Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

CO2 Photoreduction to CH4 Performance Under Concentrating Solar Light
Published on: June 12, 2019
Carbon dioxide reduction via light activation of a ruthenium-Ni(cyclam) complex
Christian Herrero1, Annamaria Quaranta, Sanae El Ghachtouli
1Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay, UMR 8182, Univ. Paris-Sud and CNRS, F-91405 Orsay, France. Christian.Herrero@u-psud.fr Ally.Aukauloo@u-psud.fr.
Abstract:
In this paper we report the synthesis of a chromophore-catalyst assembly designed for the photoreduction of carbon dioxide. The chromophore unit is made up of a ruthenium trisbipyridyl-like unit covalently attached to a nickel cyclam (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) via a triazole ring. The intramolecular electron transfer activation of the catalyst unit by visible light was studied by nanosecond flash photolysis and EPR spectroscopy. In aqueous solutions (pH = 6.5), activation of the Ru(II)-Ni(II) modular assembly with 450 nm visible light in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor accomplishes the reduction of CO2 into CO and H2 in a ratio of 2.7 to 1.
Related Concept Videos
The Calvin Benson Cycle
Benzene to 1,4-Cyclohexadiene: Birch Reduction Mechanism
Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Alcohols from Carbonyl Compounds: Reduction
Catalytic hydrogenation is similar to the reduction of an alkene or alkyne by adding H2 across the pi bond in the presence of transition metal catalysts like Raney Ni, Pd–C, Pt, or Ru. Aldehydes and ketones can be reduced by this method, often under mild to moderate heat...

![[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F59739.jpg&w=3840&q=50)