO2
when combined with the use of solar-generated H2 as an alternative for direct conversion of CO2
by photo-induced electrons and/or protons. We also describe the indispensable interconversion of
formic acid and CO2 in water with the goal of using formic acid as an H2 storage medium or in
formic acid fuel cells. We hope to demonstrate new design principles that greatly improve the
catalytic activity.
Considering that carbon dioxide is an economical, safe, abundant C1 source,108 the
hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid is a promising way to utilize CO2 that not only contributes
to the mitigation of climate change caused by the increase in CO2 emissions, but also provides a
sustainable method for making essential organic chemicals or materials. Homogeneous
hydrogenation of CO2 to formate or formic acid has attracted increasing attention and a number
of reviews have summarized significant progress in the last two decades.97,101,108-111 In this
section we introduce the development of CO2 hydrogenation to formate, and highlight the most
efficient catalytic systems (Table 1).
Table 1. Hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid/formate.a,b
Reac.
P(H2/CO2)
Catalyst precursor Solvent Additive T / °C time / TON TOFc / h−1 Ref.
/ MPa
Phosphine Ligand
RuH2(PPh3)4 C6H6 Et3N/H2O 2.5/2.5 rt 20 87 4 112
Ni(dppe)2 C6H6 Et3N/H2O 2.5/2.5 rt 20 7 0.35 112
Pd(dppe)2 C6H6 Et3N/H2O 2.5/2.5 rt 20 12 0.6 112
RhCl(PPh3)3 DMSO Et3N 2/4 25 20 2500 125 113
[Rh(cod)Cl]2/dppb DMSO Et3N 2/2 rt 22 1150 30-47 114
RhCl(tppts)3 H2O NHMe2 2/2 81 0.5 - 7300 110
RhCl(tppts)3 H2O NHMe2 2/2 rt 12 3440 290 115,110
[RhCl(tppms)3]/tppms H2O HCO2Na 1/1 50 20 120 - 116
RuH2(PMe3)4 scCO2 Et3N 8.5/12 50 - 3700 1400 117
RuCl2(PMe3)4 scCO2 Et3N 8.5/12 50 - 7200 1040 117
Et3N /
RuCl(OAc)(PMe3)4 scCO2 7/12 50 0.33 32,000 95,000 118
C6F5OH
[RuCl2(tppms)2]2 H2O NaHCO3 6/3.5 80 0.03 - 9600 119
[RuCl2(tppms)2]2 H2O NaHCO3 1/0 50 6 180 50 119
RuCl2(PTA)4 H2O NaHCO3 6/0 80 - - 345 120
[RuCl2(C6H6)]/dppm H2O NaHCO3 5/0 130 2 1600 800 121
[RuCl2(C6H6)]/dppm H2O NaHCO3 5/3.5 70 2 2520 1260 121
Fe(BF4)2/PP3 MeOH NaHCO3 6/0 80 20 610 30 122
Co(BF4)2/PP3 MeOH NaHCO3 6/0 120 20 3900 200 123
IrH3(P1) H2O/THF KOH 4/4 200 2 300,000 150,000 124,125
IrH3(P1) H2O/THF KOH 4/4 120 48 3,500,000 73,000 124,125
0.67/0.
FeH2(CO)(P3) H2O/THF NaOH 80 5 790 156 126
IrH3(P2) H2O KOH 2.8/2.8 185 24 348,000 14,500 127
IrH3(P2) H2O KOH 2.8/2.8 125 24 3820 160 127
Ru(PNNP)(CH3CN)(Cl) toluene DBU 70/70 100 4 1880 128
Verkade's
Co(dmpe)2H THF base 21 <1 2000 3400 129
[Rh(PNMeP)2]+ THF base 20/20 21 - 280 920 130
RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3) DMF DBU 2/2 70 2 38,600 - 131
RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3) DMF DBU 3/1 120 1,100,000 132
Ru(P6)CO(H) diglyme K2CO3 3/1 200 48 23,000 2200 133
DBU/
RuCl2(PMe3)4 scCO2 7/10 100 4 7600 1900 134
(N-N)RuCl(PMe3)3 scCO2 7/10 100 4 4800 1200 134
[Rh(cod)(methallyl)2]/ scCO2/
Et3N 5/5 50 20 310 630 135
PBu4tppms EMIM NTf2
[Rh(cod)(methallyl)2]/ scCO2/ Et3N
5/5 50 20 545 1090 135
PBu4tppms EMIM NTf2 /EMIMCl
scCO2/
[Rh(cod)(methallyl)2]/
EMIM HCO2 5/5 50 20 1970 >295 135
PBu4tppms
(flow system)
[RuCl2(P(OMe)3)4] scCO2 7/10 100 4 6630 1660 136
RuCl2(PTA)4 DMSO - 5/5 60 - 750 137
Nitrogen Ligand
K[RuCl(EDTA-H)] H2O - 1.7/8.2 40 0.5 - 3750 138
[Ru(6,6′-Cl2bpy)2-
EtOH Et3N 3/3 150 8 5000 625 139
(OH2)2](CF3SO3)2
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]+ H2O KOH 3/3 120 57 190,000 (42,000) 140
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]+ H2O KOH 0.5/0.5 80 30 11,000 (5100) 141
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]+ H2O NaHCO3 0.05/0.05 25 24 92 (7) 142
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.5/0.5 120 8 12,500 (25,200) 143
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ H2O NaHCO3 0.5/0.5 80 9 9020 (8050) 143
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ H2O NaHCO3 0.05/0.05 25 33 330 (27) 143
[Cp*Ir(3DHBP)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.5/0.5 50 1 0.30 0.30 144
[Cp*Ir(5DHBP)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.5/0.5 50 1 1.1 1.1 144
[Cp*Ir(DHPT)Cl]+ H2O KOH 3/3 120 48 222,000 (33,000) 140
[Cp*Ir(DHPT)Cl]+ H2O K2CO3 0.05/0.05 30 30 80 (3.5) 140
[(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.05/0.05 25 336 7200 (65) 142
[(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ H2O KHCO3 2/2 50 8 153,000 (15,700) 142
[(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ H2O KHCO3 2.5/2.5 80 2 79,000 (53,800) 142
[Cp*Ir(N1)(OH2)]+ H2O K2CO3 0.05/0.05 30 15 100 6.8 145
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 1.5/1.5 80 8 34,000 (33,300) 146
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.05/0.05 25 24 190 65 146
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ H2O NaHCO3 0.5/0.5 50 24 28,000 (3060) 146
[Cp*Ir(N8)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.5/0.5 50 1 388 388 147
[Cp*Ir(N10)(OH2)]2+ H2O KHCO3 0.5/0.5 50 1 637 637 147
Carbon Ligand
IrI2(AcO)(bis-NHC) H2O KOH 3/3 200 75 190,000 2500 148
Insignificant digits are rounded. b Abbreviations are the following: diphos = Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2, cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene,
dppb = Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2, tppts = tris(3-sulfontophenyl)phosphine, tppms = 3-sulfonatophenyldiphenylphosphine, PP3 =
P(CH2CH2PPh2)3, PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane, dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, dppm = 1,1-
bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, dmpe = 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane, N-N' = pyridinylazolato, methallyl =
CH2C(CH3)CH2-. See Chart 2 for P1-P6. See Chart 4 for nDHBP (n = 3,4,5,6), DHPT, THBPM , N1-2, and N8-10. c The data
in the parenthesis are initial TOFs.
The pioneering work by Inoue et al. in 1976 using triphenylphosphine (PPh3) complexes of
Ru, Rh, Ir, etc. laid the foundation for the previously uncharted homogeneous catalytic
hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid.112 They carried out the reaction using a mixture of 2.5 MPa
CO2 and 2.5 MPa H2 in benzene containing a catalyst, a small amount of water and a base at
room temperature. Following on that research, the class of hydrogenation catalysts was extended
to incorporate a variety of transition metals such as Pd, Ni, etc. with diphos (Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2)
ligands. The nature of the solvent can also significantly affect the catalytic performance by
stabilizing the catalytic intermediate or by exerting an influence on the entropy difference
between reactants and product via solvation. Ezhova et al. demonstrated that the hydrogenation
reaction proceeded with higher rates in polar solvents (e.g., DMSO and MeOH) with
Wilkinson's complex.113 Moreover, Noyori and Jessop et al. carried out hydrogenation of CO2 to
formate in Et3N and MeOH dissolved in scCO2, in which hydrogen is highly miscible, with
RuH2(PMe3)4 or RuCl2(PMe3)4 as a catalyst to obtain high initial rates of 1400 h−1 or 1040 h−1,
respectively, at 50 °C.117 Later Jessop et al. developed a remarkable catalytic system with
RuCl(OAc)(PMe3)4 (TOF up to 95,000 h−1) by testing a variety of amines and alcohols in
scCO2.118 Supercritical CO2 could act as both reactant and solvent, and led to better mass
transport and heat transfer properties as well as high solubility of H2.118 The study also
illuminated an accelerating effect on the rate of the hydrogenation reaction by utilizing
appropriate amine and alcohol adducts.118,149 While Lewis bases are required for formate
generation by CO2 hydrogenation, the role of alcohol is not well known. Alcohol may not
generate carbonic acids or protonated amines, but it could be involved as a proton donor and
hydrogen bond donor.118
Initially, phosphine complexes were widely used in organic solvents for CO2 hydrogenation.
Nevertheless, the addition of a small amount of water is favorable for catalytic capability in
rhodium catalysed hydrogenation of CO2 in THF.150 A detailed mechanistic investigation by Tsai
and Nicholas revealed that a precatalyst [Rh(NBD)(PMe2Ph)3]BF4 (NBD = norbornadiene)
converts to [H2Rh(PMe2Ph)3(OH2)]BF4 by the addition of H2 in wet THF (4% H2O), and
produces formate more than twice as fast than in dry THF. They speculated that the transition
state for CO2 insertion could be stabilized by improved electrophilicity of carbon caused by the
formation of a hydrogen-bond between the bound H2O molecule and an oxygen atom of CO2.
This was an auspicious result because water is abundant, inexpensive, and environmentally
friendly, and, as mentioned above, hydrogenation of CO2 in water is considerably favored
thermodynamically compared to the reaction in the gas phase. In this section, we briefly
introduce the development of CO2 hydrogenation using phosphine ligands with an emphasis on
the most recent studies involving water.101,111,151
Chart 1. Phosphine containing ligands and N-N' ligands (E = C, N; X = H, CH3, C2H5, C6H5,
C6H4OCH3; Y = H, Br, NO2.
NaO3S SO3Na
PPh2 P(C6H11)2 PMe2 SO3Na N
(CH2)n P
P P N
PPh2 P(C6H11)2 PMe2
SO3Na
n = 4, dppb
n = 2, dppe dcpm dmpe tppts tppms PTA
n = 1, dppm
Ph2P Ph Ph PPh2
PPh2
P N N
N HN E Y
PPh2 PPh2 Ph2P PPh2 N
PP3 PNNP PNMeP N-N'
PPh2 SO3Na SO3Na SO3Na
PPh2 NMe3
triphos P
NaO3S P SO3Na
PPh2 3 BF4
Me3N SO3Na SO3Na
N PPh2
PPh2 n = 4, DPPBTS
tppta MBTS n = 3, DPPPTS
NP3 n = 2, DPPETS
In 1993, Leitner et al. first reported water-soluble rhodium-phosphine complexes that can
catalyze the hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid in water-amine mixtures. Among the catalysts
examined, RhCl(tppts)3 (tppts: tris(3-sulfonatophenyl)phosphine) exhibited the high TON of
3440 at room temperature and 4 MPa H2/CO2.115 Joó et al. investigated a series of rhodium and
ruthenium complexes including [RuCl2(tppms)2]2 (tppms: 3-sulfonatophenyldiphenylphosphine),
[RhCl(tppms)3], [RuCl2(PTA)4] (PTA: 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) in aqueous solutions
without amines.100,119,152-155 The high TOF of 9600 h−1 was obtained at 80 °C and 9.5 MPa when
using [RuCl2(tppms)2]2.119 They found aqueous suspensions of CaCO3 were also hydrogenated
with CO2/H2 gas mixtures. Laurenczy et al. reported reaction mechanisms with iridium and
ruthenium catalysts incorporating the water-soluble PTA ligand.120,156-158 They demonstrated the
formation of [η6-(C6H6)RuH(PTA)2]+ as the major hydride species, and proposed a mechanism
involving hydride transfer to bicarbonate as shown in Scheme 1. TOFs of 237 and 409 h−1 were
obtained at 70 and 80 °C, respectively, with 10 MPa of H2 and 1 M HCO3–.156
Scheme 1. Possible catalyst and substrate interaction during the hydrogenation of HCO3– in
aqueous solution. Ref. 156.
Subsequently, Beller and Laurenczy et al. reported a [RuCl2(C6H6)]2 complex that acted as a
catalyst precursor for hydrogenation in aqueous NaHCO3 by incorporating one of a series of
phosphine ligands including PPh3, 1,1-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane (dcpm), 1,2-
bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe), 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm), and others
(Chart 1). When dppm was used as a ligand, the high TOFs of 800 h-1 and 1260 h-1 were
obtained in 2 h at 130 °C under 5 MPa of H2 and at 70 °C under 8.5 MPa of H2/CO2 (5/3.5),
respectively.121 Although the catalyst system produced a high initial reaction rate, it became
deactivated after the first few hours.
In 2012, Beller and co-workers investigated non-precious-metal catalysts for the
hydrogenation of bicarbonate and CO2.123,159 They obtained the high TON of 3877 by using
Co(BF4)2·6H2O and the PP3 (PP3: P(CH2CH2PPh2)3) ligand. This catalyst remarkably improved
the catalytic activity compared to other non-precious-metal based catalysts and some precious-
metal systems. They subsequently reported a thermally stable and more active iron catalyst,
iron(II) fluoro-tris[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl)phosphino]tetrafluoroborate, which produced a
TON over 7500 at 100 °C under 6 MPa H2. Linehan et al. reported a Co complex, Co(dmpe)2H
(dmpe: 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane), for the hydrogenation of CO2 in THF.129 In the
presence of a very strong base, Verkade's base, at room temperature, the high TOFs of 3400 h−1
and 74,000 h−1 were achieved under 1 atm and 20 atm of CO2/H2 (1:1), respectively. While this
is a significant result, a drawback is the requirement of Verkade's base (pKa = 33.6)160 for
regeneration of Co(dmpe)2H from [Co(dmpe)2(H)2]+. A mechanistic study using DFT
calculations suggested a probable reaction pathway beginning with the binding of CO2 through
its carbon to Co to produce a six-coordinate Co(dmpe)2(H)(CO2) precursor, which undergoes
intramolecular hydride transfer from the Co center to the electrophilic carbon of CO2.161 The
direct hydride transfer from cobalt hydride to approaching CO2 is also possible since the energy
barrier of this pathway is only 1.4 kcal mol−1 higher. The direct hydride pathway is consistent
with the calculations of Baiker et al. for CO2 hydrogenation with [Ru(dmpe)2H2].162
Leitner et al. proposed a new concept that applies continuous-flow hydrogenation of scCO2
to produce pure formic acid in a single process unit as shown in Scheme 2.135 They first
identified a suitable combination of catalysts and ionic liquid (IL) matrices in batch reactions and
achieved the high initial TOF of 627 h−1 by using a ruthenium catalyst
[Ru(cod)(methallyl)2]/PBu4tppms (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, methallyl = CH2C(CH3)CH2–) and
IL as the stationary phase (with dissolved non-volatile bases) at 50 °C under 10 MPa of H2/CO2
(1/1). By adding EMIMCl (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) as an additive, the TOF
increased to 1090 h−1. A variation of anions of ILs showed an increase in TONs and TOFs with
the order NTf2– < OTf– < HCO2–. While they obtained a high TON (1970) and TOF (> 295 h–1)
in a continuous-flow system using the amine-free IL EMIM(HCO2), formic acid extraction from
the non-volatile amine-functionalized ionic liquid was found to be the limiting factor under the
continuous-flow conditions.
