[Cu(TMPA)Cl]Cl (1) and [Cu(Cl-TMPA)Cl2] (2) exhibited efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution with a TON of 6108 and 10014 (6 h), respectively, in CH3CN/H2O solution (9 : 1, v/v) containing an Ir complex as the photosensitizer and triethylamine as the sacrificial reductant, representing the first example of photocatalytic Cu complex-based water reduction catalysts.

A series of cobaloxime complexes, [Co(iii)(dmgH)2(py-m-X)Cl] (dmgH = dimethylglyoxime, py-m-X = meta-substituted pyridine, X = COOH (2), COOCH3 (3), CH2CH2COOH (6), and CH2CH2COOCH3 (7)), and [Co(iii)(dmgH)2(py-p-X)Cl], (py-p-X = para-substituted pyridine, X = COOH (4) and COOCH3 (5)), were synthesized and their photocatalytic H2 production activities were compared in an artificial photosynthesis system containing a xanthene dye Eosin Y as the photosensitizer (PS) and triethanolamine (TEOA) as the sacrificial reductant (SR) in CH3CN/H2O (1 : 1, pH = 7.5). Irrespective of substitution by an electron-donating or electron withdrawing group, the photocatalytic H2 production activities of 2-7 are all higher than that of [Co(iii)(dmgH)2(py)Cl] (1). Importantly, meta-substitution is more efficient than para-substitution, and COOH is more efficient than COOCH3, in enhancing the photocatalytic activities. 6 showed the highest activity among the examined complexes. The -CH2CH2- chain linking COOH and pyridine might play a role in the promising performance of 6, which makes the proton relay via interaction between COOH and dmgH possible. This work may open new avenues for developing more efficient cobaloxime-based H2 evolution catalysts (HERs).

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