title: Molecular chemistry of consequence to renewable energy.
abstract: Energy conversion cycles are aimed at driving unfavorable, small-molecule activation reactions with a photon harnessed directly by a transition-metal catalyst or indirectly by a transition-metal catalyst at the surface of a photovoltaic cell. The construction of such cycles confronts daunting challenges because they rely on chemical transformations not understood at the most basic levels. These transformations include multielectron transfer, proton-coupled electron transfer, and bond-breaking and -making reactions of energy-poor substrates. We have begun to explore these poorly understood areas of molecular science with transition-metal complexes that promote hydrogen production and oxygen bond-breaking and -making chemistry of consequence to water splitting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139-4307, USA.
authors.forename: Jillian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dempsey
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Esswein
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Manke
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Jake D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Soper
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Nocera
mesh_terms: D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004583:Electrons; D006859:Hydrogen; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010777:Photochemistry
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals; D006859:Hydrogen