Mechanism of Formic Acid Disproportionation Catalyzed by an Iridium Complex Immobilized on Bipyridine‐Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica: A Case Study Based on Kinetics Analysis

Two novel metal-organic frameworks functionalised with pentamethylcyclopentadienyl iridium(III) chloride for catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to formate

Hydrogenation of CO₂ to formate is a vital reaction, because formate is an excellent hydrogen carrier, which yields blue hydrogen. Blue hydrogen is comparatively cheaper and attractive as the world envisions the hydrogen economy. In this work, two isostructural lanthanide-based MOFs (JMS-6 and JMS-7 [Ln(bpdc)_3/2(dmf)₂(H₂O)₂]_n) were prepared and used as support materials for molecular catalysts. The bipyridyl MOF backbone were functionalised using pentamethylcyclopentadienyl iridium(III) chloride to give Ir(III)@JMS-6a and Ir(III)@JMS-7a. XPS of the functionalised MOFs show downfield shifts in the N 1s binding energy indicating successful grafting of the complex to the MOF. Hydrogenation experiments in the presence of an organic base showed that the functionalised MOFs were active towards converting CO₂ to formate. Ir(III)@JMS-6a and Ir(III)@JMS-7a exhibited the highest turnover numbers of 813 and 621 respectively. ICP-OES indicated insignificant leaching during catalysis. TEM images and XPS data of the recovered catalyst ruled out the presence of Ir(0), confirming that the activity observed was attributed to the molecular Iridium(III) centres.

Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles for CO2 Adsorption at Standard Temperature and Pressure

(1) Background: Due to human activities, greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere are constantly rising, causing the greenhouse effect. Among GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for about two-thirds of the total energy imbalance which is the origin of the increase in the Earth’s temperature. (2) Methods: In this field, we describe the development of periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMO NPs) used to capture and store CO2 present in the atmosphere. Several types of PMO NP (bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTEE) as matrix, co-condensed with trialkoxysilylated aminopyridine (py) and trialkoxysilylated bipyridine (Etbipy and iPrbipy)) were synthesized by means of the sol-gel procedure, then characterized with different techniques (DLS, TEM, FTIR, BET). A systematic evaluation of CO2 adsorption was carried out at 298 K and 273 K, at low pressure. (3) Results: The best values of CO2 adsorption were obtained with 6% bipyridine: 1.045 mmol·g−1 at 298 K and 2.26 mmol·g−1 at 273 K. (4) Conclusions: The synthetized BTEE/aminopyridine or bipyridine PMO NPs showed significant results and could be promising for carbon capture and storage (CCS) application.

Recent advanced development of metal-loaded mesoporous organosilicas as catalytic nanoreactors

Ordered periodic mesoporous organosilicas have been widely applied in adsorption/separation/sensor technologies and the fields of biomedicine/biotechnology as well as catalysis. Crucially, surface modification with functional groups and metal complexes or nanoparticle loading has ensured high efficacy and efficiency. This review will highlight the current state of design and catalytic application of transition metal-loaded mesoporous organosilica nanoreactors. It will outline prominent synthesis approaches for the grafting of metal complexes, metal salt adsorption and in situ preparation of metal nanoparticles, and summarize the catalytic performance of the resulting mesoporous organosilica hybrid materials. Finally, the potential prospects and challenges of metal-loaded mesoporous organosilica nanoreactors are addressed.

HCOOH disproportionation to MeOH promoted by molybdenum PNP complexes

Molybdenum(0) complexes with aliphatic aminophosphine pincer ligands have been prepared which are competent for the disproportionation of formic acid, thus representing the first example so far reported of non-noble metal species to catalytically promote such transformation. In general, formic acid disproportionation allows for an alternative access to methyl formate and methanol from renewable resources. MeOH selectivity up to 30% with a TON of 57 could be achieved while operating at atmospheric pressure. Selectivity (37%) and catalyst performance (TON = 69) could be further enhanced when the reaction was performed under hydrogen pressure (60 bars). A plausible mechanism based on experimental evidence is proposed.

Mo(0) complexes with aliphatic PNP-pincer ligands enable the first example of non-noble metal catalyzed formic acid disproportionation leading to methanol with a selectivity of up to 37% and a turnover number up to 69.