Scheme 2. Direct continuous-flow hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid based on a biphasic
reaction system consisting of scCO2 as mobile phase and an IL such as EMIM(NTf2) as a
stationary phase contaning a catalyst and a stabilizing base such as
[Ru(cod)(methallyl)2]/PBu4tppms and triethylamine, respectively. Reprinted with permission
from Ref. 135, Copyright (2014) WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co, KGaA, Weinheim.
A series of pyridinylazolato (N-N') ruthenium(II) complexes with PMe3 [(N-
N')RuCl(PMe3)3] (Chart 1) with various electron-withdrawing and -donating substituents were
investigated to probe the structure-reactivity relationships in the hydrogenation of CO2 under
supercritical conditions.134 In a comparison of catalytic capability, the triazolato system with an
unsubstituted ligand offered the best performance (TON 4800) under relatively mild conditions.
Under supercritical carbon dioxide conditions, Thiel et al. reported the simple ruthenium
complexes with commercially available and low-cost phosphine ligands P(OMe)3, P(OEt)3,
P(OiPr)3 and P(OPh)3 together with DBU and C6F5OH that catalyze CO2 hydrogenation.136 High
activity was obtained for trans-[RuCl2{P(OMe)3}4] (TON = 6630, TOF = 1660 h−1) similar to
those of one of the landmark catalysts [RuCl2(PMe3)4] (TON = 7630, TOF = 1910 h−1) under
their experimental conditions. Zhao and Joó studied CO2 hydrogenation with inorganic additives
such as CaCO3, NaHCO3, Na2CO3 and HCO2Na with [RhCl(tppms)3] in aqueous solutions.
Interestingly, HCO2Na as an additive produced the best yield of FA and afforded a highly
concentrated FA of 0.13 M at 50 °C for 20 h under 100 bar H2/CO2 (1/1).116 Byers and co-
workers investigated inexpensive additives for the CO2 hydrogenation process with a variety of
noble-metal and non-noble-metal catalysts, such as RuCl2(PPh3)(p-cymene) and the in-situ
catalyst prepared from Fe(BF4)2 and PP3 in DMSO or MeOH.163 Comparison of catalytic
performance with various catalysts suggested that the addition of KHCO3 or other similar
inorganic additives such as KOAc and KNO3, etc., improved CO2 hydrogenation activity by up
to 510%. These studies promoted the design of catalytic systems inclusive of cheap additives to
enhance catalytic activity.
Some novel protocols have been established by He and his group based on the capture of CO2
as carbamate using PEI (polyethyleneimine) and simultaneous in-situ hydrogenation with
RhCl3·3H2O with a monophosphine ligand.164 These catalytic systems with RhCl3·3H2O/CyPPh2
could capture CO2 with PEI and sequentially hydrogenate it to formate, providing a maximum
TON of 852. Hicks and co-workers synthesized several mesoporous organic-inorganic hybrid
silica-tethered Ir-complexes shown in Figure 2. Ir-PN/SBA-15 containing a bidentate
iminophosphine ligand can heterogeneously catalyze CO2 hydrogenation to formic acid.165 Under
moderate conditions (60 °C, 4 MPa H2/CO2 (1/1)), the catalyst provided a TON of 2800 after 20
IrCl3
H2N N IrCl3 IrCl3 IrCl3
Ph2P Cy2P
OMe OMe OMe OMe
Si Si Si Si
O O O O O O O O
Ir-NH2/SBA-15 Ir-PN/SBA-15 Ir-PPh2/SBA-15 Ir-PCy2/SBA-15
Figure 2. Structures of the SBA-15 tethered Ir complexes (Ph = phenyl, Cy = cyclohexyl). Ref.
Most recently, Laurenczy et al. described the direct hydrogenation of CO2 to produce formic
acid using [RuCl2(PTA)4] in acidic media.137 In an aqueous solution (pH 2.7), 0.2 M formic acid
can be obtained at 60 °C under 20 MPa H2/CO2 (3/1), corresponding to a TON of 74. In DMSO
under 10 MPa H2/CO2 (1/1), the ruthenium phosphine catalyst provided 1.9 M formic acid at 60
°C after 120 h, and achieved a total TON of 749 after the fourth cycle in recyclability tests.
Although the TON is similar to that in basic aqueous solution, the product is FA and the catalyst
operates in the absence of base or any other additives. It is also highly stable and can be recycled
and reused multiple times without loss of activity.
In 2009, Nozaki and co-workers synthesized a new Ir(III) trihydride complex, IrH3(P1), (P1
= 2,6-bis-(di-isopropylphosphinomethyl)pyridine, Chart 2) for CO2 hydrogenation in basic
aqueous solution, and achieved the highest activity to that date at high temperature and high
pressure. The use of THF as a co-solvent was necessary owing to the low water solubility of the
complex. The IrH3(P1) complex exhibited a TOF of 150,000 h−1 at 200 °C and a TON of
3,500,000 at 120 °C over a period of 48 h under 8 MPa H2/CO2 (1/1) in H2O/THF (5/1).124,125
This excellent catalytic performance soon attracted considerable attention, and led to related
Chart 2. Pincer ligands for complexes used in CO2 hydrogenation to formate and formic acid
dehydrogenation.
Scheme 3. Proposed mechanism for the hydrogenation of CO2 by IrH3(P1) based on Ref. 125.
Using the P1-ligated iridium(III) trihydride complex as a catalyst,125 DFT calculations on the
hydrogenation of CO2 have been used to explain the dependence of the catalytic cycle on the
strength of the base and hydrogen pressure. Two competing reaction pathways were identified
with either the deprotonative dearomatization step (via TS8/9) or the hydrogenolysis step (via
TS12/1) as being rate determining (see Scheme 3). The calculated free-energy profiles were
consistent with the experimental data. Analogous Co and Fe hydride complexes incorporating
the PNP ligand were investigated in DFT studies that predicted only slightly higher enthalpic
barriers (entropic effects were neglected) than for Ir.166,167 Also, Ni and Pd hydride complexes
with related PCP or PSiP ligands were investigated for catalyzing CO2 insertion reactions in both
experimental and computational studies.166,167 DFT calculations predicted that the pathway for
CO2 insertion involves a four-centered transition state, the free energy of which decreases as the
trans influence of the anionic donor of the pincer ligand increases.
The importance of secondary coordination sphere interactions has been documented in the
field of [Fe-Fe] and [Fe-Ni] hydrogenases168,169 and molecular catalysts for H2 production and
CO2 reduction.170-173 For synthetic catalytic systems, Crabtree174 and others175-177 have published
excellent reviews on ligand design with additional functional groups including: (1) proton-
responsive ligands that are capable of changing their chemical properties upon gaining or losing
one or more protons; (2) electro-responsive ligands that can gain or lose one or more electrons;
(3) ligands that can provide a hydrogen bonding functionality; (4) photo-responsive ligands that
exhibit a useful change in properties upon irradiation; (5) NADH-type ligands that can work as a
hydride source; and (6) hemilabile ligands that provide a vacant coordination site.
Scheme 4. Proposed mechanism for CO2 hydrogenation using IrH3(P2) with the displacement of
formate by H2 as the rate determining step based on Ref. 127.
In 2011, Hazari and co-workers reported an air stable, water-soluble catalyst IrH3(P2) (P2 =
(di-isopropylphoshinoethyl)amine, Chart 2) containing an N–H group in the secondary
coordination sphere for CO2 hydrogenation.127 This hydrogen bond donor (Scheme 4, complex
A), upon reaction with CO2, facilitated the formation of the stable complex Ir(OCHO)H2(P2),
which was effective for CO2 hydrogenation with a maximum TON of 348,000 and TOF up to
18,780 h−1.127 Their DFT calculations indicated that CO2 insertion was more thermodynamically
favorable by means of stabilization of an N–H–O hydrogen bond through an outer sphere
interaction. Their proposed mechanism for CO2 hydrogenation (Scheme 4) involves the
displacement of coordinated formate by H2 to generate the dihydrogen complex, deprotonation
of the coordinated H2 to form the trihydride IrH3(P2), and CO2 insertion to form the η1-formate
species stabilized by the N–H hydrogen bond to the other formate O atom. Detailed DFT
calculations suggested that the insertion of CO2 leads to an H-bound formate intermediate that
dissociates and reforms as an O-bound species, with both stabilized by a N–H–O outer sphere
hydrogen bond.
With regard to using an earth-abundant metal instead of a noble transition metal with a
pincer ligand, Milstein and co-workers focused attention on the active iron complex trans-
[FeH2(CO)(P3)] (P3 = 2,6-bis-(di-tert-buthylphosphinomethyl)pyridine), Chart 2), which was
capable of hydrogenating CO2 with a TON of up to 780 and a TOF of up to 160 h−1 at 80 °C
under low pressure (0.6 − 1.0 MPa) in H2O/THF (10/1).126 Almost simultaneously, Milstein and
Sanford published the crystal structures of a Ru(PNP) complex [RuH(CO)(P4)] (P4: the
dearomatized ligand of P3, Chart 2) and a Ru(PNN) complex [RuH(CO)(P6)] (P6 = 6-(di-tert-
butylphosphinomethylene)-2-(N,N-diethylaminomethyl)-1,6-dihydropyridine, Chart 2), which
both activate CO2 through an aromatization/dearomatization mechanism.178,179 During the
hydrogenation reaction, [RuH(CO)(P4)] reversibly converts to [RuH(CO)(P5)] (P5: a CO2–
derivative of P3, Chart 2) in which the CO2– moiety of the P5 ligand coordinates to the Ru
center.178 The non-innocent nature of the pincer ligands is crucial in the activation of CO2, and is
responsible for the widespread utility of pincer complexes in the activation of small molecules
such as H2 and CO2 through metal-ligand cooperation.180-182 With optimized catalytic conditions,
the [RuH(CO)(P6)] complex provided a TON up to 23,000 and a TOF of up to 2200 h−1 at 200
°C over a period of 48 h under 4 MPa H2/CO2 (3/1) in diglyme in the presence of K2CO3.133
In addition, the PCP pincer complexes, IrH2(P7) (P7 = 2,6-C6H3-(CH2PtBu2)2, Chart 2) and
IrH2(P8) (P8 = 2,6-C6H3-(OPtBu2)2, Chart 2) were reported to facilitate CO2 insertion to afford
2-formato complexes.183 IrH2(P8) was effective for the selective electrocatalytic reduction of
CO2 to formate in H2O/CH3CN. Noteworthy is that the addition of water played an important
role in lowering the reduction potential during electrocatalysis and minimizing the production of
H2 from the background reduction of water. Subsequently, Meyer and Brookhart modified the
catalyst by tethering a quaternary amine functional group to the ligand aiming to improve its
solubility in aqueous media.184 The IrH(P9)(MeCN) complex (Chart 2) produced a 93% Faradaic
yield in the electrocatalytical reduction of CO2 to formate with high selectivity. They
demonstrated that a moderate hydricity of the catalyst was necessary in the CO2 reduction
catalysis in order to limit formation of H2 while retaining the ability to reduce CO2. Based on
work by Meyer and Brookhart183,184 and Nozaki's earlier work,124 Hazari et al. proposed different
catalytic pathways for CO2 insertion into five-coordinate iridium(III) dihydrides and four-
coordinate iridium(I) monohydrides based on DFT calculations.185 In the case of five-coordinate
dihydrides, both O-bound 1- and O,O-bound 2-formate CO2 insertion intermediates were
predicted to be potentially important. In the case of four-coordinate Ir(I) monohydrides, the
proposed mechanism for CO2 insertion involved a single four-centered transition state in which
the Ir–H bond is broken and simultaneously the carbon–hydride and iridium–oxygen bonds are
formed. They also predicted the activity of five-coordinate Ir(III) dihydride complexes with a
variety of PCP and POCOP ligands that can facilitate CO2 insertion.
Pidko et al. developed a highly stable temperature-switchable Ru-based system for the
reversible hydrogenation of CO2 that exhibits unprecedented rates for H2 loading and release
under mild conditions.132 Using DMF as a solvent, DBU as a base at 120 °C and 4 MPa H2/CO2
(3/1), the Ru PNP-pincer complex RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3) provided a TOF as high as 1,100,000
h−1,132 which is superior to the TOF achieved by the Nozaki Ir(H)3(P1) catalyst. The mechanism
of CO2 hydrogenation to formate using the Ru-PNP pincer complex in the presence of DBU was
subsequently investigated by DFT calculations.131,186 Combining experimental and
computational studies, they speculated that bis-hydrido Ru complex [Ru(H)2(CO)(P3)] is the
active species, while the ligand-assisted CO2 adduct is an inactive state. Catalytic cycles
involving metal-ligand cooperation contributed little to the catalysis due to the unstable
intermediates and high free energy barriers. Two catalytic routes which do not involve metal-
ligand cooperation were predicted to be predominant (Scheme 5).186 The preferred route can be
controlled by H2 pressure, which is verified by kinetic experiments. By changing the molar ratio
of H2/CO2 from 3/1 to 37/3, the apparent activation energy significantly decreased from 57 to 20
kJ mol−1. This finding is contrary to the widely reported critical role of the ligand in facilitating
the catalytic process. Although the PNP-type pincer ligands are undoubtedly versatile, their
practical role deserves further exploration.
Scheme 5. Possible catalytic cycle for CO2 hydrogenation to formate by complex [RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3)]
based on Refs. 132,186.
