One site is enough: a theoretical investigation of iron-catalyzed dehydrogenation of formic Acid

Dehydrogenation of HCO2H: The reaction mechanism for the dehydrogenation of formic acid catalyzed by a highly active and selective iron complex has been studied by DFT. The most favorable pathway shows the hydride in Fe-H complexes acting as a spectator ligand throughout the catalytic cycle. This result opens up the Fe complex for modification in order to achieve more efficient and selective catalysts.