Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Photocatalytic Properties of Two Novel Fe-Complexes Based on Oxalato Ligands

Two novel water-insoluble six-coordinated complexes, catena-( N , N -pyridine or imidazole)-μ 2 -oxalato iron(II) ((C 24 H 20 Fe 2 N 4 O 8 ) n and (C 32 H 32 Fe 4 N 16 O 16 ) n ⋅ C 2 H 5 OH, abbreviations: CPOFe or CIOFe, general term: COFe) have been prepared and characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, element analysis, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. To investigate the catalytic properties, a simulated environment has been established. Methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB) have been chosen as model pollutants to characterize the photocatalytic system with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm). The results indicate that COFe could effectively activate H 2 O 2 to oxidize and mineralize the substrates in aqueous media under ambient conditions, e.g. temperature, pressure, and visible light irradiation. The degradation rate of RhB has been over 98% in an hour.