2.3 Catalysts with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands
Peris et al. performed extensive studies of water-soluble Ru and Ir complexes using bis-NHC
(N-heterocyclic carbenes) as electron-donating ligands.148,187,188. The high TON of 190,000 was
achieved with complex IrI2(AcO)(bis-NHC) (right in Chart 3), at 200 °C under 6 MPa H2/CO2
(1/1) for 75 h. Chelating-NHC ligands could impart a high thermal stability to the metal
complexes and lead to high catalytic activity of the complex owing to their electron donor
character. Incorporating sulfonate or hydroxy substituents into the carbon side chains improves
the water solubility of the complexes, and their catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of
CO2 to HCO2K was considerably improved. The Peris lab was the first to propose transfer
hydrogenation using isopropanol as the hydrogen source for CO2 hydrogenation to overcome
inconveniences of using pressurized H2. In aq. 0.5 M KOH/isopropanol (9/1) turnovers
approaching 1000 after 16 h at 200 °C were achieved. The lower activity compared to reactions
with H2 are likely associated with difficulty in generating the metal hydride from isopropanol.
Chart 3. Peris's NHC complexes for CO2 hydrogenation in water.
2.4 Half-sandwich catalysts with/without proton-responsive ligands
2.4.1. Electronic effects. In contrast to the widely used phosphine complexes, molecular
complexes with N,N- or N,C-chelated ligands have been less studied in the context of CO2
hydrogenation.139,189-192 When Himeda and his group observed CO2/H2 generation in the transfer
hydrogenation of ketones with the half-sandwich complex [Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl]Cl in aqueous
solutions of formic acid, they realized that the Rh complex could catalyze CO2 hydrogenation in
water.193 The research of Jessop and Sakaki et al. had indicated that the strong electron-donating
ability of the ligand leads to high activity of such a complex in CO2 hydrogenation.194,195 Inspired
by their studies, Himeda's group designed and synthesized a series of half-sandwich complexes
[(CnMen)M(4,4′-R2-bpy)Cl]+ (n = 5, 6; M = Ir, Rh, Ru; R = OH, OMe, Me, H) by introducing
different electron-donating groups to the bpy ligand of the prototype catalyst
[(CnMen)M(bpy)Cl]Cl.140,193,196,141 In the presence of water, the chloro ligand in these complexes
readily hydrolyzes to form the corresponding aqua complexes.
The hydroxy-substituted bpy ligands are deprotonated upon increasing the solution pH
beyond pH 5 to 6.196 Such α-diimine ligands bearing pyridinol units are among those known as
"proton-responsive ligands" (Chart 4).174 This property makes them pH-switchable and enables
modification of the polarity and electron-donating ability of the ligand, thus tuning the catalytic
activity and water-solubility of the complexes. The electron donating ability of the substituents is
characterized by Hammett constants (σp+): the more negative the σp+ values, the stronger their
ability to donate electrons.197 Among these catalysts, complexes bearing OH substituents are of
particular interest. Deprotonation of the OH group (σp+ = −0.92) generates a much stronger
oxyanion electron donor (σp+ = −2.30) because of the effect of its "keto" resonance structure
(Scheme 6). Catalyst recovery using the pH-dependent solubility of [Cp*Ir(DHPT)(OH2)]Cl
(DHPT = 4,7-dihydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline) will be discussed below.
The Hammett plots show a good correlation between the initial TOFs and the σp+ values of
the substituents for the Ir, Rh, and Ru complexes (Figure 3). The electronic effects of the
substituents on the rhodium and ruthenium complexes were moderate compared to those on the
iridium complex (Figure 3). The initial TOF of 5100 h−1 of [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]Cl (4DHBP =
4,4′-dihydroxy-2,2′-bipyridine, Chart 4) is over 1000 times higher than that of the unsubstituted
analog [Cp*Ir(bpy)Cl]Cl (4.7 h−1) under the same conditions (80 °C, 1 MPa, CO2/H2 = 1).
Apparently, the significant improvement in catalytic activity of the 4DHBP catalyst can be
attributed to the strong electron-donating ability of the oxyanion. The high TOF of 42,000 h−1
and TON of 190,000 using [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]Cl was obtained at 120 °C and 6 MPa. This
catalyst even converts CO2 to formate at ambient temperature (25 °C) and pressure (0.1 MPa) in
1 M NaHCO3 aqueous solution with the TOF of 7 h−1. The high catalytic activity of
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]Cl represents a breakthrough in CO2 hydrogenation in aqueous solutions.
Fukuzumi's group also found a proton-responsive catalyst [Cp*Ir(N1)(OH2)]+ that efficiently
produces formate in 2.0 M KHCO3 aqueous solution (pH 8.8) with the TOF of 6.8 h−1 and TON
of 100 (20 h) at 30 °C and ambient pressure of H2 (0.1 MPa).145 The active catalyst is the
deprotonated complex [Cp*Ir(N1–H+)(OH2)] because the pKa values of the carboxylic acid
group and the aqua ligand are 4.0 and 9.5, respectively. The catalytic activity increases to 22.1
h−1 at 60 °C. While most catalysts required some pressure of CO2 in basic aqueous solution, this
complex can hydrogenate HCO3–.
Figure 3. Correlation between initial TOFs and p+ values of substituents (R) for CO2
hydrogenation catalyzed by [(CnMen)M(4,4′-R2-bpy)Cl]Cl. M = Ir, n = 5 (open circles); M = Rh,
n = 5 (closed circles); M = Ru, n = 6; R = OH, OMe, Me, H (closed squares). The reactions were
carried out in an aqueous 1 M KOH solution at 80 °C under 1 MPa (CO2:H2 = 1:1) for 20 h.
Reprinted with permission from Ref. 141. Copyright (2011) WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co,
KGaA, Weinheim.
Chart 4. Proton-responsive ligands used for CO2 hydrogenation and/or dehydrogenation of
formic acid.
OH OH HO OH HO
N N N N N N N N
bpy 4DHBP DHPT THBPM 6DHBP 5DHBP 3DHBP
COOH HO N OH
N N N N NH N NH
N NH
N N N NH N N NH N NH
N HN
HO N OH
N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7
HO HO N OH HO OH HO N OH HO N OH
N N N N N N
N N N
N8 N9 N10 N11 N12
Scheme 6. Acid-base equilibrium between hydroxy form and oxyanion form, and resonance
structures of oxyanion form.
2.4.2. Second-coordination-sphere effects. A hydroxy group near the metal center may act as an
important functional group, which can facilitate hydrogen dissociation and production as found
in [Fe-Fe]-hydrogenase model complexes.170,177,198 In the reduction of CO2 to methane by
methanogens, the Fe-guanylpyridinol cofactor found in [Fe]-hydrogenase catalyzes a crucial
intermediary step: the reversible reduction of methenyltetrahydromethanopterin (methenyl-
H4MPT+) by H2 to methylenetetrahydromethanopterin (methylene-H4MPT) and H+ (i.e., from a
proton from pyridinol and a hydride from C14 of methylene-H4MPT to the vacant coordination
site of Fe, see Scheme 7).199-201 A computational study revealed that the pendent hydroxy group
plays an important role in the activation of H2 by forming a hydrogen bond.202
Scheme 7. Structure of the Fe-guanylpyridinol cofactor of [Fe]-hydrogenase and a proposed
catalytic mechanism of H2 heterolysis based on Ref. 201.
To understand and exploit the role of the hydroxy functional group in [Fe]-hydrogenase,
chemists have expended great effort on the design and synthesis of complexes containing
hydroxypyridine moieties and their derivatives for use in hydrogenation and dehydrogenation
reactions.146 Fujita and Yamaguchi et al. reported the dehydrogenation of alcohols and other
chemicals using Cp*Ir complexes with hydroxypyridine, 6-hydroxy-2-phenylpyridine, and 6-
hydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine.203-206 Kelson and Phengsy reported the transfer hydrogenation of
ketones to isopropanol using [Ru(tpy)(OH2)]2+ (tpy = 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine) with two axial
monodentate κN coordinated 2-pyridinato ligands.207 A collaboration between the Himeda and
Fujita groups has developed a series of iridium complexes, [Cp*Ir(nDHBP)(OH2)]2+ (nDHBP =
n,n'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine, n = 3, 4, 5, 6), [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ (THBPM = 4,4',6,6'-
tetrahydroxy-2,2'-bipyrimidine), and [Cp*Ir(Nn)(OH2)]2+ (n = 2 - 12, Chart 4) as catalysts for
carrying out CO2 hydrogenation and formic acid dehydrogenation under mild conditions in
environmentally benign and economically desirable water solvent.140,142-144,146,208-211
Under various pH conditions, these complexes showed high activity and efficiency in
aqueous catalysis such as hydrogenation or transfer hydrogenation of alkenes and ketones, CO2
hydrogenation, and the dehydrogenation of formic acid.144 Using formic acid or H2, facile
formation of the active iridium hydride occurs. Under basic conditions, the hydride reduces CO2
to formate, while under acidic conditions it reacts with H+ to release H2. Here we will summarize
how the proton-responsive complexes catalyze these reactions efficiently under different pH
conditions. Such unique properties as pH-dependent activity and selectivity, tuneable water
solubility, recyclability, and pendent-base effects are discussed in detail.
The bio-inspired complexes [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+, [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ (N2 = 2,2',6,6'-
tetrahydroxy-4,4'-bipyrimidine) and [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ bearing pendent OH groups exhibit
significantly improved catalytic activity in CO2 hydrogenation. To understand the factors
responsible for the improved activity, the catalytic activity of [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and its
analogues [Cp*Ir(6,6'-R2-bpy)(OH2)]SO4 (R = OMe, Me, H) were further investigated. First, the
electronic effect of the substituents at the 6,6'-positions was studied in the same manner as with
[Cp*Ir(4,4'-R2-bpy)(OH2)]SO4 (R = OH, OMe, Me, H).143 As shown in the Hammett plots
(Figure 4), and similar to the 4,4′-substituted analogues, stronger electron-donating substituents
lead to higher reaction rates. It is noteworthy that [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ (TOF: 8050 h−1)
showed much higher activity than [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ (TOF: 5100 h−1) under the same
conditions. Since the electron-donating ability of the hydroxy group at the para and ortho
positions should be almost the same, Himeda et al. proposed that the additional rate enhancement
arises from the proximity of the hydroxy groups in 6DHBP to the metal center and a possible
cooperative effect in the activation of the substrate.
2.4.3. Mechanistic investigations. Experimental and computational studies on the reaction
mechanism have been published for CO2 hydrogenation using [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+.143,144,146 NMR experiments suggested that, in the presence of H2,
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ is able to form the Ir–H species much more easily than
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ can. For instance, 95% of [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ converted to the Ir–
H complex after 0.5 h under 0.2 MPa H2, while only 90% of [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+
transformed to the corresponding Ir–H complex after 40 h under 0.5 MPa H2. Preliminary DFT
calculations on the [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ complex under basic conditions (pH 8.3)143
suggested that the heterolysis of dihydrogen is the rate-determining step, not CO2 insertion as
Ogo and Fukuzumi had reported.212 Moreover, the calculations indicate that the adjacent
oxyanions, from deprotonated hydroxy groups under basic conditions, act as pendent bases and
assist the heterolysis of H2 (Scheme 8, A-D). The calculations also suggested that CO2 insertion
into the Ir–H bond is stabilized by a weak hydrogen bond between the hydrido ligand and
deprotonated pendent base (Scheme 8, E).143
Figure 4. Correlation between initial TOFs and p+ values of substituents (R) for the CO2
hydrogenation catalyzed by (a) [Cp*Ir(4,4′-R2-bpy)(OH2)]SO4 (R = OH, OMe, Me, H; triangles)
and (b) [Cp*Ir(6,6′-R2-bpy)(OH2)]SO4 (R = OH, OMe, Me, H; circles). Reaction conditions: 1
MPa of H2/CO2 (1/1), 80 °C, (a) 0.02–0.2 mM catalyst in 1 M KOH; and (b) 0.01–0.2 mM
catalyst in 1 M NaHCO3. Reproduced from Ref. 143 with permission from The Royal Society of
Scheme 8. Proposed mechanism for the CO2 hydrogenation by [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+.
Computed free energies at pH 8.3 are indicated in units of kJ mol−1 relative to 1 M A in aqueous
solution and 1 atm H2 and CO2 gases. The calculated change in free energy around the cycle is
–42.0 kJ mol−1. Reproduced from Ref. 143 with permission from The Royal Society of
Furthermore, clear evidence was found for the involvement of a water molecule in the rate-
limiting heterolysis of H2, and the enhancement of proton transfer through the formation of a
water bridge in CO2 hydrogenation catalyzed by [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ bearing a pendent base.146 A deuterium kinetic isotope effect study was
carried out using D2/KDCO3/D2O instead of H2/KHCO3/H2O. For [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+
bearing no pendent OH, D2 led to an apparent decrease in reaction rate both in KHCO3/H2O
(KIE: 1.19) and KDCO3/D2O (KIE: 1.20) solution. D2O led to no substantial rate decrease for the
case of H2/KDCO3 (KIE: 0.98). This suggests that D2 is involved in the rate-determining step
(RDS) for [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+. In contrast, for [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ bearing pendent OH groups, D2O resulted in a larger rate decrease than with
D2, indicating that D2O is involved in the RDS for [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+. Therefore, it was concluded that water is involved in the rate-limiting
heterolysis of dihydrogen for [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ but not for
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+. It was proposed that a water molecule forms a hydrogen bond with the
pendent base, and the heterolysis of an H2 approaching the metal center is assisted by a proton
relay (Scheme 9).
Scheme 9. Proposed mechanism for H2 heterolysis assisted by the pendent base and a water
molecule through a proton relay. The arrows labeled by PT indicate the movement of protons via
a proton relay. Reprinted with permission from Ref. 146. Copyright (2013) American Chemical
The participation of H2O in the transition state was further demonstrated by DFT
calculations. Using the deprotonated [Cp*Ir(6DHBP–2H+)] (the left structure in Scheme 9) as a
prototype, Himeda et al. identified two different transition states for the rate-determining H2
heterolysis step to produce [Cp*Ir(H)(6DHBP–H+)].146 The calculated transition state with a
water molecule is 14.2 kJ mol−1 lower than that without H2O. This is the first clear evidence
obtained from both experimental and theoretical investigations for the involvement of a water
molecule in the H2 heterolysis that is the RDS of CO2 hydrogenation for complexes bearing
pendent OH groups. The acceleration of proton transfer by forming a water bridge is similar to a
proton channel in proteins.
