The present invention provides, inter alia, a multidentate ligand having the structure of:

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Also provided are methods of preparing metal complexes from the multidentate ligand, and the metal complexes prepared by such methods. Further provided are catalysts comprising such metal complexes, and various uses of such catalysts.

The invention describes phospho-amino pincer-type ligands, metal complexes thereof, and catalytic methods comprising such metal complexes for conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol, conversion of aldehydes into alcohols, conversion of aldehydes in the presence of a trifluoromethylation agent into trifluorinated secondary alcohols, cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to an epoxide to provide cyclic carbonates or preparation of an amide from the combination of an alcohol and an amine.

The invention provides for the integration of a CO-consuming process, such as a gas fermentation process, with a CO.sub.2 electrolysis process. The invention is capable of utilizing a CO.sub.2-comprising gaseous substrate generated by an industrial process and provides for one or more removal modules to remove at least one constituent from a CO.sub.2-comprising gaseous substrate prior to passage of the gaseous substrate to a CO.sub.2 electrolysis module. The invention may further comprise one or more pressure modules, one or more CO.sub.2 concentration modules, one or more O.sub.2 separation modules, and/or an H.sub.2 electrolysis module. Carbon conversion efficiency is increased by recycling CO.sub.2 produced by a CO-consuming process to the CO.sub.2 electrolysis process.

The present invention relates to the use of complexes of water soluble porphyrins of formula (I). The present invention relates to water soluble porphyrins of formula (I), wherein R.sub.1 to R.sub.11 and R.sub.1 to R.sub.8 are as defined in claim 1, their iron complexes, use thereof as catalysts for the selective electrochemical reduction of CO.sub.2 into CO, electrochemical cells comprising them, and methods for reducing electrochemically CO.sub.2 into CO using said complexes or said electrochemical cells, thereby producing CO or syngas.

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A method of immobilizing a metal catalyst in a porous support includes additively forming a precursor structure on a substrate from a metal catalyst and at least one of a metal oxide or a metal cluster compound; exposing the precursor structure to a vapor of an organic linker; and reacting the at least one of the metal oxide or the metal cluster compound in the precursor structure with the organic linker to form a porous support that immobilizes the metal catalyst.

The invention describes phospho-amino pincer-type ligands, metal complexes thereof, and catalytic methods comprising such metal complexes.

Disclosed are N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and 4-pyridinol-derived pincer ligands and metal complexes containing these ligands. These compounds can be used to photocatalyticaly reduce CO.sub.2 to CO.

An electrocatalytic device for carbon dioxide conversion includes a cathode with a Catalytically Active Elementa metal in the form of supported or unsupported particles or flakes with an average size between 0.6 nm and 100 nm. The reaction products comprise at least one of CO, HCO.sup., H.sub.2CO, (HCOO).sup., HCOOH, CH.sub.3OH, CH.sub.4, C.sub.2H.sub.4, CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH, CH.sub.3COO.sup., CH.sub.3COOH, C.sub.2H.sub.6, (COOH).sub.2, (COO.sup.).sub.2, and CF.sub.3COOH.

A method for the production of hydrocarbon(s), such as methane, substituted hydrocarbons, such as methanol, or the production of hydrogen, the method comprising the steps of contacting a first catalyst with water in order to photocatalyse the splitting of at least some of the water into hydrogen and oxygen; and contacting a second catalyst with a gas stream comprising carbon dioxide and at least some of the hydrogen produced from step (a) in order to photocatalyse the reaction between the hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce hydrocarbon(s), such as methane, and/or substituted hydrocarbons, such as methanol. In an embodiment, the catalyst comprises gold and or ruthenium nanoclusters supported on a substrate.

A composition of a photocatalyst, a method of manufacturing the photocatalyst, and a method of chemically reducing carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide using the photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation is provided. The photocatalyst comprises a transition metal ion and graphitic carbon nitride and includes single metal sites on carbon nitride. Under visible light, the metal sites that are coordinated to nitrogen atoms get activated, without the use of additional ligands, to catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide to selectively produce carbon monoxide. The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide is highly efficient, resulting a turnover number of more than 800 for carbon monoxide production in 2 hours. The composition is useful in converting carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and carbon-based fuels. A functional model of molecular catalysts for efficient carbon dioxide reduction is also present.