Rational design of super-alkalis and their role in CO2 activation

Interaction of N2, O2 and H2 Molecules with Superalkalis

Superalkalis (SAs) are exotic clusters having lower ionization energy than alkali atoms, which makes them strong reducing agents. In the quest for the reduction of diatomic molecules (X2) such as N2, O2, and H2 using Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), we have studied their interaction with typical superalkalis such as FLi2, OLi3, and NLi4 and calculated various parameters of the resulting SA-X2 complexes. We noticed that the SA-O2 complex and its isomers possess strong ionic interaction, which leads to the reduction of O2 to O2 - anion. On the contrary, there are both ionic and covalent interactions in SA-N2 complexes such that the lowest energy isomers are covalently bonded with no charge transfer from SA. Further, the interaction between SA and H2 leads to weakly bound complexes, which results in the adsorption of H2 molecules. The nature of interaction is found to be closely related to the electron affinity of diatomic molecules. These findings might be useful in the study of the activation, reduction, and adsorption of small molecules, which can be further explored for their possible applications.

Theoretical prediction of superatom WSi12-based catalysts for CO oxidation by N2O

Catalytic conversion of N2O and CO into nonharmful gases is of great significance to reduce their adverse impact on the environment. The potential of the WSi12 superatom to serve as a new cluster catalyst for CO oxidation by N2O is examined for the first time. It is found that WSi12 prefers to adsorb the N2O molecule rather than the CO molecule, and the charge transfer from WSi12 to N2O results in the full activation of N2O into a physically absorbed N2 molecule and an activated oxygen atom that is attached to an edge of the hexagonal prism structure of WSi12. After the release of N2, the remaining oxygen atom can oxidize one CO molecule via overcoming a rate-limiting barrier of 28.19 kcal mol-1. By replacing the central W atom with Cr and Mo, the resulting MSi12 (M = Cr and Mo) superatoms exhibit catalytic performance for CO oxidation comparable to the parent WSi12. In particular, the catalytic ability of WSi12 for CO oxidation is well maintained when it is extended into tube-like WnSi6(n+1) (n = 2, 4, and 6) clusters with energy barriers of 25.63-29.50 kcal mol-1. Moreover, all these studied MSi12 (M = Cr, Mo, and W) and WnSi6(n+1) (n = 2, 4, and 6) species have high structural stability and can absorb sunlight to drive the catalytic process. This study not only opens a new door for the atomically precise design of new silicon-based nanoscale catalysts for various chemical reactions but also provides useful atomic-scale insights into the size effect of such catalysts in heterogeneous catalysis.

Mixed superalkalis are a better choice than pure superalkalis for B12N12 nanocages to design high-performance nonlinear optical materials

Mixed superalkali clusters are a source of excess electrons, as their vertical ionization energies (2.81-3.36 eV) are much lower than those of alkali metals (even cesium (∼3.85 eV)) and the superalkali Li₃O (3.42 eV). In the present work, the geometric, electronic, and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of mixed superalkali cluster-doped B₁₂N₁₂ nanocages are studied theoretically. All complexes, A-G, have very high interaction energies (-98.02 to -123.13 kcal mol^-1) and are thermodynamically stable when compared to previously reported Li₃O@B₁₂N₁₂ (-92.71 kcal mol^-1). The designed complexes have smaller HOMO-LUMO energy gaps (3.36-4.27 eV) than pristine B₁₂N₁₂ (11.13 eV). Charge transfer in the complexes is studied through natural population analysis and non-bonding interactions are evaluated through quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and non-covalent interaction analyses. These complexes have absorption maxima (1076-1486 nm) in the near-infrared region (NIR) and they are transparent in the UV region. The first hyperpolarizability of complex C is 1.7 × 10⁷ au, which is much higher than the value of 3.7 × 10⁴ au for a pure Li₃O superalkali-doped B₁₂N₁₂ complex calculated at the same level of theory, as reported by Sun et al. (Dalton Trans., 2016, 45, 7500-7509). The large second hyperpolarizability values also reflect the enhanced nonlinear optical response. The best computed values for the electro-optical Pockels effect, second harmonic generation, and hyper-Rayleigh scattering are 3.29 × 10¹⁰ au, 1.17 × 10¹⁰ au, and 6.71 × 10⁶ au, respectively. Furthermore, the electro-optic dc-Kerr effect and electric-field-induced second harmonic generation have maximum values of 3.96 × 10¹¹ au and 3.46 × 10¹⁰ au at 1064 nm. There are enhancements in the quadratic nonlinear refractive index (n₂) values for complexes A-G, with a highest n₂ value of 3.35 × 10^-8 cm² W^-1 at 1064 nm. These results suggest that mixed-superalkali-doped B₁₂N₁₂ nanoclusters are potential candidates when designing high-performance NLO materials.

