CO2 Capture by a Rhenium(I) Complex with the Aid of Triethanolamine

A rhenium(I) tricarbonyl diimine complex with a N,N-dimethylformamide ligand captures one CO2 molecule in the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA), giving fac-[ReI(bpy)(CO)3{R2N-CH2CH2O-COO}] (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, R = CH2CH2OH). This could be a predominant complex in various photocatalytic CO2 reduction reactions using [ReI(N^N)(CO)3X]n+ (N^N = diimine ligand; X = monodentate ligand; n = 0, 1) type complexes in the presence of TEOA.