Method and composition for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in water using a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex
A method for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in water using a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex. The method includes dissolving a copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in water having an excess amount of nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine therein. The dissolved copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in the water is subjected to electrochemical reduction to form a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex. The homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex reduces the nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in the water to compounds with nitrogen in a lower oxidation state with the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex.
1. A method for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in water using a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex, the method comprising:
dissolving a copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in water having an excess amount of nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine therein;
subjecting the dissolved copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre catalyst complex in the water to electrochemical reduction to form a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex; and
reducing the nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in the water to compounds with nitrogen in a lower oxidation state with the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex.
2. The method of claim 1 in which the copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex includes substituents configured as fluorinated aryl groups or fluorinated alkyl groups.
3. The method of claim 1 in which the copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex includes at least one fluorinated aryl group and a remainder of groups including fluorinated aryl groups or fluorinated alkyl groups.
4. The method of claim 3 further including providing a nucleophilic tether including a hydrocarbon linker and a nucleophilic group configured to couple the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex copper(II) to a surface with the tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex.
5. The method of claim 4 in which the nucleophilic tether includes an alkyl chain with nucleophilic group.
6. The method of claim 5 in which the nucleophilic tether includes a propyl amino group.
7. The method of claim 4 in which the surface includes one or more of: silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), fluorinated tin oxide (FTO), and indium-doped tin oxide (ITO).
8. The method of claim 3 in which the homogeneous copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex includes copper(II) mono{di(pentaflurophenyl)di(trifluromethyl)} pinacolate.
9. The method of claim 3 in which the copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex includes copper(II) bis{di(pentaflurophenyl)di(trifluromethyl)} pinacolate.
10. The method of claim 1 in which the copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex includes copper(II) bis(perfluoropinacolate).
11. The method of claim 1 further including providing a buffer to control the pH of the water and the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex to a pH in the range of about 8 to 11.
12. The method of claim 1 in which the electrochemical reduction includes applying an electrical potential between an anode and a cathode placed in the water having the copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex therein at a potential in the range of about −0.95 V to about −1.20 V.
13. The method of claim 4 in which surface includes the surface of a flow tube configured to receive a flow of the water having an excess amount of the nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine.
14. The method of claim 13 in which the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex including at least one fluorinated aryl coupled to the surface of the flow tube is configured to reduce the nitrates, nitrites, and and/or hydroxylamine in the flow of the water to the compounds with nitrogen in a lower oxidation state.
15. The method of claim 13 in which the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex including at least one fluorinated aryl coupled to the surface of the flow tube is configured to remove the nitrates, nitrites, and and/or hydroxylamine in the flow of the water to the compounds with nitrogen in a lower oxidation state.
16. The method of claim 14 in which the water having excess nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine therein includes water from a municipal water supply.