Designing Special Nonmetallic Superalkalis Based on a Cage-like Adamanzane Complexant

In this study, to examine the possibility of using cage-like complexants to design nonmetallic superalkalis, a series of X@3⁶adz (X = H, B, C, N, O, F, and Si) complexes have been constructed and investigated by embedding nonmetallic atoms into the 3⁶adamanzane (3⁶adz) complexant. Although X atoms possess very high ionization energies, these resulting X@3⁶adz complexes possess low adiabatic ionization energies (AIEs) of 0.78–5.28 eV. In particular, the adiabatic ionization energies (AIEs) of X@3⁶adz (X = H, B, C, N, and Si) are even lower than the ionization energy (3.89 eV) of Cs atoms, and thus, can be classified as novel nonmetallic superalkalis. Moreover, due to the existence of diffuse excess electrons in B@3⁶adz, this complex not only possesses pretty low AIE of 2.16 eV but also exhibits a remarkably large first hyperpolarizability (β₀) of 1.35 × 10⁶ au, indicating that it can also be considered as a new kind of nonlinear optical molecule. As a result, this study provides an effective approach to achieve new metal-free species with an excellent reducing capability by utilizing the cage-like organic complexants as building blocks.

Germanium-based superatom clusters as excess electron compounds with significant static and dynamic NLO response; a DFT study

Herein, the geometric, electronic, and nonlinear optical properties of excess electron zintl clusters Ge₅AM₃, Ge₉AM₅, and Ge₁₀AM₃ (AM = Li, Na, and K) are investigated. The clusters under consideration demonstrate considerable electronic stability as well as superalkali characteristics. The NBO charge is transferred from the alkali metal to the Ge-atoms. The FMO analysis shows fabulous conductive properties with a significant reduction in SOMO-LUMO gaps (0.79-4.04 eV) as compared with undoped systems. The designed clusters are completely transparent in the deep UV-region and show absorption in the visible and near-IR region. Being excess electron compounds these clusters exhibit remarkable hyperpolarizability response up to 8.99 × 10^-26 esu, where a static second hyperpolarizability (γ _o) value of up to 2.15 × 10^-30 esu was recorded for Ge₉Na₅ superatom clusters. The excitation energy is the main controlling factor for hyperpolarizability as revealed from the two-level model study. The electro-optical Pockel's effect and the second harmonic generation phenomenon (SHG) are used to investigate dynamic nonlinear optical features. At a lower applied frequency (=532 nm), the dynamic hyperpolarizability and second hyperpolarizability values are significantly higher for the studied clusters. Furthermore, for the Ge₉K₅ cluster, the hyper Rayleigh scattering (HRS) increases to 5.03 × 10^-26 esu.

Designing an alkali-metal-like superatom Ca3B for ambient nitrogen reduction to ammonia

Converting earth-abundant nitrogen (N₂) gas into ammonia (NH₃) under mild conditions is one of the most important issues and a long-standing challenge in chemistry. Herein, a new superatom Ca₃B was theoretically designed and characterized to reveal its catalytic performance in converting N₂ into NH₃ by means of density functional theory (DFT) computations. The alkali-metal-like identity of this cluster is verified by its lower vertical ionization energy (VIE, 4.29 eV) than that of potassium (4.34 eV), while its high stability was guaranteed by the large HOMO-LUMO gap and binding energy per atom (E_b). More importantly, this well-designed superatom possesses unique geometric and electronic features, which can fully activate N₂via a "double-electron transfer" mechanism, and then convert the activated N₂ into NH₃ through a distal reaction pathway with a small energy barrier of 0.71 eV. It is optimistically hoped that this work could intrigue more endeavors to design specific superatoms as excellent catalysts for the chemical adsorption and reduction of N₂ to NH₃.

