Hydrogenation of CO to Formate using a Simple, Recyclable, and Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst.

Today, one of the most imperative targets to realize the conversions of CO in industry is the development of practically viable catalytic systems that demonstrate excellent activity, selectivity, and durability. Herein, a simple heterogeneous Ru(III) catalyst is prepared by immobilizing commercially available RuCl· xHO onto a bipyridine-functionalized covalent triazine framework, [bpy-CTF-RuCl], for the first time. This novel catalyst efficiently hydrogenates CO into formate with an unprecedented turnover frequency (38800 h) and selectivity. In addition, the catalyst excellently maintains its efficiency over successive runs and produces a maximum final formate concentration of ∼2.1 M in just 2.5 h with a conversion of 12% in regard to CO feed. The apparent advantages of air stability, ease of handling, simplicity, the use of a readily available metal precursor, and the outstanding catalytic performance make [bpy-CTF-RuCl] one of the possible candidates for realizing the large-scale production of formic acid/formate by CO hydrogenation.