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Science 31 August 2001:
Vol. 293. no. 5535, pp. 1639 - 1641
DOI: 10.1126/science.1062965
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Reports

Hydrogen Produced from Hydrohalic Acid Solutions by a Two-Electron Mixed-Valence Photocatalyst

Alan F. Heyduk, Daniel G. Nocera*

Energy conversion cycles are aimed at driving unfavorable, small-molecule activation reactions with a photon harnessed by a transition metal complex. A challenge that has occupied researchers for several decades is to create molecular photocatalysts to promote the production of hydrogen from homogeneous solution. We now report the use of a two-electron mixed-valence dirhodium compound to photocatalyze the reduction of hydrohalic acid to hydrogen. In this cycle, photons break two RhII-X bonds of a LRh0-RhIIX2 core in the presence of a halogen trap to regenerate the active LRh0-Rh0 catalyst, which reacts with hydrohalic acid to produce hydrogen.

Department of Chemistry, 6-335, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nocera{at}mit.edu

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