CO2 Activation Within a Superalkali-Doped Fullerene

With the aim of finding a suitable synthesizable superalkali species, using the B3LYP/6-31G* density functional level of theory we provide results for the interaction between the buckminsterfullerene C60 and the superalkali Li3F2. We show that this endofullerene is stable and provides a closed environment in which the superalkali can exist and interact with CO2. It is worthwhile to mention that the optimized Li3F2 structure inside C60 is not the most stable C2v isomer found for the "free" superalkali but the D3h geometry. The binding energy at 0 K between C60 and Li3F2 (D3h) is computed to be 119 kJ mol-1. Once CO2 is introduced in the endofullerene, it is activated, and theO C O ^ angle is bent to 132°. This activation does not follow the previously studied CO2 reduction by an electron transfer process from the superalkali, but it is rather an actual reaction where a F (from Li3F2) atom is bonded to the CO2. From a thermodynamic analysis, both CO2 and the encapsulated [Li3F2⋅CO2] are destabilized in C60 with solvation energies at 0 K of 147 and < -965 kJ mol-1, respectively.

Role of Size and Composition on the Design of Superalkalis

Superalkalis and superhalogens are atomic clusters that mimic the chemistry of alkali and halogen atoms, respectively; the ionization energies of the superalkalis are less than those of alkali atoms, while the electron affinities of superhalogens are larger than those of the halogen atoms. These superions can serve as the building blocks of a new class of supersalts with applications in solar cells, metal-ion batteries, multiferroic materials, and so on. While considerable progress has been made in the design and synthesis of superhalogens, a similar understanding of superalkalis is lacking. Using density functional theory with hybrid exchange-correlation functional and Gaussian basis sets, we have systematically studied the role of size and composition on the properties of two different classes of clusters whose stabilities are governed by the Wade-Mingos polyhedral skeletal electron pair theory. One class belongs to the closo-borane family Li_mB_nX_n (m = 1, 2, 3; n = 6, 12; X = H, F, CN), while the other to the Zintl ions Li_m[Be@Ge₉]. We show that Li₃B_nX_n and Li₃[Be@Ge₉] clusters are superalkalis with ionization energies as low as 2.84 eV in Li₃B₆H₆. However, contrary to expectation, the ionization energies do not decrease with increasing cluster volume. Instead, ionization energies are linked to the X ligands' electron affinities; the larger the electron affinity, the higher is the ionization energy. The understanding gained here will help in the discovery of superalkalis and, hence, enrich the library of supersalts.

Oxacarbon superalkali C3X3Y3 (X = O, S and Y = Li, Na, K) clusters as excess electron compounds for remarkable static and dynamic NLO response

An intriguing class of excess electron oxacarbon superalkali clusters is explored for nonlinear optical response through density functional theory (DFT) methods at CAM-B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p). These superalkali clusters shows noticeable binding energies per atom (E_b) which reveals their thermodynamic stabilities (-86.45 ∼ -119.44 kcal mol^-1). The obtained significant VIPs values also suggest the electronic stability of these clusters. The VIP values range from 2.06 eV to 3.42 eV. These clusters show remarkable electronic properties and their HOMO-LUMO gaps (E_H-L) are significantly reduced. The lowest H-L gap of 0.96 eV is obtained for C₃O₃K₃ while the highest H-L gap of 2.07 eV is calculated for C₃S₃Li₃. The obtained PDOS spectra further provide evidence for the superior electronic properties of these clusters. The clusters show excellent nonlinear optical properties as revealed from remarkable values (1.6 × 10⁶ au) of static first hyperpolarizability. The controlling factors for hyperpolarizability are also explored by using conventional two-level model. The calculated values of β_o are correlated nicely with β_tl. The crucial excitation energy is the key factor in controlling the first hyperpolarizability. In these excess electron clusters, the second hyperpolarizability (γ_o) response increases up to 4.3 × 10⁹ au. Moreover, the calculated scattering hyperpolarizability (β_HRS) values are quite significant in these clusters and the highest value of 1.3 × 10⁶ au is calculated for C₃S₃K₃. Additionally, these clusters also possess larger dynamic nonlinearities. The dynamic second hyperpolarizability with dc-Kerr effect increases up to 1.0 × 10¹¹ au. The remarkable values for refractive index (n₂) also suggest the excellent nonlinearity of these superalkali clusters.

