Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2025

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
Published on: November 9, 2019
Efficient co-upcycling of glycerol and CO2 into valuable products enabled by a bifunctional Ru-complex catalyst
Tianhua Cui1, Huihua Gong2, Li Ji3
1Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China. liruixiang@scu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Glycerol and CO2 are largely produced as by-products in modern industry. Herein, three Ru complexes bearing air- and water-stable NHC-nitrogen-nitrogen ligands are designed as bifunctional catalysts to upcycle glycerol and CO2 simultaneously. Among them, Ru complex 2 featuring an N-H structure shows the highest efficiency with TONs up to 300 000 and 387 000 for formate and lactate, respectively. 13C labelling experiments clearly manifest that formate is primarily derived from CO2. Furthermore, in situ FTIR spectra suggest that glyceraldehyde from glycerol might serve as a key intermediate to form lactate, while DFT calculations indicate that Ru complex 2 possesses the lowest reaction barriers and can form the RuN intermediate, contributing to its higher activity.
More Related Videos
10:39Heterogeneous Removal of Water-Soluble Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalyst from Aqueous Media Via Host-Guest Interaction
Published on: August 23, 2018
11:33Laboratory Production of Biofuels and Biochemicals from a Rapeseed Oil through Catalytic Cracking Conversion
Published on: September 2, 2016
Related Concept Videos
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...
Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes
Catalysis
Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...
Preparation of Alcohols via Addition Reactions
The acid-catalyzed addition of water to the double bond of alkenes is a large-scale industrial method used to synthesize low-molecular-weight alcohols. An acidic atmosphere is required to allow the hydrogen in the water molecule to act as an electrophile and attack the double bond in an alkene. The addition of a proton to the double bond creates a carbocation intermediate. The proton preferentially bonds to the less substituted end of the double bond to create a more stable carbocation...