Electrochemical conversion of nitrous oxide into ammonia in the presence of iron complexes

Abstract

The electrochemical conversion of NO into NH₃ has been studied using iron complexes as homogeneous catalysts. The present results show that small amounts of NH₂OH and N₂H₄ are formed, but no detectable amounts of N₂O. The conversion efficiency depends on the solution used and diminishes in the following order: Fe^IIphen > aquo-Fe^II > Fe^IIpy > Fe^IIedta > blank. The mechanism of conversion of NO into NH₃ is discussed in the light of spectrophotometry, cyclic voltammetry and quantitative analyses.