Greenhouse gas emissions have a serious impact on the environment and climate, with carbon dioxide being one of the largest contributors due to how long it persists in the atmosphere. One way to combat the problem of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide would be to decrease emissions by repurposing carbon dioxide. This could possibly be accomplished by electrochemically reducing carbon dioxide and subsequently converting it into other chemical compounds, which could then be used for the production of fuels and industrial chemicals. Due to the high stability of carbon dioxide, catalysis of electrochemical reduction is desirable in order to reduce energy requirements. Much of the research in this area focuses on determining what materials are effective catalysts. Although some materials have shown potential, there are still many issues with current catalysts including low efficiencies, low product selectivity, and high input of energy required. This research seeks to determine the efficacy of an organometallic complex, [Rh(bpca)2]+, for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. To date, [Rh(bpca)2]+ has been synthesized and characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Electrolysis experiments have been conducted in acetonitrile in the presence of carbon dioxide, [Rh(bpca)2]+, and benzyl chloride, which acts as a CO2 radical scavenger resulting in the formation of phenylacetic acid (PAA). Standard solutions of PAA in acetonitrile were prepared and subjected to the same procedure as is applied to solutions after electrolysis in the presence of benzyl chloride. The amount of PAA in each solution was determined using GC-MS. The method demonstrated an overall 91% recovery of PAA when 50mM nitric acid was added to protonate the PAA. The same method was used to determine the efficiency of the CO2 electroreduction in the presence of the rhodium-centered complex.

Investigating the efficacy of a rhodium-centered complex as a catalyst for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.