Efficient Photocatalytic Water Reduction Using In Situ Generated Knölker's Iron Complexes.

In situ generated iron-based Knölker complexes were found to be efficient catalysts in a fully non-noble metal Cu-Fe photocatalytic water reduction system. These mononuclear iron catalysts were able to generate hydrogen up to 15 times faster than previously reported [Fe3(CO)12]. A reductive quenching mechanism was shown to operate by fluorescence experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]