Novel Magnesium-Based Chlorin for Efficient Catalytic Reduction of CO2

Abstract: Utilisation of CO2 has historically been done via catalytic conversion into methane or syngas. Such a process involves the use of inorganic and potentially environmental-unfriendly metals while the products are also not biodegradable. Much safer alternatives are proposed in this paper. It is discovered that the introduction of trace Mg2+ into a solution of Chlorin A (Figure 1) results in a catalyst capable of reducing CO2 into various polyalcohols, the latter being energy sources for many organisms.