Developing a molecular platform for potential carbon dioxide fixing

This paper presents an attempt to develop a new system for fixing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.The proposed molecular system has been designed to have the capacity to spontaneously bind CO_(2)from the atmosphere with high affinity.The molecular system is furthermore designed to have the ability to liberate CO_(2)at a later stage in the process,i.e.,in a separate compartment.The liberated CO_(2)presents a carbon neutral way of obtaining pure CO_(2).The proposed molecular system is based on a small stable organic molecule that potentially have two forms:one without bound CO_(2)and one with bound CO_(2).One class of molecules that undergo a reaction compatible with our purposal is the merocyanine dyes that exhibit photochromic properties.Based on this structural class of molecules,a system for the potential fixing of CO_(2)has been developed.