On the Role of Alkali-Metal-Like Superatom Al12 P in Reduction and Conversion of Carbon Dioxide

Developing efficient catalysts for the conversion of CO₂ into fuels and value-added chemicals is of great significance to relieve the growing energy crisis and global warming. With the assistance of DFT calculations, it was found that, different from Al₁₂ X (X=Be, Al, and C), the alkali-metal-like superatom Al₁₂ P prefers to combine with CO₂ via a bidentate double oxygen coordination, yielding a stable Al₁₂ P(η² -O₂ C) complex containing an activated radical anion of CO₂ (i.e., CO₂ ^.- ). Thereby, this compound could not only participate in the subsequent cycloaddition reaction with propylene oxide but also initiate the radical reaction with hydrogen gas to form high-value chemicals, revealing that Al₁₂ P can play an important role in catalyzing these conversion reactions. Considering that Al₁₂ P has been produced in laboratory and is capable of absorbing visible light to drive the activation and transformation of CO₂ , it is anticipated that this work could guide the discovery of additional superatom catalysts for CO₂ transformation and open up a new research field of superatom catalysis.

DFT and QTAIM studies on the reduction of carbon monoxide by superalkalis

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas molecule with no positive electron affinity, which makes it difficult to reduce it into CO¯. In this work, we perform density functional theory (DFT) and quantum theory of atoms in molecule (QTAIM) based studies on the interaction of CO molecule with superalkali (SA) clusters. Our findings suggest that this interaction results in SA(CO) complexes, which are stabilized by purely ionic as well as partially covalent bonds although their binding energy decreases with the increase in the size of SA clusters. In these ionic complexes, the electron is transferred from the SA cluster to the CO molecule. This suggests the single-electron reduction of the CO molecule by interacting with superalkalis. This work may offer some novel insights into the detection and reduction of stable CO molecule and related systems.

N4Mg6M (M = Li, Na, K) superalkalis for CO2 activation

Superatoms have exciting properties, including diverse functionalization, redox activity, and magnetic ordering, so the resulting cluster-assembled solids hold the promise of high tunability, atomic precision, and robust architectures. By utilizing adamantane-like clusters as building blocks, a new class of superatoms N₄Mg₆M (M = Li, Na, K) is proposed here. The studied superalkalis feature low adiabatic ionization energies, an antibonding character in the interactions between magnesium and nitrogen atoms, and highly delocalized highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). Consequently, the N₄Mg₆M superalkalis might easily lose their HOMO electrons when interacting with superhalogen electrophiles to form stable superatom [superalkali]⁺[superhalogen]^- compounds. Moreover, the studied superalkalis interact strongly with carbon dioxide, and the resulting N₄Mg₆M/CO₂ systems represent two strongly interacting ionic fragments (i.e., N₄Mg₆M⁺ and CO₂ ^-). In turn, the electron affinity of the N₂ molecule (of -1.8 eV) is substantially lower than that observed for carbon dioxide (EA = -0.6 eV) and consequently, the N₂ was found to form the weakly bound [N₄Mg₆M][N₂] complex rather than the desired ionic [N₄Mg₆M]⁺[N₂]^- product. Thus, the N₄Mg₆M superalkalis have high selectivity over N₂ when it comes to CO₂ reduction and also are themselves stable. We believe that the results described within this paper will be useful for understanding CO₂ activation, which is the first step for producing fuels from CO₂. Moreover, we demonstrate that designing novel superatomic systems and exploring their physicochemical features might be used to create desirable functional materials.

Revealing the effect of the oriented external electronic field on the superatom-polymeric Zr3O3 cluster: Superhalogen modulation and spectroscopic characteristics

