Mn(III) Catalyzed Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 on Carbon Electrodes

Abstract

Though challenging, conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable products is an emerging area of research. Electrochemical reduction (ECR) has emerged as an efficient and rapid technique to achieve this goal. Herein, 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H, 23H-porphine manganese(III) chloride [(Mn(TPP)Cl)] catalyzed CO2 reduction at vitreous carbon electrode in acetonitrile electrolyte is reported. The effect of catalyst concentration, addition of Brönsted acid (CF3CH2OH) to CO2-saturated solution have been studied and reported. Based on the results, possible mechanistic pathways have also been suggested and discussed.