Homogeneous Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol Catalyzed by Ruthenium Cluster Anions in the Presence of Halide Anions

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.68.2837

Methanol, together with methane, is formed for the first time by homogeneous hydrogenation of CO2 using a catalytic system consisting of Ru3(CO)12 and alkaline iodides in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solution at 240 deg C.The time course of the reaction indicates the successive formation of CO, methanol, and then methane.The FT-IR analysis of the resulting reaction solutions reveals the formation of several species of ruthenium carbonyl anion and their mutual interchanges during the reaction.A mechanism for the overall reaction is proposed, based on these results.