More recently, in a DFT study by Suna et al. comparing the CO2 reduction activity of the
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP−2H+)] and [Cp*Ir(6DHBP−2H+)] complexes,144 the calculated activation free
energies indicated that for both complexes the H2 heterolysis to form the iridium hydride
intermediate was the rate-determining step, but the presence of the basic oxyanion groups
adjacent to the metal center in [Cp*Ir(6DHBP−2H+)] facilitates the H2 heterolysis and leads to a
substantial lowering of the activation free energy consistent with faster observed rates for
formate generation. Barriers were also found for the CO2 insertion into the Ir−H bond step for
both complexes (with the 6DHBP complex being somewhat lower). This result was later
contradicted by DFT calculations by Hou et al.,213 who reported finding another pathway with a
much lower activation free energy for the 6DHBP complex corresponding to "ligand assisted
hydride transfer" for formic acid formation. This result is questionable because geometry
optimizations and vibrational frequency calculations were carried out in the absence of a
continuum solvent model. The absence of stabilization of the charge separation in the true
transition state imparted by such a solvent model is likely to have led to a transition state
geometry close to the structure of the formate adduct that would not be a transition state in the
presence of a solvation model.
2.4.4. pH-dependent solubility and catalyst recovery. The ability to design novel homogeneous
catalysts possessing pH-tuneable catalytic activity and reaction-controlled water solubility
provides a new strategy for efficient catalyst recycling.214,215 The acid-base equilibrium of a
proton-responsive complex not only changes the electronic properties but also affects its polarity
and thus its water solubility. Catalyst recycling was achieved using [Cp*Ir(DHPT)(Cl)]+ (DHPT
= 4,7-dihydroxy-1,10-phenathroline, Chart 4) because it has tuneable water solubility by
controlling the solution pH.209 Himeda et al. examined the Ir concentrations in a formate solution
of various catalysts with IPC-MS at different solution pH.140 [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(Cl)]+ showed pH-
dependent solubility which decreased initially from pH 2 with increasing solution pH and then
increased above pH 7. However, considerable water solubility (~1 ppm) was observed even at
the lowest point of the curve (around pH 7, Figure 5). Thus [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ is not
suitable for efficient catalyst recycling by precipitation from an aqueous formate solution by
adjusting the solution pH. To further decrease the water solubility, the bpy ligand was replaced
with phen (1,10-phenathroline). [Cp*Ir(DHPT)(Cl)]+ exhibited negligible solubility in a weakly
acidic formate solution with pH between 4 and 7, and was precipitated as protonated and
deprotonated forms. The lowest Ir concentration at pH 5 was found to be ca. 100 ppb (Figure 5).
The poor water solubility of [Cp*Ir(DHPT)(Cl)]+ makes it recyclable. When KOH added as a
base in the reaction solution was gradually consumed by the progress of the CO2 hydrogenation,
the solution pH decreased correspondingly. As a consequence, the deprotonated DHPT catalyst
changed to its protonated form and spontaneously precipitated owing to its decreased water
solubility at the lower pH. Eventually, a heterogeneous system was formed and the reaction
terminated automatically (Figure 6). The precipitated catalyst could be recovered by simple
filtration for reuse, and the iridium complex remaining in the filtrate was less than 2% of the
catalyst loading (0.11 ppm). A recovery efficiency of more than 91% (by mass) was achieved
after three cycles. The recovered catalyst was found to retain a high catalytic activity through the
three cycles.140 These results suggested that advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous
catalysts can be combined using a proton-responsive complex with tunable solubility. Moreover,
[Cp*Ir(DHPT)(Cl)]+ showed activity similar to [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(Cl)]+ and can catalyze the CO2
hydrogenation at atmospheric pressure.
[Ir] (ppm)
Figure 5. The pH-dependent solubility of (a) [Cp*Ir(DHPT)(Cl)] and (b) [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(Cl)]+
in a 1 M aqueous formate solution. Redrawn from Ref. 140. Copyright (2007) American
Chemical Society.
Raw Material Product
KOH CO2 + H2 HCO2K
CO2+H2
CO2 +H2
l: l:
l: l: H2O H2O
H2O H2O HCO2K HCO2K
KOH KHCO3
Cat.(d) s:
Cat.(d) Cat.(p)
catalyst / filtration
H2O / evaporation
g: gas phase, l: liquid phase, s: solid phase,
cat.(d): deprotonated form, cat.(p): protonated form.
Figure 6. Recycling system for the conversion of CO2/H2 into HCO2K using
[Cp*Ir(DHPT)(Cl)]+ in aqueous KOH solution. Ref. 140. Copyright (2007) American Chemical
The dehydrogenation of FA (eq. 10), which is a low-volatility and non-toxic organic acid, as
a companion reaction to CO2 hydrogenation is an indispensable step in a hydrogen storage
system using formic acid as the hydrogen storage material.216,217 Many heterogeneous catalysts
for decomposition of formic acid have been reported.218,219 However, these systems usually
require high temperature, which causes CO contamination by FA dehydration (eq. 11). For
practical utilization, the CO content is generally required to be less than 10 ppm because it is a
well-known poison to the catalyst in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. On the
other hand, the homogeneous catalysis of the dehydrogenation of FA has been less studied,
although FA has been widely used as a hydrogen donor in transfer hydrogenation in the field of
organic synthesis.220-222 Renewed interest in FA as an H2 carrier has been stimulated by the
discovery of highly active homogeneous catalysts for its selective dehydrogenation under mild
conditions.103,104,142,223-226 In this context, several aspects of catalyst design deserve to be
highlighted including the use of phosphine ligands, pincer ligands, proton-responsive ligands,
and non-precious metals as described below and in Table 2.
Dehydrogenation or Decarboxylation: HCO2H (aq) → CO2(g) + H2(g) (10)
ΔG°= –32.8 kJ mol–1
Dehydration or Decarbonylation: HCO2H (aq) → CO(g)+ H2O(g) (11)
Table 2. Dehydrogenation of formic acid.a
Catalyst Solvent additive T / °C Time TON Initial COc / Ref.
TOF / h-1 ppm
IrH3(PPh3)3 AcOH 118 >11,000 8900 n.d. 227
[RuCl2(PPh3)3] DMF Et3N 40 2h 890 2700 n.d. 228
RuCl3/tppts H2O HCO2Na 120 670 n.d. 229,230
[Ru(OH2)6](tos)2/ tppts H2O HCO2Na 120 90 h >40,000 460 n.d. 229,230
RuCl2(DMSO)4 – Et3N 120 > 2.5 h 25,000 18,000 200 231,232
Fe(BF4)2/PP3 PC 80 19 h 92,400 9425 < 20 233
dioxane LiBF4 80 9.5 h 984,000 197,000 < 234
dioxane Et3N 40 10 d 100,000 650 235
THF Et3N 65 1h 2200 5200 n.d. 236
[RuCl2(C6H6)]2/ dppe HexNMe2 25 264 h 260,000 900 n.d. 237
DMOA 25 45 d 1,000,000 1000 <2 238
RuCl3/PPh3 H2O/ SDS 100 100 n.d. 239
N Cl N
Bz toluene DBU 100 70 m 1330 1100 < 10 128
Ru ppm
P N P
Ph2 C Ph2
DMF Et3N 90 2h 326,500 257,000 n.d 132
DMF Et3N 90 5h 1,060,000 250,000 n.d. 132
dioxane 85 <10 m > 250 3300 (< 10 240
ppm)
Ru(acac)3/triphos DMOA 80 7h 10,000 1500 n.d. 241
O Et3N 25 2h 490 1960 n.d. 242
Cp*
[Cp*Ir(OH2)(bpm)Ru H2O HCO2Na 25 20 m 140 430 n.d. 243
(bpy)2](SO4)
H2O HCO2K 25 10 m 1880 n.d. 145
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)Cl]+ H2O 60 4h 5000 2400 n.d. 244
60 760 n.d. 244
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(H2O)]2+ H2O HCO2Na 60 4.5 h 5300 5440 n.d. 211
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ H2O HCO2Na 60 6h 6340 12,200 n.d. 211
[(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ H2O HCO2Na 90 7h 165,000 228,000 n.d. 142
[Cp*Ir(N7)(OH2)]2+ H2O 80 0.5 h 10,000 34,000 n.d. 210
[Cp*Ir(N9)(OH2)]2+ H2O 60 580 h 2,050,000 n.d. 192
H2O HCO2Na 60 1.5 h 8700 18000 n.d. 192
[Cp*Ir(N12)(OH2)]2+ H2O HCO2Na 60 0.5 h 7850 32,500 n.d. 192
H2O HCO2Na 100 0.5 h 68,000 322,000 n.d. 192
BuOH Et3N 80 4h 5000 120,000b n.d. 125
(<
dioxane / HCO2Na 69 4.5 h 1000 286 n.d. 245
Insignificant digits are rounded. PP3 = P(CH2CH2PPh2)3, PC = propylene carbonate, DMOA = dimethyloctylamine,
dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, tos = p-toluene sulfonate, SDS = sodium dodecyl sulfate, triphos = 1,1,1-
tris-(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane, NP3 = tetradentate tris[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]amine. b This TOF is for
the first 1 minute. For 4 h, the TOF was 1200 h-1. c n.d.: not detected (or not reported).
Pioneering work on FA dehydrogenation using homogenous catalysts was reported by
Coffey in 1967.227 Platinum-metal-based catalysts, e.g., Pt, Ru, and Ir, with phosphine ligands
were used in acetic acid at 118 °C. Other catalysts were subsequently reported, but suffered from
poor activity and low durability.193,246-251 In 2008, Beller228 and Laurenczy229 independently
reported outstanding examples of catalysts that could be used under mild reaction conditions and
evolved H2 and CO2 exclusively.
3.1.1. Organic solvent systems. Beller et al. reported the dehydrogenation of a formic acid/Et3N
azeotropic mixture using ruthenium-based catalysts with triphenylphosphine-type ligands. The
high initial TOF of 2700 h−1 (initial 20 min) and a TON of 890 (2 h) at 40 °C were obtained with
the commercially available ruthenium complex [RuCl2(PPh3)3].228 The generated hydrogen after
removing traces of volatile amines by charcoal was used to drive a H2/O2 PEM fuel cell, which
provided a maximum electric power of approximately 47 mW at a potential of 374 mV for 29 h.
Then the effects of different phosphine ligands, amines, and ruthenium complexes on catalytic
activity and durability were investigated.252 The combination of [RuCl2(C6H6)]2 and a bidentate
phosphine ligand, dppe, improved the catalytic performance. The continuous long-term stability
of this system, [RuCl2(C6H6)]2/dppe, was then investigated under both atmospheric and
pressurized conditions.237,238 Since the presence of an amine is beneficial for hydrogen
production, loss of the amine by volatilization led to a decrease in reaction rate. Use of a less
volatile amine, DMOA (dimethyloctylamine), resulted in the highest TON of 1,000,000 and a
TOF of 1000 h−1 for 1080 h at 25 °C. During the course of the reaction, CO concentration did not
exceed 2 ppm. Several examples based on this catalytic system using ruthenium catalysts and an
organic amine were reported. Wills reported dehydrogenation of formic acid/amine mixture with
[RuCl2(DMSO)4]. Although CO (190–440 ppm) was detected by GC, the high TOF of 18,000
h−1 was observed at 120 °C.232 They also reported long-term operation under continuous flow
conditions. Gas production rates as high as 1.5 L min−1 and total gas production of 462 L were
obtained during 6 h.231 Plietker et al. investigated recyclability and long-term stability using a
PNNP-Ru complex (Chart 1) in toluene/DBU.128 Under pressure-free conditions the DBU
formate salt decomposed at 100 °C in the presence of 0.075 mol% of the complex within 70 min.
CO impurities were not detectable in the gas mixture down to 10 ppm. Up to five charging-
discharging cycles were performed in combination with CO2 hydrogenation. The concern over
the long-term reactions of all the FA/amine systems is the volatility of the amine, which causes
contamination of gaseous products and a decrease of reaction rate.
Gonsalvi et al.241 adopted in-situ complexes using Ru(acac)3 (acac = acetylacetonate) and
facially capping ligands, such as 1,1,1-tris-(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane (triphos, Chart 1)
and tetradentate tris[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]amine (NP3, Chart 1), to catalyze the
dehydrogenation of formic acid. With 0.01 mol% of the complexes [Ru(3-
triphos)(MeCN)3](OTf)2 or [Ru(4-NP3)Cl2], a TON of 10,000 was obtained after 6 h. Three
labile solvent ligands make three coordination sites available for substrate coordination and
activation. Moreover, the catalyst (0.1 mol%) could provide a total TON of 8000 after 14 h of
continuous reaction at 80 °C with recycling up to eight runs in the presence of OctNMe2. They
also utilized DFT calculations to explore the nature, stability, and activation pathways of the
intermediates of this system.253 For the [Ru(3-triphos)(MeCN)3](OTf)2 complex, a ligand-
centered outer-sphere mechanism incorporating the release of H2 and CO2 from the formato
ligands without the need of a Ru-hydrido species was illustrated. In contrast, the [Ru(4-NP3)Cl2]
complex followed a metal-centered, inner-sphere pathway. Beller and co-workers utilized a
[RuCl2(benzene)]2 pre-catalyst and a dppe ligand to catalyze the dehydrogenation of FA.237,238,254
Both temperature and pressure influenced the equilibrium of the reversible reaction, but the
influence of temperature was more pronounced.254
Reek et al.240,255 reported base-free FA dehydrogenation using iridium complexes with a
phosphine-functionalized sulfonamide (bisMETAMORPhos), the anionic form of which can
function as an internal base.240 The system produced CO-free H2 with the TOF of 3270 h−1 in
dioxane at 85 °C. The initial Ir(I) complex underwent a slow proton transfer from the neutral
ligand arm to the metal, resulting in the formation of the active Ir(III)–H complex (Scheme 10).
The bifunctional ligand allowed the direct hydride transfer from FA to the Ir center rather than
the common -hydride elimination. It also facilitated the release of hydrogen (Scheme 11).
O Proton transfer O
Ph Ph Ph Ph
P P P
N IrI N H N Ir III P
S O O S O O O S O
Scheme 10. Formation of active species for complex Ir(bisMETAMORPhos) via internal proton
transfer, Ref. 240.
H2 Ir HCOOH
O S O
H H H
P N O
O S O P N
H Ir
R O S O
CO 2 H
Scheme 11. Proposed mechanism for FA dehydrogenation. Redrawn with a part of the
bisMETAMORPhos ligand based on Ref. 255.
Enthaler et al. synthesized a novel kind of ruthenium solid catalyst with polyformamidine
(PF) as the dual ligand/basic supports in the dehydrogenation of FA in DMF without basic
additives.256 The catalyst, denoted Ru&PPh3@PF, showed higher activity (TON: 325 for 3h)
than the unsupported [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 (TON: 37) under the same conditions. This is
attributed to the dual effect of polyformamidine which functions as both a ligand and a base.
However the catalytic activity decreased considerably in recycling experiments owing to
leaching of the ruthenium.
