Hydrogen peroxide is a molecule that can be used for a wide variety of organic procedures However, the current method of generation using anthraquinone oxidation requires the use of toxic solvents, high amounts of energy.1 The McNamara lab tackles this problem by using oxygen reduction reactions(ORR) to synthesize H2O2. ORR can be achieved through photocatalysis of water with a metal coordinated complex. Particularly, the lab focuses on making catalysts that are both made of earth abundant materials and environmentally friendly.
- Shibata, S., Suenobu, T. and Fukuzumi, S. (2013), Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide from Hydrogen and Oxygen by Using a Water-Soluble Iridium Complex and Flavin Mononucleotide. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 52: 12327-12331. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201307273