Ru^III(edta) catalyzed hydrogenation of bicarbonate to formate

Abstract

Selective hydrogenation of bicarbonate to formate catalyzed by a ruthenium(III) complex, [Ru^III(edta)] (edta⁴⁻ = ethylenediaminetetraacetate), at moderate H₂ pressure (2–8 atm) and temperature (30–40 °C) is reported. Formation of formate, the only reduction product, was identified by ¹³C NMR analysis of the resultant reaction mixture. Based on the spectral data, a working mechanism (admittedly speculative) involving the formation of ruthenium(III)-bicarbonate complex, [Ru^III(edta)(HCO₃)]²⁻, is proposed for the catalytic reaction.

Keywords:

• Ruthenium-edta
• bicarbonate
• hydrogenation
• formate
• catalysis

Acknowledgement

DC is thankful to Dr P. Pal Roy, Director of the CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, for his support of this work. PS thanks to CSIR, New Delhi, for junior research fellowship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India [grant number SR/S1/IC-04/2011].