Seeking novel strategies for designing superatoms is of significance for the potential applications in cluster-assembled nanomaterials. Herein, by employing the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the effect of the oriented external electronic field (OEEF) on the electronic and photoelectron spectroscopic properties of the superatom-polymeric Zr₃O₃ cluster was explored. We present the evidence that the increment of the OEEF along all directions results in the remarkable enhancement of the electron affinity (EA) of Zr₃O₃, which turns it into superhalogen with an EA value of 4.02 eV under 0.020 au OEEF along +y direction. Strikingly, this EA value is larger than that of any halogen atoms in the periodic table. The downward shift of the electronic spectrum induced by the OEEF was confirmed to be the origin of the observed EA enhancement. Furthermore, the investigation of the OEEF's effect on the molecular orbitals (MOs) and photoelectron spectra (PES) of the cluster reveals that the OEEF could alter the electron distribution as well as promoting the blue shift of the PES without changing the spacings between different energetic levels. The OEEF highlighted here provides a new strategy in designing superatoms together with tuning their electronic and spectroscopic properties conveniently and precisely. We wish this finding could stimulate more efforts in designing novel superatoms or superatom-assembled materials from both theory and experiments.

Record-high stability and compactness of multiply-charged clusters aided by selected terminal groups

Multiply-charged clusters with compact sizes that are stable in the gas phase are important due to their potential applications as weakly-coordinating ions and building blocks of bulk materials.

Reducing Properties of Superalkalis on Pyridinic Graphene Surfaces: a Computational Study

The hyperlithiated species Li k + 1 F k (k=1, 2, 3, and 4) have been studied by quantum mechanical (QM) methods. Different structures have been localized for each molecule by the CBS-QB3 composite method: all the isomers show superalkali properties and strong tendency to donate an electron to carbon dioxide forming stable Li k + 1 F k · · · CO 2 complexes. With the aim to find molecular systems able to stabilize superalkalis, geometries of complexes between superalkalis and pyridine and superalkalis and graphene surfaces doped with a pyridinic vacancy were calculated. The pyridinic graphene sheets were modeled with two finite molecular systems C₆₉ H₂₁ N₃ and C₁₁₇ H₂₇ N₃ . The interaction with one pyridine molecule is quite weak and the superalkali maintains its structure and electron properties. The affinity for graphene sheets is instead stronger and the superalkalis tend to deform their geometry to better interact with the graphene surface. However, the superalkalis continue to show the tendency to transfer electrons to carbon dioxide reducing CO₂ , as found in graphene absence.

Record Low Ionization Potentials of Alkali Metal Complexes with Crown Ethers and Cryptands

Electronic properties of series of alkali metals complexes with crown ethers and cryptands were studied via DFT hybrid functionals. For [M([2.2.2]crypt)] (M=Li, Na, K) extremely low (1.70-1.52 eV) adiabatic ionization potentials were found. Such low values of ionization energies are significantly lower than those of alkali metal atoms. Thus, the investigated complexes can be defined as superalkalis. As a result, our investigation opens up new directions in the designing of chemical species with record low ionization potentials and extends the explanation of the ability of the cryptates and alkali crown ether complexes to stabilize multiple charged Zintl ions.

Recent Progress on the Design, Characterization, and Application of Superalkalis

Superalkalis are clusters or molecules featuring lower ionization energies (IEs) than that of cesium atoms, and thus exhibit excellent reducing properties. Such special species have great potential to be used in the synthesis of unusual charge-transfer salts and cluster-assembled nanomaterials with tailored properties, in the reduction of carbon dioxide, or as hydrogen storage materials and noble-gas-trapping agents, etc. In this regard, ongoing efforts have been devoted to designing and characterizing superalkalis of new types. The recent progress on the study of superalkalis in terms of theoretical design, characterization, and potential application is summarized in this minireview. We hope this review will not only provide a broad overview of this research field, but also highlight the prospect of further extending the experimental synthesis and practical application of superalkalis.

Oxidative addition of carbon dioxide into mesoionics

This work examines the prospect of making stable mesoionic compounds of the type mesomeric betaine R+-CO2- from direct oxidative additions of carbon dioxide to suitably-delocalized singlet carbene moieties, with bold objectives of carbon sequestration and overall energy storage. A set of possible candidates for such mesoionic compounds is theoretically explored through DFT calculations, inspecting coupling paths, thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities, and geometric and electronic structural features. Among others, the addressed cationic parts include aromatic rings in their broader sense, phenalene systems, and odd linear polyenic chains. Various structurally-close neutral alternatives such as oxiranones or carbene-acid forms are also considered. In the linear polyenic chain family, there is stark contrast between 4N + 1 and 4N - 1 lengths, with ensuing substantial consequences for stabilities and structures. Amino substitutions can favor mesoionic arrangements through their cation-stabilizing π-donor properties, further supported by possible strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds, but they can also contribute to weaken their kinetic stability through the existence of stable neutral imino alternatives. All in all, mesoionics including tropylium, phenalene, or 4N + 1 odd polyene frames as cationic parts could be reasonable targets.

