Catalyst-Free C-C Bonding via Direct Photochemistry
- Auteur
- Aug 4
- 1 min read
The POWER CO₂ Days! | September 7–9, 2026 | Lyon, France
Day 1: Next frontier C3+
We are excited to announce an upcoming Oral Presentation by Antoine Dion detailing a highly innovative approach to C-C bonding and CH₄ activation.
In this study, Antoine and his co-authors propose a new strategy: using reactive atomic oxygen derived from the direct photolysis of gaseous CO₂ to activate CH₄. Remarkably, this is achieved in a single step, under mild conditions, and without the need for a dedicated catalyst.
How it works: The team uses a VUV lamp as a photon source. This lamp emits photons with sufficient energy to induce the photodecomposition of CO₂ into CO and O, achieving a unity primary quantum yield (the threshold for CO₂ photolysis being λ < 210 nm).
The resulting products were analyzed in the gas phase via FTIR, GC-MS, and RGA, confirming the production of C2 to C5 functionalized molecules. Surprisingly, the team also collected a viscous slurry on the reactor surface. Further analysis via ESI/ASAP-MS, ATR-FTIR, and NMR revealed this to be a complex of high-molecular-weight functionalized molecules.
Supported by ¹³C labeling experiments and multiphysics modeling, this activation strategy serves as a brilliant starting point for novel gas-phase chemistry.
We look forward to an inspiring session!
👥 Authors: Antoine Dion, Luc Charlemagne, Marie Géléoc, Jean-Philippe Renault (CEA-SACLAY, IRAMIS, NIMBE, LIONS)
References: [1] Okabe, H. (1978); [2] Schmidt, J. A., et al. (2014).
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