Final Report Summary - RTCO (Reductive Transformations of Carbon Oxides)
In this project, we have focused on the development of new approaches for the activation and conversion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into useful organic products, which are highly topical and significant challenges for chemistry and with significant potential impact on the issues of CO and CO2 capture and recycling. To do this, we have used a relatively harmless waste product of the nuclear industry (depleted uranium) to synthesise novel compounds which can be specifically tailored to join together carbon monoxide molecules to make different size organic rings, convert carbon monoxide and hydrogen to methanol (a potential fuel), or couple carbon dioxide molecules together. We have also used computational chemistry to develop a fundamental understanding of the way in which these transformations occur, how they may be controlled, and develop predictive models for future applications of this chemistry.