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Catalytic ammonia formation from dinitrogen, water, and visible light energy

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  • Yasuomi Yamazaki

    (The University of Tokyo)

  • Yoshiki Endo

    (The University of Tokyo)

  • Yoshiaki Nishibayashi

    (The University of Tokyo)

Abstract

The development of the production method for green ammonia, which is produced only from ubiquitous and clean small molecules (i.e., dinitrogen and water) using renewable energy, has been desired for a next-generation carbon-free energy carrier to build a carbon-neutral society and solve global warming. We have herein achieved visible-light-driven catalytic ammonia formation from dinitrogen and water under ambient conditions using tertiary phosphines, which are widely-used organic compounds, as an electron donor in the presence of molybdenum complexes as molecular catalysts for ammonia formation from dinitrogen and iridium complexes as photosensitizers. In this reaction system, visible light energy enables iridium photosensitizers to trigger electron relay from tertiary phosphines (R3P) as weak reductants to molybdenum catalysts, and the produced radical cation (R3P•+) activates water molecules to donate protons for ammonia formation to molybdenum catalysts via the production of a phosphine-water adducted radical cation (R3P•+-OH2).

Suggested Citation

  • Yasuomi Yamazaki & Yoshiki Endo & Yoshiaki Nishibayashi, 2025. "Catalytic ammonia formation from dinitrogen, water, and visible light energy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59727-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59727-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuya Ashida & Yuto Onozuka & Kazuya Arashiba & Asuka Konomi & Hiromasa Tanaka & Shogo Kuriyama & Yasuomi Yamazaki & Kazunari Yoshizawa & Yoshiaki Nishibayashi, 2022. "Catalytic nitrogen fixation using visible light energy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. John S. Anderson & Jonathan Rittle & Jonas C. Peters, 2013. "Catalytic conversion of nitrogen to ammonia by an iron model complex," Nature, Nature, vol. 501(7465), pages 84-87, September.
    3. Yuya Ashida & Kazuya Arashiba & Kazunari Nakajima & Yoshiaki Nishibayashi, 2019. "Molybdenum-catalysed ammonia production with samarium diiodide and alcohols or water," Nature, Nature, vol. 568(7753), pages 536-540, April.
    4. Mazloomi, Kaveh & Gomes, Chandima, 2012. "Hydrogen as an energy carrier: Prospects and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 3024-3033.
    5. Jingjing Zhang & Christian Mück-Lichtenfeld & Armido Studer, 2023. "Photocatalytic phosphine-mediated water activation for radical hydrogenation," Nature, Nature, vol. 619(7970), pages 506-513, July.
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