Download or read book The Design and Synthesis of Group VII-based Molecular Catalysts for CO2 Reduction written by Charles John Stanton (III) and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The efficient chemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to useful fuels remains an unsolved and intriguing scientific problem. One promising approach that has emerged in the past 30 years is to leverage electrocatalysts in the conversion of CO2 to commodity chemicals. If the requisite electrons for this process are obtained from renewable sources (e.g., solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc.), a carbon-neutral process may be envisioned. The feasibility of large-scale systems that can facilitate electrocatalytic conversion depends on the development of active, selective, and affordable catalysts. Many electrocatalysts have been developed that can mediate these processes, including heterogeneous and homogenous transition-metal compounds. In the latter group, several first-row transition metal catalysts have been reported with manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel and copper metal centers. Recent work focused on Mn(I)-centered catalysts is discussed here. Utilizing the extensively-investigated MnBr(2,2'-bipyridine)(CO)3 system as a template, several modifications within the primary coordination sphere have recently been reported, which include: 1) replacement of one pyridine in the 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) backbone of MnBr(bpy)(CO)3 with an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) moiety; 2) substitution of the axial bromine ligand with other pseudo-halogen ligands, including CN and NCS; and 3) modulation of the ligand pi-acidity. The impact and efficacy of these modifications is reviewed.