Renewable energy technologies merit further exploration owing to the need to mitigate anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon neutral solar fuels are one attractive option to consider. The Bocarsly group has previously reported that aromatic amines act as simple one-electron charge transfer reagents which facilitate the multielectron conversion of CO2 into methanol at a variety of metal and semiconductor electrodes. When pyridinium is employed as the electrocatalyst, a carbamate intermediate has been proposed as the key intermediate, while imidazolium-based catalysis may proceed via a heterocyclic carbine species. Experimental identification of key intermediates in the aromatic amine-catalyzed reduction of CO2 can be achieved using vibrational spectroscopic techniques. To this end, we report on spectroelectrochemical experiments using Raman spectroscopy to characterize intermediates in the electroreduction of interest.

Use of vibrational spectroscopy in the determination of intermediates in the pyridine-catalyzed reduction of carbon dioxide

244th National Meeting (2012)

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