3.1.2. Aqueous solvent systems. Another outstanding example of FA dehydrogenation reported
by Laurenczy et al. is an aqueous system of HCO2H/HCO2Na using a ruthenium catalyst with a
water-soluble phosphine ligand, e.g., tppts.229,230 The TOF of 460 h−1 was observed at 120 °C
without the use of an organic amine, but instead a small amount of the inorganic base HCO2Na
was used for the activation of the catalyst. Constant hydrogen generation with total TON >
40,000 was achieved by continuous addition of formic acid. Interestingly, gas generation in a
closed vessel led to pressurization up to 750 bar. This suggests that the reaction was not inhibited
by system pressure. No CO was detected by FTIR analysis (detection limit of 3 ppm). The
reaction mechanism was subsequently investigated.257,258 Interesting aspects of the mechanism
include coordination of formate to Ru followed by β-hydride elimination to a stable CO2
complex [Ru(H)(H2O)(η2-CO2)(tppts)3]. After a series of ligand substitutions, a proposed
protonation of the hydride by coordinated formic acid forms a dihydrogen complex which expels
H2 and re-enters the catalytic cycle. Laurenczy and co-workers also investigated other water-
soluble phosphine ligands.259,260 A series of ruthenium complexes containing different
oligocationic, ammoniomethyl-substituted triarylphosphines was used to catalyze the
dehydrogenation of formic acid in aqueous media. A correlation between the catalytic
performance and the hydrophilic, electronic, and steric properties of the phosphines was
established. Catalyzed by a ruthenium complex with tppta (Chart 1) as the ligand, the
dehydrogenation of formic acid proceeded with a TOF of 1950 h−1 with well-defined tppta/Ru
ratios of 2:1 and 3:1 at 120 °C. Furthermore, the system of tppta/Ru (2:1) could retain high
activity for more than 30 runs by the addition of pure HCO2H at 90 °C and gave a total TON
over 10,000 after 10 h. Gonsalvi and Laurenczy et al. studied a series of monodentate aryl
sulfonated phosphines and selected tetrasulfonated diphosphines with Ru(III) and Ru(II) metal
precursors for aqueous-phase formic acid dehydrogenation.260 They found that a higher basicity
and hence a stronger σ-donation of the ligands promoted HCO2H dehydrogenation, while the
Ru/ligand ratio did not significantly affect the catalytic performance. The catalytic system of aryl
diphosphines (DPPBTS, DPPPTS, DPPETS, Chart 1) exhibited high stability. The MBTS (Chart
1) system showed good recycling capacity and could be used for up to 11 consecutive recharges.
Olah investigated the dehydrogenation of FA using ruthenium carbonyl complexes with
phosphine ligands in a toluene/water biphasic system.239,261 The use of surfactants (e.g., sodium
dodecyl sulfate or alkylammonium salts) to form emulsions provided a medium in which the
active catalyst could be formed in-situ from water soluble RuCl3 and formate and water insoluble
PPh3. While the surfactant was not required for catalysis, approximately 7-fold enhancement in
activity was observed in its presence. Characterization studies by NMR and IR spectroscopy and
X-ray crystallography revealed [Ru(PPh3)2(CO)2(HCO2)], [Ru(PPh3)3(CO)2], and binuclear
[Ru2(PPh3)2(CO)4(μ-HCO2)2] as products of the emulsion synthesis. In all mechanistic
investigations, caution is needed when presuming stable isolated species are active catalysts or
intermediates. In this case the authors tested authentic samples of each isolated complex for
formic acid dehydrogenation and found very low activity (< 2% of the best reaction) suggesting
minimal contribution to the overall catalysis. Joó et al. found that addition of sodium formate can
improve the reaction rate of the hydrogenation of itaconic acid with Na2[Ir(bmim)(4-cod)(tppts)]
in water.262 Moreover, CO2 was detected in the gas phase. This result indicated that the stable
NHC-Ir complex is capable of decomposing formate in aqueous solution.
Milstein's pincer complexes are extraordinary catalysts for FA dehydrogenation as well as
CO2 hydrogenation owing to the functional PNP ligands. The combination of pincer ligands with
non-precious metals is discussed in the following section. Milstein et al. reported a very rare
rhenium-based PNP pincer complex [Re(CO)2(P4)] (Chart 2)263 that showed similar behavior to
the Ru congeners they previously reported.178 The dearomatized [Re(CO)2(P4)] could generate
aromatized [ReH(CO)2(P3)] and [Re(CO)2(P5)] via a [1,3]-addition with H2 and CO2,
respectively, to the Re and the exo-cyclic methine carbon through metal-ligand cooperation. A
formato complex [Re(CO)2(P3)(OCHO)] was obtained by the reaction of the [Re(CO)2(P4)] with
formic acid. The formato complex [Re(CO)2(P3)(OCHO)] could liberate CO2 at high
temperature and generate the hydride complex [ReH(CO)2(P3)], which reformed the formato
complex by reaction with formic acid. When dehydrogenation of FA (11.7 mmol) was carried
out using [Re(CO)2(P3)(OCHO)] (0.03 mol%) in dioxane at 120 °C in the absence of base, CO2
and H2 were evolved without CO generation. Elevating the temperature to 180 °C shortened the
reaction time from 48 to 1 h. The FA dehydrogenation and transformation between these
complexes requiring much higher temperature than the Ru analogues suggests that the Re binds
the substrates much more strongly. The highly efficient PNP-Ir catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation
reported by Nozaki et al. also dehydrogenated formic acid in aqueous media.125 However, the
activity declined in the presence of water, unlike the case of CO2 hydrogenation. The high TOF
of 120,000 h−1 over the initial 1 min was obtained in tBuOH in the presence of Et3N. Pidko et al.
reported the PNP-pincer complex [RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3)] is highly active for CO2 hydrogenation as
well as the FA dehydrogenation in DMF/Et3N. A high TOF of 257,000 h−1 and TON of
1,063,000 (for 5 h) were achieved with continuous addition of FA at 90 °C in separate
experiments.131,132,186 The loss of volatile Et3N at 90 °C is a major problem for this system. When
non-nucleophilic DBU is used, the TOF decreased apparently to 93,100 h−1.
In 2008, Fukuzumi et al. reported FA dehydrogenation in aqueous solutions with half-
sandwich complexes with bidentate 2,2'-bipyridine derivatives.264 With the addition of HCO2Na,
the system gave a TON of 30 in 2 h at pH 3.8. The water-soluble heterodinuclear iridium-
ruthenium complex [Cp*Ir(OH2)(bpm)Ru(bpy)2](SO4)2 (bpm: 2,2'-bipyrimidine), which gave an
initial TOF of 426 h−1 for 20 min at room temperature in HCO2H/HCO2Na at pH 3.8, was
reported by Fukuzumi and co-workers.243 More recently, they demonstrated the dehydrogenation
of formic acid using a C,N-cyclometallated organo iridium complex bearing a proton-responsive
carboxylic acid.145 A maximum TOF of 1880 h−1 was obtained at pH 2.8 and 25 °C.
Xiao reported that C,N-cyclometallated iridium complexes based on 2-aryl imidazoline
ligands were highly efficient catalysts for FA dehydrogenation in Et3N.242 The initial TOF of
147,000 h−1 was obtained at 40 °C for 10 sec without CO formation. The suggested rate-limiting
step was hydride protonation, which involves participation of both formic acid and the distal NH
functional group in the imidazoline moiety (Scheme 12). As proof, methylation of the NH
functionality deactivated the imidazoline-based catalysts. Himeda et al. reported half-sandwich
complexes [Cp*IrL(OH2)]2+ (L = N3 - N7) for FA dehydrogenation in aqueous solutions.210 The
tetramethyl substituted biimidazole complex was the most effective and produced the high TOF
of 34,000 h−1 at 80 °C in 1 M FA solution. Ward and co-workers synthesized and evaluated a
series of known half-sandwich complexes.265 They found that [Cp*Ir(pz)(OH2)]+ (pz = 1-
phenylpyrazole) showed comparable activity to the most effective [Cp*Ir(pzCO2H)(OH2)]+ and
[Cp*Ir(N7)(OH2)]2+ complexes. The proton-responsive N,N-chelated complexes developed by
Himeda and co-workers are among the most effective catalysts for FA dehydrogenation owing to
several unique properties. The studies of these proton-responsive complexes are described in the
following section.
H H2
Ir Ir
H O H
H O
Ir H
OH N
Scheme 12. Proposed catalytic cycle for the FA dehydrogenation. Reproduced from Ref. 242
with permission from The Royal Society of Chemistry.
3.4.1. Electronic effects. Recently, significant progress in formic acid dehydrogenation with
half-sandwich complexes bearing a proton-responsive N,N- or C,N-chelating ligand has been
achieved.145,244 The electronic effect of the substituents in iridium complexes has been
investigated in the context of formic acid dehydrogenation in acidic solutions.141,244 Note that the
hydroxy-substituted complexes exist in their protonated forms in acidic solution. The TOF of
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ with hydroxy groups (p+ = −0.91) at the 4- and 4-positions was about
90 times higher than that of the unsubstituted analogue, [Cp*Ir(bpy)(OH2)]SO4 (Figure 7).
Hammett plots indicated that the initial TOF values correlate well with the Hammett constants of
the substituents on the ligands. The tendency is similar to that for CO2 hydrogenation, indicating
that an electron-donating ligand can improve the activity of the complex for both CO2
hydrogenation and FA dehydrogenation.
Figure 7. Hammett plot of the initial TOF vs. p+ value of the substituent (R) for a series of
complexes: [Cp*Ir(4,4′-R2-bpy)(OH2)]SO4 (R = OH, OMe, Me, H). The reaction was carried out
in the presence of catalysts (0.5–2.0 mM) at 60 °C in 10 mL of 1 M HCO2H. Redrawn based on
Ref. 244.
Recently, Himeda's group has incorporated electron-rich azole ligands (N3 - N7, Chart 4)
into the design of new catalysts, [Cp*Ir(Nn)(OH2)]2+ (n = 3 - 7).210 Complex [Cp*Ir(N7)(OH2)]2+
(N7 = tetramethyl biimidazole) showed excellent activity (TOF: 34,000 h−1 at 80 C) that is
higher than the TOF value of any other mononuclear complex yet reported for formic acid
dehydrogenation. Although the electron-donating ability of the azole ligand is sufficient for
activation of the catalyst in formic acid dehydrogenation, these complexes are not so effective in
catalyzing CO2 hydrogenation under basic conditions.210 By comparing azole complexes with
OH-substituted complexes, it is apparent that OH-substituted complexes offer more advantages
through their tunable activity and their capability to efficiently catalyze the reactions in both
directions in the interconversion of CO2/H2 and formic acid under different pH conditions.
3.4.2. Pendent-base effect changing RDS of formic acid dehydrogenation. The proton-
responsive complexes also allowed tunable activity in formic acid dehydrogenation. Interestingly,
the pH dependence of the reaction rate was markedly different for different complexes.
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+, [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+, and [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ bearing OH groups
at the ortho position exhibited bell-shaped rate vs. pH profiles (Figure 8).211 The initial TOF
peaks around pH 4.0, close to the pKa values of the complex (i.e., ligand OH groups) and formic
acid. Himeda et al. proposed that these results are due to the combined effect of the
deprotonation of the OH groups on the ligands (i.e., electronic effect) and the ionization of
formic acid with increasing solution pH. The deprotonation of the OH generates the much
stronger electron-donating –O− (phenoxide) at relatively higher pH, and thereby improves the
activity of the complex. On the other hand, an increase in formate concentration also contributes
to the improvement of the reaction rate via affecting the catalytic process (Step I, Scheme 13). In
contrast, complexes bearing no pendent OH groups, such as complex [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+,
[Cp*Ir(4,4'-(MeO)2-bpy)(OH2)]2+, and [Cp*Ir(6,6'-(MeO)2-bpy)(OH2)]2+, showed a strikingly
different pH dependence from that of complexes [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+, [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+,
and [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ (Figure 8). The initial TOF of these complexes merely decreased
with increasing solution pH. This tendency suggests that the proton concentration in the reaction
solution exhibited a much more important effect on the reaction rate (via Step III, Scheme 13)
for [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+. These results indicate that the different pH dependence between
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and complexes with the ortho OH [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ may be associated with their different catalytic mechanisms.
Figure 8. The pH dependence of the formic acid dehydrogenation rate using a)
[Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+; b) [Cp*Ir(4,4'-(MeO)2-bpy)(OH2)]2+; c) [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+; d)
[Cp*Ir(6,6'-(MeO)2-bpy)(OH2)]2+; e) [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+; and f) [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ in 10
mL HCO2H/HCO2Na solution (1 M) at 60 °C. The solution pH is adjusted by changing the ratio
of HCO2H and HCO2Na while keeping their total concentration constant (1 M). Reprinted with
permission from Ref. 211. Copyright (2014) WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co, KGaA,
Weinheim with slight modifications.
Formic acid dehydrogenation generally proceeds through three steps (Scheme 13): formation
of a formato complex B (Step I), release of CO2 via -hydride elimination to generate the Ir
hydride complex C (Step II), and production of H2 from the reaction of Ir–H and a proton (Step
III). To understand the different pH dependences, Himeda et al. carried out a mechanistic study
with KIE experiments using complexes [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+, [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+, and
[Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+. When the substrates or solvents were replaced with deuterated reagents, the
reaction rate decreased considerably. For [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+, the
KIE values are about 2 when DCO2D replaces HCO2H, while the KIE values are about 1 when
D2O replaces H2O. These results suggest that the deuterated formate substrate influences the
reaction rate to a greater extent than the deuterated solvent does, indicating that deuterated
formate is involved in the rate limiting step. Accordingly, it was proposed that, for
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+, the generation of Ir–H from the formato
complex (Step II, Scheme 13) should be rate-determining. This is consistent with the previously
reported DFT calculations.143 Therefore, increasing the solution pH from 2 to 4 could increase
the reaction rate (Figure 8, c and e) because it could facilitate the formation of the formato
intermediate (B) and enhance the rate, consistent with the report of Fukuzumi.243 The increased
reaction rate may be partially due to the deprotonation of the OH groups on the ligand, and
consequent increased electron-donating ability with increasing solution pH as discussed above.
In contrast, the KIE experiments with [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and proton non-responsive
complex [Cp*Ir(6,6'-(MeO)2-bpy)(OH2)]SO4 using D2O in place of H2O led to higher KIE
values (2.1) than when using DCO2D instead of HCO2H (1.4).266 Therefore, D2O or D+ is most
likely involved in the rate determining step. The reaction of Ir–H (C) with a proton to release
dihydrogen (Step III, Scheme 13) is proposed to be rate-limiting for [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+
and its MeO analogue. Therefore, a higher proton concentration (low pH) will lead to higher
reaction rates. The reaction rate will merely decrease with increasing pH of the reaction solution,
consistent with the pH dependence that was observed (Figure 8).
