Photocatalytic turnover of CO2 under visible light by [Re(CO)3(1-(1,10) phenanthroline-5-(4-nitro-naphthalimide))Cl] in tandem with the sacrificial donor BIH.

Optimized photocatalytic conversion of CO2 requires new potent catalysts that can absorb visible light. The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 using rhenium(i) has been demonstrated but suffers from low turnover. Herein, we describe a [Re(CO)3(1-(1,10)phenanthroline-5-(4-nitro-naphthalimide))Cl] photocatalyst, which when combined with the sacrificial donor 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole, results in selective production of formic acid and a high turnover number of 533 and turnover frequency of 356 h-1. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and DFT studies are also discussed.