Research on new reaction routes and precursors to prepare catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation has enormous importance. Here, we report on the preparation of the permanganate salt of the urea-coordinated iron(III), [hexakis(urea- O )iron(III)]permanganate ([Fe(urea-O) 6 ](MnO 4 ) 3 ) via an affordable synthesis route and preliminarily demonstrate the catalytic activity of its (Fe,Mn)O x thermal decomposition products in CO 2 hydrogenation. [Fe(urea-O) 6 ](MnO 4 ) 3 contains O-coordinated urea ligands in octahedral propeller-like arrangement around the Fe 3+ cation. There are extended hydrogen bond interactions between the permanganate ions and the hydrogen atoms of the urea ligands. These hydrogen bonds serve as reaction centers and have unique roles in the solid-phase quasi-intramolecular redox reaction of the urea ligand and the permanganate anion below the temperature of ligand loss of the complex cation. The decomposition mechanism of the urea ligand (ammonia elimination with the formation of isocyanuric acid and biuret) has been clarified. In an inert atmosphere, the final thermal decomposition product was manganese-containing wuestite, (Fe,Mn)O, at 800 °C, whereas in ambient air, two types of bixbyite (Fe,Mn) 2 O 3 as well as jacobsite (Fe,Mn) T-4 (Fe,Mn) OC-6 2 O 4 ), with overall Fe to Mn stoichiometry of 1:3, were formed. These final products were obtained regardless of the different atmospheres applied during thermal treatments up to 350 °C. Disordered bixbyite formed first with inhomogeneous Fe and Mn distribution and double-size supercell and then transformed gradually into common bixbyite with regular structure (and with 1:3 Fe to Mn ratio) upon increasing the temperature and heating time. The (Fe,Mn)O x intermediates formed under various conditions showed catalytic effect in the CO 2 hydrogenation reaction with <57.6% CO 2 conversions and <39.3% hydrocarbon yields. As a mild solid-phase oxidant, hexakis(urea- O )iron(III) permanganate, was found to be selective in the transformation of (un)substituted benzylic alcohols into benzaldehydes and benzonitriles.

[κ2-O,O′-Carbonatotetraamminecobalt(III)] iodide, or [Co(NH3)4CO3]I, named in this paper as compound 1, was prepared and characterized comprehensively with spectroscopic (IR, Raman and UV) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Compound 1 was orthorhombic, and isomorphous with the analogous bromide. The four ammonia ligands and the carbonate anion were coordinated to the central cobalt cation in a distorted octahedral geometry. The carbonate ion formed a four-membered symmetric planar chelate ring. The complex cations were bound to each other by N-H···O hydrogen bonds and formed zigzag sheets via an extended 2D hydrogen bond network. The complex cations and iodide ions were arranged into ion pairs and each cation bound its iodide pair through three hydrogen bonds. The thermal decomposition started with the oxidation of the iodide ion by CoIII in the solid phase resulting in [Co(NH3)4CO3] and I2. This intermediate CoII-complex in situ decomposed into Co3O4 and C-N bond containing intermediates. In inert atmosphere, CO or C-N bond containing compounds, and also, due to the in situ decomposition of CoCO3 intermediate, Co3O4 was formed. The quasi-intramolecular solid-phase redox reaction of [Co(NH3)4CO3] might have resulted in the formation of C-N bond containing compounds with substoichiometric release of ammonia and CO2 from compound 1. The C-N bond containing intermediates reduced Co3O4 into CoO and Co, whereas in oxygen-containing atmosphere, the end-product was Co3O4, even at 200 °C, and the endothermic ligand loss reaction coincided with the consecutive exothermic oxidation processes.