Controlling Hydrogen Evolution during Photoreduction of CO2 to Formic Acid Using [Rh(R-bpy)(Cp*)Cl]+ Catalysts: A Structure-Activity Study

The photochemical reduction of CO, to formic acid catalyzed by a series of [Rh(4,4'-R-bpy)(Cp*)Cl](+) and [Rh(5,5'-COOH-bpy)(Cp*)Cl](+) complexes (Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, and R = OCH3, CH3, H, COOC2H5, CF3, NH2, or COOH) was studied to assess how modifications in the electronic structure of the catalyst affect its selectivity, defined as the HCOOH:H-2 product ratio. A direct molecular-level influence of the functional group on the initial reaction rate for CO2 versus proton reduction reactions was established. Density functional theory computations elucidated for the first time the respective role of the [RhH] and [Cp*H] tautomers, recognizing rhodium hydride as the key player for both reactions. In particular, our calculations explain the observed tendency of electron-donating substituents to favor CO2 reduction by means of decreasing the hydricity of the Rh-H bond, resulting in a lower hydride transfer barrier toward formic acid production as compared to substituents with an electron-withdrawing nature that favor more strongly the reduction of protons to hydrogen.