Photoreduction of CO to Methanol. The Photolysis of Aqueous Solutions of [Os(NH₃)₅(CO)]²⁺

Abstract

The carbonyl complex [Os II (NH 3 ) 5 (CO)] 2+ undergoes a photolysis in aqueous solution which yields [Os VI (NH 3 ) 4 N] 3+ (Φ = 10 −3 at λ irr = 255 nm) and methanol. This photoreduction of CO to CH 3 OH represents a novel type of photoreactivity of metal carbonyl complexes and could be utilized for an artificial photosynthesis.