Comparative study of imidazole and pyridine catalyzed reduction of carbon dioxide at illuminated iron pyrite electrodes

Andrew Bruce Bocarsly, Quinn D. Gibson, Amanda J. Morris, Robert P. L'Esperance, Zachary M. Detweiler, Prasad S. Lakkaraju, Elizabeth L. Zeitler, Travis W. Shaw

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

77 Scopus citations

Abstract

The chemistry of the electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 using nitrogen containing heteroaromatics is further explored by the direct comparison of imidazole and pyridine catalyzed CO 2 reduction at illuminated iron pyrite electrodes. The mechanism of imidazole based catalysis of CO 2 reduction is investigated by analyzing the catalytic activity of a series of imidazole derivatives using cyclic voltammetry. While similar product distributions are obtained for both imidazole and pyridine, the imidazole catalyzed reduction of CO 2 likely proceeds via a very different mechanism involving the C2 carbon of the imidazole ring.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1684-1692
Number of pages9
JournalACS Catalysis
Volume2
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 3 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry

Keywords

  • aromatic amine electrocatalysts
  • carbon dioxide reduction
  • formic acid production
  • imidazolium based electrocatalyst-pyridinium based electrocatalysis
  • iron pyrite photocathodes
  • photoelectrochemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Comparative study of imidazole and pyridine catalyzed reduction of carbon dioxide at illuminated iron pyrite electrodes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this