As mentioned above in the context of CO2 hydrogenation, the pendent –O− facilitates the
heterolysis of H2 by forming a proton relay incorporating a H2O molecule.143,146 Thus in the
reverse reaction, under acidic conditions, a water molecule and a hydroxy group at the ortho
position can also form a proton relay and assist the reaction of Ir–H with a proton. The proton
relay stabilizes the Ir–H2 transition state, lowering the free-energy barrier for generating H2 (Step
III, Scheme 13). Consequently, the -hydride elimination of the formato complex (Step II)
becomes the rate limiting step for the complexes bearing OH groups at ortho positions. In
contrast, proton non-responsive complexes and complex [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ bearing no
pendent bases have a relatively higher free-energy barrier for generating H2 from the Ir–H and a
proton (Step III), which remains rate limiting. Therefore, the different position of OH groups in
complexes [Cp*Ir(4DHBP)(OH2)]2+ and [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ results in the RDS changing
and consequently to a different pH dependence.
Scheme 13. Proposed mechanism and rate determining step changes influenced respectively by
solution pH and complexes with and without OH in ortho positions in formic acid
dehydrogenation. Redrawn based on Refs. 192,211.
3.4.3. Solution pH changing RDS of formic acid dehydrogenation. The above-mentioned KIE
studies were limited to the regime in which the reaction rates were increasing (see Figure 8). The
KIE results can explain the rate increase with increasing solution pH, but cannot explain the
reaction rate decrease with further increase of solution pH. The high catalytic activity of these
complexes at low pH and high pH above and below the peak motivated further studies of the
KIE values at pH values on both sides of the peak of the bell-shaped activity curve. Accordingly,
a KIE study was performed with complex [Cp*Ir(N9)(OH2)]2+, for which activity peaked at pH
2.8 as shown in the pH vs. rate profile (Figure 9).192 The KIE experiments were carried out in 1
M formic acid solution (pH 1.7) and 1 M HCO2H/HCO2Na (1/1) solution (pH 3.5). The results
suggest that at pH 1.7 DCO2D (KIE: 2.04) is more influential than D2O (KIE: 1.46) on the
reaction rate. Therefore, the -hydride elimination step (Scheme 13, Step II), which involves Ir–
D bond formation when DCO2D is used, was designated as the rate-determining step. This result
was consistent with the results for complex [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+. When a KIE study was
carried out at pH 3.5 using HCO2H/HCO2Na in the ratio of 1/1, the results were surprising. The
KIE value (2.70) using D2O is higher than that (1.48) using DCO2D/DCO2Na, suggesting that
H2O or H3O+ is involved in the rate determining step. Therefore, as shown in Scheme 13, the
RDS should be the H2 bond formation (Step III) when pH > 2.8. DFT calculations also supported
the KIE results. The calculated KIE values follow the same trends as the experiments shown.
More importantly, the calculated free energies of activation for the β-hydride elimination and H2
generation steps showed a clear reversal in magnitude upon changing the solution pH from 1.7 to
3.5. The experimentally observed dependence of KIEs on pH, taken together with the calculated
KIEs, supported the notion of a change in rate determining step from β-hydride elimination to H2
generation with increasing pH.
Based on the previous results that complexes with five-membered azole ligands are effective
for FA dehydrogenation owing to their high electron donating abilities, Himeda's group recently
designed a series of new catalysts by combining azole and pyridine or pyrimidine moieties
bearing pendent OH groups (N9 - N12, Chart 4).192 The pH-dependent initial TOFs of these
catalysts for FA dehydrogenation reaction (Figure 9) resemble those of [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+
and [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ (Figure 8). Moreover, these complexes showed extraordinary stability
and activity for FA dehydrogenation in water. The highest TOF of 332,000 h−1 was achieved in 4
M HCO2H/HCO2Na (7/3) with complex [Cp*Ir(N12)(OH2)]2+. Using [Cp*Ir(N9)(OH2)]2+ in 8
MPa at 100 °C, a TON > 400,000 and TOF of 173,000 h−1 were obtained in 4 h. The TOF was
increased to 269,000 h−1 in 4 M HCO2H/HCO2Na (98/2). An unprecedented TON of more than
2,050,000 was achieved in a 6 M FA solution with addition of FA (50 wt%) after 167 h at 60 °C
over 580 h. This catalyst currently represents the most durable and highest performing FA
dehydrogenation catalyst in water.
Figure 9. pH dependence of FA dehydrogenation using 100 M complex (a) [Cp*Ir(N9)(OH2)]2+,
(b) [Cp*Ir(N10)(OH2)]2+, (c) [Cp*Ir(N11)(OH2)]2+, (d) [Cp*Ir(N12)(OH2)]2+ in 1 M
HCO2H/HCO2Na (10 mL) solution at 60 °C. Ref. 192.
Another aspect of the role of pH on the control of catalytic hydrogenation/dehydrogenation
reactions has recently been explored theoretically by Wang et al.192 In addition to the effect of
pH on the thermochemistry of reaction steps that consume or release a proton, the concept of
speciation at each step of the reaction mechanism was examined. In particular, at a given pH
(e.g., the pH of the relevant experiment) catalyst species in different protonation states may co-
exist in solution, especially when the solution pH is near the average pKa of the protonated
hydroxy-substituted ligand. It was assumed that fast equilibration among protonation sites with
comparable pKa values could occur on the longer timescale of catalytic steps with large free-
energy barriers such as the -hydride elimination/CO2 insertion and H2 formation/H2 heterolysis
steps in the catalytic mechanism. With that assumption, the relevant protonation species at a
given step is simply the one with the lowest free energy. This is illustrated in Schemes 14 and 15
for the case of FA dehydrogenation by [Cp*Ir(N9)(OH2)]2+.
HO N OH O N OH
HO N O O N O
(17.9) (17.6) N N
(11.1) O (11.2)
O C +
O N OH -CO2, -H
N (7.8)
Ir III H
(5.2) N N
(5.2) (2.8) H 2O, H + H H
(2.8) O N OH
(1.7) (1.9) IrIII
HCO 2H (0.1) N N
(0.0) HC O -H2O, -H2
(-0.8)
O N OH O HO N OH
N (-1.8)
N IrIII
IrIII N N N O N OH
N H
Ir III N
(-11.2)
O N OH
IrIII N
Scheme 14. Proposed mechanism for HCO2H dehydrogenation by [Cp*Ir(N9)(OH2)]2+ at pH 1.7
and 333.15 K. The relative free energies are reported in units of kcal mol−1. Ref. 192.
(20.5) HO N OH O N OH
(17.9) N N
(15.4) (14.9)
(7.9) O C
(5.6) N
-CO2
Ir III O
N N H 2O, H + H H
(2.5) (1.9) (2.3) O N OH
(1.7) (0.0) N
IrIII
(0.0) HCO 2H,-H + (0.0) N N
(-0.8) -H2O, -H2
O N OH HC O
N O HO N O
Ir III N Ir III (-4.5)
In the energetic analysis of the proposed FA decomposition catalytic cycle, the free energies
associated with the most stable species for each reaction intermediate as shown in Schemes 14
and 15 connected by a solid black line were used. The color code for the protonation state of the
various entries at each step is shown by the color of the structures in the upper right corner of
each figure. The calculated free energies of activation, ΔG‡, at pH 1.7 for the β-hydride
elimination and H2 generation steps were 16.0 and 13.0 kcal mol−1, respectively, indicating that
the former is the rate-determining step (Scheme 14). On the other hand, at pH 3.5 the ΔG‡s were
15.4 kcal mol−1 for β-hydride elimination and 15.7 kcal mol−1 for H2 generation, indicating that
the latter was becoming the rate-determining step as the pH was increased (Scheme 15). These
calculated data indicate that β-hydride elimination is the rate-determining step at low pH, but the
free-energy cost for H2 generation increases with increasing pH. The catalyst exhibits the highest
rate at moderate pH when the ΔG‡s of the two steps are about the same, consistent with the
experimental observation of the bell shaped pH vs. rate profile (Figure 9) and, as suggested by
the KIE experiments, the H2 generation step becoming rate-determining with a further increase in
pH.
Most catalysts used for the transformation of CO2 contain precious metals such as Ir, Rh, Ru,
etc. In order to decrease the catalyst cost, a number of catalysts with earth-abundant metals have
been developed. In 2009, Wills reported results of screening tests using CoCl2, FeCl3, FeCl2, and
NiCl2 in FA/Et3N at 120 °C.232 Later Beller investigated various non-precious metal-base
complexes under photolytic conditions.267 The use of an in-situ catalyst from [Fe3(CO)12] with
triphenylphosphine and 2,2:62-terpyridine in FA/Et3N (5:1) yielded the TON of 1266 after 51
h.268 Unfortunately, the catalyst systems showed low activity and poor selectivity. The activity
and stability of the iron-based catalyst was improved significantly by using a tetradentate
phosphine ligand (PP3: P(CH2CH2PPh2)3). The very high TOF of 9425 h−1 and TON of 92,417 at
80 °C were observed in propylene carbonate without further additives.233 Subsequently, they
reported the results of a detailed investigation of the effect of various ligands, metal salts, solvent,
and additives (e.g., chloride, fluoride, formate).269 The addition of water resulted in a decrease in
catalytic activity. The iron η2-formate [Fe(η2-O2CH)(PP3)] was identified as the key active
species for the catalysis by DFT and spectroscopic investigations (IR, Raman, UV-vis, XAS);
however, this active species was deactivated in the presence of chloride ions. Subsequently,
Yang and Ahlquist et al. reported the mechanism of the FA dehydrogenation catalyzed by
[FeH(PP3)]+ through DFT calculations. Yang et al.270 showed that the β-hydride elimination
process is the rate-limiting step, and the neutral pathway beginning with direct hydrogen transfer
from HCO2− to Fe is less beneficial than the β-hydride elimination pathway, while Ahlquist et
al.271 considered that the neutral pathway is the appropriate one. They also proposed that only
one site is used despite there being two possible active sites on the catalyst, as one of the
hydrides is not involved in the reaction.
Milstein et al.235,263 applied iron-based PNP pincer complexes [(tBu-PNP)Fe(H)2(CO)] (tBu-
PNP = 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)pyridine) as catalysts for the dehydrogenation of
FA. The reaction in dioxane in the presence of 50 mol% Et3N at 40 °C led to a total TON of
100,000 in 10 days. The poor activity in water is likely to be due to low solubility of the catalyst.
Hazari's and Schneider's groups234 reported Lewis acid assisted FA dehydrogenation catalyzed
by iron-based PNP pincer complexes Fe(RPNHP) (RPNHP = HN{CH2CH2(PR2)}2; R = iPr or Cy,
see Scheme 16a) in dioxane without the need for an external base. The presence of Lewis acid
(LA) co-catalysts provided the high TOF of 196,700 h−1 and TON of 1,000,000 in 9.5 h in
dioxane at 80 °C. Unfortunately, CO (less than 0.5%) was detected in the produced gas mixture.
Scheme 16b shows the LA assisted decarboxylation of a key iron formate intermediate.234
Berben et al. reported that aluminum pincer complexes with the phenyl-substituted
bis(imino)pyridine (PhI2P) ligands showed the high initial TOF of 5200 h−1 in Et3N/THF at 65 °C
without CO production.236 They characterized each of the elementary steps in the catalytic cycle.
The complex (PhI2P2-)Al(THF)H reacted with 3 eq. of HCO2H to afford the doubly protonated
species as a resting state. They proposed that -hydride elimination from the doubly protonated
form affords an Al-H intermediate, which smoothly releases H2 upon protonation (Scheme
17).236
Scheme 16. Proposed pathways for decarboxylation in absence and presence of a Lewis acid
(LA). Ref. 234. Copyright 2014 American Chemical Society.
Scheme 17. Proposed mechanism for FA dehydrogenation by (PhI2P2-)Al(THF)H based on Ref.
Although the concept using CO2 for hydrogen storage was proposed about thirty years ago,216
an efficient hydrogen storage cycle using CO2 has remained an elusive challenge. Through the
significant progress in CO2 hydrogenation and FA dehydrogenation, the interconversion between
CO2/H2 and formic acid/formate appears to be the most promising strategy. However, catalysts
capable of promoting both reactions are quite limited. Moreover, efficient catalysts for both
reactions have scarcely been reported.
In 1994, Leitner and coworkers251 reported the first reversible hydrogen storage process
using a FA/Et3N/acetone system with the in-situ catalyst [Rh(cod)(-Cl)2]/dppb (dppb = 1,2-
bis(diphenylphosphino)butane). The CO2 hydrogenation exhibited a TOF of 54 h−1 under 40 atm
H2/CO2 (1/1) and the FA dehydrogenation gave a TOF of 30 h−1 at room temperature. The rate
was low; only one and a half cycles were achieved after 90 h. Puddephatt and coworkers used a
dinuclear Ru complex [Ru2(μ-CO)(CO)4(μ-dppm)2] for CO2 hydrogenation in the presence of
Et3N and obtained a TON of 2160 after 21 h under 1020 psi of H2/CO2 (1/1) in acetone at room
temperature.247 For the dehydrogenation of FA, the reaction rate is about 70 h−1 at 20 °C.272
Although the dinuclear complex could catalyze both reactions, no consecutive reversible reaction
was examined. The Nozaki group has reported one of the most efficient CO2 hydrogenation to
formate systems using a PNP-Ir pincer complex in H2O/THF with KOH as a base. However, this
catalyst is not effective for the reverse reaction using the same solvents and additives.125 When
employing the organic base triethanolamine (TEOA), the catalyst could promote both reactions
in water, albeit with a significant decrease in the catalytic performance. For instance, when
TEOA was used instead of KOH, the maximum TOF decreased from 73,000 to 14,000 h−1 for
CO2 hydrogenation. For FA dehydrogenation, the reaction could proceed when NaOH was
replaced with TEOA, although the TOF was only 1000 h−1.
Using [RuCl2(C6H6)2]2 and dppm, Beller and co-workers studied the hydrogenation of
bicarbonates and carbonates in H2O/THF and dehydrogenation of formate in H2O/DMF.273 The
hydrogenation of bicarbonate alone with 80 bar H2 at 70 °C gave a TON of 1108 after 2 h. The
TON was improved to 1731 with the addition of 30 bar CO2 and a decrease in H2 pressure to 50
bar. Upon using sodium carbonate instead of sodium bicarbonate under 80 bar H2/CO2 (5/3), the
TON decreased to 1038. Furthermore, when LiOH, NaOH or KOH was used as a base additive,
LiOH gave the best TON. These results suggested that, in addition to the catalyst, a base additive
should be carefully selected in order to achieve high performance. The dehydrogenation of
formate using the same catalyst was performed at 60 °C in DMF/H2O (20/5 mL) by varying the
cations including Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+. Lithium formate gave the highest TOF of 2923
h−1, while the released gas contained 33.7% CO2 which was higher than the case of HCO2Na
(8.3%). Therefore HCO2Na was selected as a substrate despite the TOF being slightly lower
(2592 h−1). Two sets of consecutive hydrogenation/dehydrogenation sequences were
demonstrated. In sequence I, the dehydrogenation of sodium formate in DMF/H2O (v/v 4/1)
produced more than 90% conversion, while the following hydrogenation of sodium bicarbonate
with 80 bar H2 in THF/H2O (v/v 1/2) gave back sodium formate with 80% yield. In sequence II,
the first hydrogenation of bicarbonate afforded formate with 95% yield, and the following
dehydrogenation reverted back to sodium bicarbonate and H2 with 80% yield. Since the
dehydrogenation/hydrogenation reactions used different organic solvents and water, it was
necessary to remove solvents before the next step.
