Enhanced hydrogen generation from formic acid by a biomimetic ruthenium complex with a covalently bonded phosphine ligand

A covalent [RuRu]-P ligand biomimetic H-cluster, [Ru2(CO)5(μ-SCH2CH2CH2S)P(o-C6H4CH3)3], for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation from formic acid decomposition is reported. The catalytic activities, specifically a TOF of 15,840 h−1 and TON over 24,536, were obtained with 50 ppm of the catalyst and P(CH3)3. The high stability and constant catalytic activity of the system, which can generate up to 1.1 L of H2 per hour from a 5 mL reaction solution, holds potential for application in commercial hydrogen generation.162