Insights into Hydrogen Generation from Formic Acid Using Ruthenium Complexes

The decomposition of a HCO 2 H/Et 3 N azeotrope to a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide may be catalyzed by a number of Ru(III) and Ru(II) complexes with high efficiency at ca. 120 °C. Evidence that suggests that the precatalyst may in each case be a common ruthenium dimer has been obtained through 1 H NMR and X-ray crystallographic studies of the complexes formed in situ and of analysis of the gases generated in the reaction using FTIR and gas chromatography methods.