To couple these two half-cycles easily, Joó et al. used water soluble [RuCl2(tppms)2]2 to
perform the hydrogenation of bicarbonate and dehydrogenation of formate in pure aqueous
solution without organic co-solvents.274 For the dehydrogenation of sodium formate, the complex
gave a TON of 120 at 80 °C in 1 h corresponding to a 47% yield. The combination of the two
half-cycles was demonstrated in an NMR scale reaction using [RuCl2(tppms)2]2/tppms in
aqueous NaH13CO3. The hydrogenation gave H13CO2Na with a yield of 90% at 83 °C and 100
bar in 200 min. Subsequently, the dehydrogenation was initiated by releasing the pressure and
heating to 83 °C. As expected, 40–50% of the formate was converted back to H2/CO2, which
suggests that half the H2 storage capacity of this system can be utilized. The
hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycle was repeated three times in 2.5 days.
Fachinetti first reported the hydrogenation of CO2 in the presence of Et3N to give a
HCO2H/Et3N adduct using a [RuCl2(PMe3)4] complex without solvents.275 A HCO2H/Et3N
adduct with acid/amine ratio of 1.78 was obtained within hours at 40 °C under 120 bar H2/CO2
(1/1). Since the catalyst can also promote the dehydrogenation under the reaction conditions, the
reaction reached equilibrium at a certain temperature and pressure. Catalyst deactivation by
treatment with KCN was required to avoid the reverse decomposition reaction during distillation
of the product. Later, Beller and Laurenczy et al. investigated the formic acid/amine adducts as
hydrogen storage media.276 From an economic viewpoint, the solvent-free reaction is preferred;
however, a polar solvent such as DMF is required for high yield. Using the in-situ catalyst
[RuCl2(C6H6)2]/dppe, dehydrogenation of FA in the presence of N,N-dimethylhexylamine
afforded a TOF of 47,970 h−1 at 80 °C.276 With constant addition of FA, the highest TON of
800,000 was achieved. For CO2 hydrogenation, Et3N was superior among several other organic
bases tested. They achieved the high FA/Et3N ratio of 2.31 (TON = 3190) in DMF using the
well-defined complex [RuH2(dppm)2] instead of the in-situ catalyst. Building upon these results,
a reversible H2 storage system was developed by [RuH2(dppm)2]-catalyzed interconversion
between CO2/H2 and FA/Et3N. The initial cycle was carried out with 2 mL Et3N and 20 mL
DMF in an autoclave under 60 bar H2/CO2 (1/1) for 16 h at room temperature. Then the
dehydrogenation started simply by releasing the pressure and stirring. However, replacement of
the amine after each run was required owing to the loss of Et3N in the turbulent H2/CO2 gas
evolution process. Slight deactivation was observed after 7 cycles.
Plietker et al. reported a rechargeable hydrogen battery using H2/CO2 and HCO2H/DBU
catalyzed by a [Ru(PNNP)(CH3CN)(Cl)] complex (Chart 1).128 The autoclave was filled with
DBU and catalyst and then charged with 20 g dry ice and 70 bar H2 at room temperature. When
heated to 100 °C, the pressure reached 140 bar. After 2.5 h, the pressure had dropped to 100 bar
and the reaction was over. Cooling the autoclave to room temperature prevented the
dehydrogenation of the product, while elevated temperature is required to trigger the H2 release.
This system is much easier to control than previous ones, and five charging-discharging cycles
were achieved.
Enthaler et al. reported the synthesis, characterization and application of nickel complexes
modified by a PCP pincer ligand.277 This work enabled the first hydrogen storage and release
cycle performed by a well-defined nickel catalyst [Ni(P7)H]. The formate complex
[Ni(P7)(OCHO)] is an important intermediate in the catalytic cycle of interconversion of
CO2/FA. For dehydrogenation of FA/nOctNMe2 (11/10), complex [Ni(P7)H] achieves a TON of
626 at 80 °C after 3 h with propylene carbonate as solvent. The amine additives and solvents
greatly impact the activity. No reaction was observed without amines, and substituting other
solvents for propylene carbonate diminished productivity of the catalyst by 30-50%. The reverse
reaction, hydrogenation of CO2, was ineffective in the presence of nOctNMe2, but hydrogenation
of sodium bicarbonate in MeOH was accomplished with a TON of 3000 after 20 h at 150 °C
under 55 bar H2.
Pidko reported a highly efficient system using a pincer PNP-Ru complex for reversible
hydrogen storage.132 Based on the high activity of complex [RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3)] for both
reactions as summarized above, they performed cyclic operation with 1.42 mol
[RuH(Cl)(CO)(P3)] in DMF/DBU (30/5 mL) at 65 and 90 °C, respectively, for the loading and
releasing processes. The DBU was superior to Et3N, both for its high FA loading capacity and
low loss in the hydrogen release process. With alternating high- (40 bar) and low-pressure (5 bar)
loading procedures in less than 3 h and hydrogen liberation in less than 1 h, 10 storage-release
cycles were achieved without catalyst deactivation over a week.
Very recently, Olah and co-workers reported an amine-free reversible hydrogen storage
system using commercially available Ru pincer complexes (See Table 2).245 The PNP–Ru
complex can catalyze the hydrogenation of CO2 or bicarbonate to formate in a mixture of water
and organic solvent such as THF, DMF, and 1,4-dioxane at 70-85 °C under 40-80 bar of H2 or H2
and/ CO2. The dehydrogenation of sodium formate with the same catalyst (20 mol) at 69 °C
afforded an initial TOF of 286 and a TON of 1000 after 4.5 h with complete transformation of
formate. Consecutive charge and discharge processes were performed with the PNP-Ru complex
for six cycles without loss in activity and a total TON of 11,500 was obtained. It is worth noting
that more than a 90 % yield was achieved in both directions.
Some water soluble proton responsive complexes have been developed for the catalytic
interconversion of H2/CO2 and FA/formate in water. The activity showed apparent pH
dependence, therefore, the reaction direction could be controlled by adjusting the solution pH.
Fukuzumi et al. reported a C,N-cyclometalated water-soluble iridium complex,
[Cp*Ir(N1)(OH2)]+, for interconversion between H2/CO2 and FA at ambient temperature and
pressure in water by controlling pH.145 A K2CO3 (0.1 M) solution containing the Ir complex was
bubbled with H2/CO2 (1/1) under atmospheric pressure at pH 7.5 and 30 °C. A TOF of 6.8 h−1
was obtained, and the TON reached 100 after 15 h. The dehydrogenation gave a maximum TOF
of 1880 h−1 at pH 2.8 and 25 °C. No consecutive hydrogenation/dehydrogenation was
demonstrated.
The roles of electron donor and pendent base have been demonstrated to be important for the
activation of a functional complex containing a proton responsive ligand. To fulfill the dual
activation of the complex, Himeda et al. designed and synthesized tetrahydroxy-substituted
mononuclear [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ and dinuclear [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+.142,146 The activity of
these complexes is significantly improved over that of their dihydroxy analogues. For CO2
hydrogenation, the catalytic activity of [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ and [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ is
similar and more than double that of [Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+.146 Especially noteworthy is the
unprecedented activity of [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ toward both CO2 hydrogenation (TOF: 70 h−1,
25 °C, 1 atm H2/CO2) and formic acid dehydrogenation (TOF: 228,000 h−1, 90 °C, Scheme 18).
This complex has been demonstrated to be the most effective catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation and
formic acid dehydrogenation in an aqueous medium. Using this complex, reversible hydrogen
storage in aqueous media near ambient conditions was achieved. In the reaction solution, the
catalyst can be reused at least twice by simply adjusting the pH by addition of acid and base in
each cycle. The extraordinary activity of [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ is attributed to the synergistic
effect between the ligand's roles as electron-donor and pendent base (−OH). Comparison of the
performance of [Cp*Ir(N2)(OH2)]2+ and [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+ over that of
[Cp*Ir(6DHBP)(OH2)]2+ indicates that while a dinuclear metal center effect is apparent, it is of
secondary importance to the enhanced electronic effect.
HCO2 H
High pH Low pH
H2 Catalyst H2
TOF up to 70 h-1 TOF up to 228,000 h -1
25 o C, 1 atm TON up to 308,000
Scheme 18. High turnover formate-based hydrogen storage system for carbon neutral energy
applications at near ambient temperature and pressure using complex [(Cp*IrCl)2(THBPM)]2+.
Ref. 142,146.
O Bu
NH P
MeO OMe t
Ru Bu
H OMe Cat 1 or 2
nH2 MeOH Cat 1, Ru(P10)(H)(CO)
n = 2,3 t
R N OMe
O Ru Bu
Me Me N
N N CO
Cat 2, Ru(P6)(H)(CO)
Scheme 19. MeOH generation from catalytic hydrogenation of alkyl formate, carbonate,
carbamate, and urea derivatives. Based on Ref. 278.
Conversion of CO2 to salicylic acid, alkyl carbonates and urea derivatives is one of the
widely used methods for CO2 fixation.3,5 However, highly toxic phosgene, is still used for
synthesis of isocyanates, polycarbonates and polyurethanes, and the replacement of phosgene by
CO2 is highly desirable. These conversions are thermodynamically downhill reactions.
Furthermore, transformations of CO2 and H2 to fuels such as MeOH279,280 are also downhill
reactions, but are difficult to carry out.281,282 Reports with homogeneous catalysts are scarce in
the literature. Milstein and co-workers employed urea derivatives, organic carbonates,
carbamates and formates as substrates for the synthesis of methanol catalyzed by dearomatized
PNN-Ru(II) pincer complexes [Ru(P6)(H)(CO)] and [Ru(P10)(H)(CO)] under mild conditions
(Scheme 19).278 This study provided an effective route for the indirect hydrogenation of CO2 to
methanol. For the substrate dimethyl carbonate, the high TON of 4400 was obtained with
[Ru(P10)(H)(CO)], Cat 1, under 50 atm H2 at 110 °C for 14 h. Under the same conditions, a
TON of 4700 for MeOH was achieved for the methyl formate substrate. Interestingly,
hydrogenation of carbamate derivatives with Cat 1 gave the corresponding amines and MeOH.
The carbonyl group was reduced to give MeOH, unlike the common hydrogenolysis with Pd/C
that releases CO2. The transformation to methanol even proceeded well in the absence of solvent
without any waste or byproduct, representing the definitions of "green" and "atom economy"
reactions. The excellent catalytic capability for substrates with different structures suggests that
PNN ligands (P6 and P10, Chart 2) could incorporate a range of compounds. Their remarkable
catalytic properties suggest that they are capable of breaking C-N and C-O bonds along with the
simultaneous reduction of a carbonyl group. In addition, Milstein et al. proposed a hydrogenation
mechanism for the dimethyl carbonate substrate based on the process of ligand aromatization-
dearomatization as shown in Scheme 20.278 Their mechanism suggests that the protonation and
deprotonation of the benzylic arm is important for hydrogen transfer and the reduction of the
carbonate and formaldehyde intermediates to facilitate the generation of MeOH.278 Urea
derivatives were also hydrogenated by Cat 1 to amines and MeOH.283 Hydrogenation of 1,3-
dimethylurea under 1.36 MPa H2 at 110 °C with 2 mol% Cat 1 produced 93 % yield of MeOH
after 72 h. Various alkyl and aryl urea derivatives were also tested, and moderate to good yields
were obtained. Surprisingly, even the tetra-substituted ureas could also be reduced to generate
MeOH in moderate yields. A stepwise hydrogenation is suggested because a trace of formamides
could be observed. The cleavage of a C-N bond releases a formamide intermediate which is then
rapidly hydrogenated to give MeOH and an amine.
N H Pt Bu2 MeOH
N CO Me
N H Pt Bu2
N O Pt Bu2
N Ru
O Et2 H CO N
Et2 H CO
MeO OMe
H H OMe H
N O PtBu2 N O Pt Bu2
Et2 H CO Et2 H CO
HH MeOH
MeOH OMe OMe
N O Pt Bu2 Ru
Ru H2 Et2 H CO
Scheme 20. Proposed mechanism for MeOH production from catalytic hydrogenation of alkyl
formate and carbonate by Ru(P6)(H)(CO). Based on Ref. 278.
Later, Yang investigated the mechanism of dimethyl carbonate hydrogenation to MeOH with
complex Cat 2 (see Scheme 19) using density functional theory.284 Three cascade catalytic cycles
involving the splitting of three H2 and the generation of three MeOH molecules by the
hydrogenation of dimethyl carbonate, methyl formate, and formaldehyde were proposed. Similar
proton transfer steps were proposed for each hydrogenation reaction. The rate-determining step
of the overall reaction was found in the hydrogenation of methyl formate step that involved a
transition state from which cleavage of the C–O bond in MeOCH2O− was accompanied by
transfer of a methylene proton from the benzylic arm to the leaving MeO− group. The overall
free energy barrier of 28.1 kcal mol−1 is in good agreement with the observed TOF of 24 h−1.
Based on this calculation, Yang proposed an iron pincer complex, [trans-(PNN)Fe(H)2(CO)], as
an alternative catalyst in which the free energy barrier of the rate-determining step is lowered by
3.4 kcal mol-1.
Dimethyl carbonate is rather difficult to synthesize from CO2, which limits its potential
application in the indirect method for MeOH production from CO2. On the other hand, ethylene
carbonate is readily obtainable from CO2 insertion into ethylene oxide, which is
thermodynamically favorable. Ding et al. reported the hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate with
a pincer Ru(II) complex bearing a N-H functional group.285 [Ru(P2)(H)(Cl)(CO)] (see Scheme
21) catalyzed the hydrogenation of various cyclic carbonates, even the polycarbonates, into
MeOH and the corresponding diols at 50 atm H2 and 140 °C. The observation that the N-Me
substituted complex showed no activity for this reaction, implicates the N-H group as a critical
component. It is supposed that the N-H forms a hydrogen bond with the carbonyl substrate and
assists the proton transfer to generate 1,3-dioxolan-2-ol as the initial reduction intermediate. The
reduction also goes through multistep reductions involving intermediates of 2-
hydroxyethylformate, 2-(hydroxymethoxy)ethanol, and formaldehyde.
Scheme 21. MeOH production from catalytic hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate and proposed
mechanism. Redrawn based on the results in Ref. 285.