Design of the NnH3n+1+ series of “non-metallic” superalkali cations

A new series of non-metallic superalkali cations, N_nH_3n+1⁺ by using ammonium (NH₄⁺) cations, possessing vertical electron affinity (EA_v), 4.39 eV for n = 1 to 2.39 eV for n = 5 has been proposed. This series can be continued for obtaining new superalkali cations, for instance N₉H₂₈⁺ with an EA_v of 1.84 eV. The EA_v of N_nH_3n+1⁺ cations is governed by the electron localization on the central N-atom. The EA_v of N_nH_3n+1⁺ cations decays exponentially with an increase in n.

Activation of Small Molecules (H2, CO2, N2O, CH4, and C6H6) by a Porphyrinoid-Based Dimagnesium(I) Complex, an Electride

A density functional theory-based computation has been carried out to reveal the geometrical and electronic structures of Mg₂EP (1), where EP is an extended (3.1.3.1) porphyrinoid system. EP is a 22 π electronic system and is aromatic in nature. Here, we have studied the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities of EP^2--supported Mg₂ ²⁺ ion. The nature of bonding has been studied using natural bond orbital and atoms in molecule schemes. The presence of a covalent Mg(I)-Mg(I) σ-bond in Mg₂EP is confirmed. The occurrence of a non-nuclear attractor (NNA) with large electron population, negative Laplacian of electron density at NNA, and presence of an electron localization function basin along with large nonlinear optical properties prompt us to classify Mg₂EP as the first porphyrinoid-based organic electride. Further five small molecules, viz., dihydrogen (H₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH₄), and benzene (C₆H₆), are found to be activated by the electron density between the two Mg atoms in Mg₂EP.

Super-alkalis as building blocks of one-dimensional hierarchical electrides

Electrides are ionic compounds where localized electrons act as anions. Because of their exotic properties in optoelectronics and catalysis, electrides have attracted considerable interest in recent years and many electrides, with anionic electrons distributed in zero-, one-, two- and three-dimensions, have been studied. Here, using first-principles calculations, we report a different class of inorganic electrides where Li3O super-alkali clusters form the building blocks of one-dimensional hierarchical structures, characterized by the presence of localized electrons with high charge density along a one-dimensional chain. We further show that the stability of this electride can be improved by embedding it inside a BN nanotube (BNNT). In addition, Li3O@BNNT exhibits powerful reducing ability as well as anti-ferromagnetism, highlighting the importance of nano-assembly in the development of new stable electrides with novel properties.

The behavior of the aluminum trimer when combining with different superatom clusters

The interaction between the aluminum trimer and representative (super)halogens X (X = F, LiF₂, BeF₃, BF₄) and (super)alkalis M (M = Li, FLi₂, OLi₃, NLi₄) has been theoretically investigated at the MP2/6-311+(3df) level. Various geometrical structures were obtained for the resulting Al₃-X and Al₃-M superatom compounds, respectively. Natural bond orbital analysis reveals that the Al₃ moiety exists in a cationic state in Al₃-X while in an anionic state in Al₃-M compounds. And the charge transfer between Al₃ and (super)atoms is found to be enhanced in either polar or nonpolar solvent. The studied superatom compounds feature large bond energies, binding energies, and HOMO-LUMO gaps, which not only reflect their stability but indicate strong interactions between Al₃ and (super)atoms. Although the solvent effect is not significant for the stability of Al₃-X, the Al₃-superalkali compounds can be better stabilized in the presence of solvent molecules. In addition, these superatom compounds exhibit aromaticity both in the gas phase and in solution.

The effect of hydration on the electronic structure and stability of the superalkali cation Li3+

Insights into the interaction between the superalkali cation Li₃⁺ and water molecules and the stability of the resulting hydrates.

Reduction of carbon dioxide with a superalkali

The ability of the superalkali Li₃F₂ to reduce CO₂ and N₂ is investigated using the CBS-QB3 composite method and intriguing results are presented.