Formation of CO₂ from formic acid through catalytic electron channel

Low energy electrons can initiate and control chemical reactions through resonant attachment forming an electron-molecule compound state. Recently, it has been theoretically shown that free electrons can also act as catalysts in chemical reactions. We investigate this novel concept for the case of conversion of formic acid into CO₂. Resonant production of CO₂ from cold formic acid films by low energy electron impact is observed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The resonant peak observed at 6 eV is identified as the catalytic electron channel. The experimental results are augmented with the ab initio quantum chemical calculations.