Adsorption and Reaction of Carbon Dioxide on Zirconium Dioxide

The activation of carbon dioxide was studied over a zirconium dioxide catalyst via infrared spectroscopy and 18O-labeled reactants. The carbon dioxide adsorbed on the surface as either a carbonate or a bicarbonate species. The carbonate species formed as a result of CO2 interaction with lattice oxygen. The bicarbonate species formed from CO2 interaction with a hydroxyl group. There was no direct interconversion between the carbonate and the bicarbonate. It is proposed that the bicarbonate can be converted to the formate via molecular CO.