A MOF-assisted phosphine free bifunctional iron complex for the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide, sodium bicarbonate and carbonate to formate.

The hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into formic acid (FA) with Earth-abundant metals is a vibrant research area because FA is an attractive molecule for hydrogen storage. We report a cyclopentadienyl iron tricarbonyl complex that provides up to 3000 turnover number for carbon dioxide hydrogenation when combined with a catalytic amount of the chromium dicarboxylate MOF MIL-53(Cr). To date, this is the highest turnover number reported in the presence of a phosphine-free iron complex.