Molecular Chemistry of Consequence to Renewable Energy

Energy conversion cycles are aimed at driving unfavorable, small-molecule activation reactions with a photon
harnessed directly by a transition-metal catalyst or indirectly by a transition-metal catalyst at the surface of a
photovoltaic cell. The construction of such cycles confronts daunting challenges because they rely on chemical
transformations not understood at the most basic levels. These transformations include multielectron transfer, proton-coupled electron transfer, and bond-breaking and -making reactions of energy-poor substrates. We have begun to
explore these poorly understood areas of molecular science with transition-metal complexes that promote hydrogen
production and oxygen bond-breaking and -making chemistry of consequence to water splitting.