Generation of methanol directly from CO2 requires direct electro-reduction or high pressure
H2, but the selectivity and yield are limited. On the other hand, formic acid is relatively easy to
access from CO2 as mentioned above. In 2013, Miller and Goldberg et al. reported
disproportionation of formic acid to methanol using [Cp*Ir(bpy)(OH2)](OTf)2 as a catalyst.286
The decomposition of FA usually releases H2 and CO2 by dehydrogenation or produces CO
and H2O by dehydration. Their study demonstrated for the first time that FA could be converted
to MeOH, water and CO2 with the Ir complex in aqueous solution at 80 °C. They estimated the
thermodynamics of FA disproportionation using electrochemical standard potentials and found
that both pathways shown in eq. 12 (disproportionation of FA to folmaldehyde) and eq. 13
(direct formation of MeOH) are possible.286
2 HCO2H (aq) → H2CO (aq) + H2O (aq) + CO2 (g) ΔGº298 = –11.9 kcal mol−1 (12)
3 HCO2H (aq) → CH3OH (aq) + H2O (aq) + 2 CO2 (g) ΔGº298 = –23.5 kcal mol−1 (13)
Furthermore, their investigations using D2O and DCO2D showed that the existing C–H (or C–D)
bond of formic acid is preserved during the reduction, indicating that the formaldehyde is an
intermediate as shown in Scheme 22. Under optimized conditions of low catalyst loading (12.5
mM), low temperature (60 °C), low solution pH (0.4), and high FA concentration (12 M), they
obtained the highest MeOH selectivity of 12 % corresponding to a TON of 70. Although the
highest TON for methanol production was merely 200 after 120 h, this study provided a
promising approach to MeOH generation directly from FA.
Scheme 22. Proposed mechanism of FA disproportionation to methanol with
[Cp*Ir(bpy)(OH2)]2+ in water, based on Ref. 286.
Soon after that, Cantat et al. reported significantly improved yields of FA disproportionation
to MeOH using ruthenium catalysts.287 Using the precursor [Ru(cod)(methylallyl)2], an
additional triphos (CH3C(CH2PPh2)3) ligand, and MSA (methanesulfonic acid), they achieved
the highest selectivity for FA disproportionation to MeOH in a THF solution at 150 °C.
Consistent with the report of Miller et al.,286 high FA concentration and low pH were favorable
for the FA disproportionation, while high pressure and temperature (150 °C) were required by
the Ru complex. Their mechanistic study included treatment of the isolated intermediate (and
active catalyst), [Ru(triphos)(κ1-HCO2)(κ2-HCO2)] with 2 equivalents formic acid after which
CH3OH, H2, and CO2 were detected. This experiment showed that MeOH is formed by transfer
hydrogenation of formic acid but not from hydrogenation of CO2. A theoretical analysis
suggested hydride migration from Ru-H to a formyl ligand forming a coordinated acetal which
dissociates, dehydrates to formaldehyde and is reduced to methanol. Although the Ru complex is
less reactive for FA dehydrogenation than the Ir complex, it showed high selectivity for
methanol production. These two studies suggest that complexes that are inactive for FA
dehydrogenation are more likely to be effective for FA disproportionation. This observation
might help in finding more efficient catalysts for this promising transformation.
Noting the difficulty of one-step synthesis of MeOH from CO2, Sanford et al. approached
this challenge using a multiple-step method.288 This strategy involves several catalysts to
promote a three step cascade catalysis sequence of: (a) FA generation from CO2 and H2; (b)
transformation of FA to a formate ester; and (c) MeOH production by hydrogenation of the ester
(Scheme 23). Actually, a series of different catalysts have been used in a single vessel to promote
various steps of CO2 reduction.289 The distinct advantage of this approach is that the rate and
selectivity of each step are tunable simply by changing the catalyst. Conversely, this is also a
disadvantage because of the potential incompatibility of three kinds of catalysts. The catalyst
bearing the highest activity cannot be used directly for the whole catalytic reaction because the
compatibility has to be verified by elaborate screening experiments. Under optimized conditions,
CO2 hydrogenation/esterification occurred with 40 turnovers, while separately the hydrogenation
of the ester yielded methanol quantitatively at 135 °C. In the one-pot reaction using three
catalysts, only the low TON of 2.5 for MeOH was obtained. A vapor transfer method in which
catalysts A and B in an inner vessel were separated from catalyst C in an outer vessel was used
to avoid the deactivation of catalyst C by Sc(OTf)3 (Scheme 24). The deactivation was thus
prevented, while the generated methyl formate was transferred into the outer vessel simply by
elevating the reaction temperature to 135 °C. The hydrogenation of the ester proceeded smoothly
in the outer vessel and an improved overall TON of 21 for MeOH was achieved.
Scheme 23. Hydrogenation of CO2 to MeOH with a strategy of cascade catalysis and catalysts
used. Ref. 288. Copyright 2011 American Chemical Society.
Scheme 24. A simple method to avoid incompatibility of applied catalysts for cascade catalytic
CO2 hydrogenation. Ref. 288. Copyright 2011 American Chemical Society.
At present, most of the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to MeOH requires the addition of an
alcohol or amine to transform CO2 to an alkyl formate, carbonate or urea first. Leitner and co-
workers demonstrated via comprehensive mechanistic studies that a Ru triphos complex,
[Ru(triphos)(TMM)] (TMM = trimethylenemethane), can catalyze the direct hydrogenation of
CO2 to MeOH as shown in Scheme 25.290 The Ru complex with one equivalent of
bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (HNTf2) gave a TON of 603 for MeOH under CO2/H2 (20/60
bar at room temperature) after recharging the H2/CO2 three times at 140 °C. The initial TOF of
70 h−1 indicates that the catalytic activity is comparable to the most effective heterogeneous
system. Their experiments revealed that the resting state is a formate complex, [Ru(triphos)(η2-
O2CH)(solvent)]+, while other complexes isolated from the reaction mixture
([Ru(triphos)(H)(CO)2]+, [Ru2(μ-H)2(triphos)2] and [Ru(triphos)(H)(CO)(Cl)]) are inactive
catalysts and are therefore deactivation pathways. A theoretical mechanism predicted hydride
migration from Ru to the formic acid ligand in [Ru(triphos)(H)(H2)(HCO2H)]+ as a crucial step
in formation of a Ru hydroxymethanolate species with a 15.5 kcal mol−1 energy barrier.
(Triphos)Ru(TMM) PPh2
(6.3 mol)
MeOH + H2O Ph2P
CO2 + 3H2 Ru
140 oC, 24 h
P H /CO = 6/2 MPa P
2 2 TON = 603 Ph2
THF, EtOH, HNTf 2 + acid
(Triphos)Ru(TMM)
CH3OH P3Ru H + CO2
methanol carbon
+ H2 dioxide
+ O +
P3Ru OCH3 P3Ru H
form- H formic
aldehyde + + H2 acid
O H
+ H2 P3Ru
Scheme 25. MeOH production from direct catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 and proposed
mechanism based on Ref. 290.
In this review, we have described CO2 hydrogenation as an alternative method for so-called
artificial photosynthesis to produce fuels, such as formate/formic acid and methanol, with good
selectivity and high efficiency. Recent progress in CO2 hydrogenation using homogeneous
catalysts has been remarkable and, combined with formic acid dehydrogenation without
producing detectable CO, contributes greatly to the realization of a hydrogen economy.
For CO2 hydrogenation, an inexpensive and green source of H2 is needed in contrast to the
industrial reforming of natural gas. While H2 could be produced by electrolysis of water in the
presence of a catalyst using solar generated-electricity, obtaining high pressure H2 for storage
and transportation requires additional energy input and engineering considerations. Thus, the
storage of H2 in formic acid as a transportable liquid is attractive provided the technology for
clean conversion of CO2/H2 and formic acid under mild conditions is developed. For this purpose,
scientists have been applying various strategies including utilization of solvents, additives, and
the design of sophisticated catalysts. With basic amine additives, solvent-free systems can be
achieved, although in most cases an organic solvent such as DMSO or DMF is required. The
formate/amine system generally exhibits higher catalytic performance than an aqueous system
with the one drawback of losing volatile amines during the hydrogen release process. A few
aqueous systems with Cp*Ir catalysts in high formic acid concentrations (4 M to almost pure
FA) show promising results. Such a system is ecofriendly and easier to operate. Therefore,
development of efficient and water-soluble catalysts for aqueous FA systems is highly desirable.
Water soluble phosphine ligands and PNP-type pincer complexes have been applied in aqueous
systems with considerable success, although the latter require a small amount of organic co-
solvent. As for additives, the addition of bases can greatly promote the reaction, but it also
results in a product separation problem. To obtain formic acid for the regeneration of H2 or use in
fuel cells, additional acid must be added to neutralize the formate. Application of ionic liquids to
facilitate the evaporation of formic acid is a promising solution to this problem. Moreover, the
separation of formic acid is not necessary because the direct use of the formate-containing
system for hydrogen regeneration has also been achieved. As an alternative to the use of a base
in CO2 hydrogenation, a Lewis acid is a useful additive for H2 release from formic acid. To
reduce the cost, catalysis with earth-abundant metals such as Fe or Co is highly desirable, and
considerable progress has been achieved. However, the high stability of certain hydride species
sometimes requires large (e.g., stoichiometric) amounts of expensive additives such as Verkade's
base to produce a vacant coordination site for catalytic hydrogenation reactions. It is still
questionable whether the real cost is reduced considering the relatively lower activity and
durability of such catalysts compared to the currently widely used platinum-group catalysts.
Development of catalysts with non-noble metals is an important subject for further research;
nevertheless exploration of highly active and durable platinum-group catalysts is still worth
pursuing.
The most important aspect of future research is the design of efficient and durable catalysts
for CO2 transforming systems. Innovative ligands with functional groups that contribute to
improved activity through metal-ligand cooperation have shown promise. These non-innocent
ligands include electro-responsive ligands capable of gaining or losing one or more electrons,
ligands having a hydrogen bonding function, proton-responsive ligands capable of gaining or
losing one or more protons and photo-responsive ligands capable of undergoing a useful change
in properties upon irradiation. Theoretical calculations are frequently used to predict and explain
these non-innocent ligand effects because the specific contributions of the ligand are often
difficult to resolve experimentally. Pincer complexes efficiently activate small molecules such as
H2 and CO2 via unique de-aromatization reactions and/or hydrogen-bonding interactions.
Catalysts designed to mimic enzymes such as hydrogenases are also very successful. The bio-
inspired proton-responsive complexes bearing hydroxy groups at ortho positions to the
coordinating N atoms in aromatic N-heterocyclic ligands exhibited extraordinary activity for the
catalytic transformation of H2/CO2 in aqueous solution under mild conditions. While electronic
effects of the substituents are important, the pendent bases in the second coordination sphere of
such ligands greatly improve the catalytic activity through the smooth movement of protons.
Kinetic isotope effects and computational studies provide clear evidence for the involvement of a
water molecule in the rate-determining heterolysis of H2 in CO2 hydrogenation that accelerates
proton transfer through the formation of a water bridge. Solution pH alters the rate determining
step for H2 generation from formic acid with these bio-inspired complexes. These unique
properties, similar to those of enzymes, demonstrated the remarkable success of learning from
nature. We believe innovative explorations to improve metal catalysts via the rational design of
ligands (i.e., electronic and geometric effects, proton-responsive properties, pendent bases in the
second-coordination sphere, etc.) to promote reactions under mild conditions, and to optimize the
use of water as a solvent are essential for creating carbon-neutral energy sources and for
avoiding catastrophic global warming.
Although homogeneously catalyzed hydrogenation of CO2 to MeOH is rather difficult to
achieve, significant progress has been made through indirect hydrogenation of formate,
carbonate, or urea, disproportionation of formic acid, multiple-step synthesis and, most recently,
direct CO2 hydrogenation by a Ru triphos complex. Development of efficient non-noble metal
catalysts and metal-free organo-catalysts such as frustrated Lewis pairs will be important
directions. Great attention is devoted to the transformation of CO2 to fuels, and the likelihood of
significant successes in the near future is quite high.
Wan-Hui Wang was born in 1982 in Shandong, China. He received his B.S. and M.S. from
University of Jinan and his Ph.D. from Saitama University under the guidance of Professor T.
Hirose. In 2011, he began his postdoctoral research with Y. Himeda at National Institute of
Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). In 2014, he joined the School of
Petroleum and Chemical Engineering at Dalian University of Technology as an associate
professor. His research interests lie in chemical energy storage and utilization of carbon dioxide.
Yuichiro Himeda is a Senior Researcher at National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology (AIST). He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Osaka
University (1994). After a postdoctoral stay with Prof. Andrew D. Hamilton at the University of
Pittsburgh (1995), he worked on the development of homogeneous catalysis for CO2 reduction at
AIST. His research interests include development of homogeneous catalysts based on new
concepts, activation of small molecule, and CO2 utilization for energy storage.
James T. Muckerman, Senior Chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), received
his B.A. degree from Carlton College in 1965, and his Ph.D. degree in theoretical physical
chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1969. He joined the scientific staff in the
Chemistry Department at BNL immediately thereafter, and has carried out
theoretical/computation research there ever since. In 2004 he changed his field of research from
gas-phase molecular dynamics to artificial photosynthesis, and is now engaged in mechanistic
research on water oxidation, hydrogen production, CO2 reduction and CO2 hydrogenation
catalysis.
Gerald F. Manbeck received his B.S. degree from Bucknell University in 2006 and his Ph.D.
from the University of Rochester in 2011 where he studied luminescent transition metal
complexes relevant to OLED devices under the supervision of Prof. Richard Eisenberg. From
2011-2013 he pursued research in supramolecular photocatalysts for hydrogen production as a
postdoctoral associate with Prof. Karen Brewer at Virginia Tech. In 2013, he moved to BNL as a
research associate in the Artificial Photosynthesis group to study electro- and photo-chemical
reduction of carbon dioxide.
Etsuko Fujita received a B.S. in Chemistry from Ochanomizu University, Tokyo and a
Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She joined in the Chemistry
Department at BNL in 1986 after working in another department there, and currently is a Senior
Chemist and leads the Artificial Photosynthesis group. Her research interests span solar fuels
generation including water splitting and CO2 utilization, mechanistic inorganic chemistry, and
thermodynamics/kinetics of small molecule binding/activation.
Wang Himeda Manbeck
Muckerman Fujita
W.-H. W. thanks the financial support from Dalian University of Technology (Xinghai
Scholars Program; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Grant No.
DUT14RC(3)082) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21402019). Y.
H. thanks the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), CREST for financial support. The
work at BNL was carried out under contract DE-SC00112704 with the U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
The manuscript was written through contributions of all authors. All authors have
given approval to the final version of the manuscript.
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TOC Graphic
Réaction d'oxydoréduction
Hydrogénation
Catalyse
Dioxyde de carbone
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