Photocatalytic turnover of CO 2 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 CO 2 requires new potent catalysts that can absorb visible light. The photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 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-1 H -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.