Mechanistic study of CO formation from CO2 using a mixed-metal oxide of tin, iron, and aluminum

A mechanistic study has been performed to show that a reduced mixed metal oxide derived from tin, iron, and aluminum oxides can remove oxygen from carbon dioxide. Thermogravimetric analysis confirms that reduction of the mixed-metal oxide likely involves the reduction of SnO2and Fe2O3 phases. The reduced mixed-metal oxide can remove oxygen from carbon dioxide and this is shown using isotopically labelled C18O2 and mass spectroscopy. The 18O-labelled mixed-metal oxide can transfer the abstracted oxygen to a different carbonaceous compound, in this case carbon monoxide. Oxygen is readily exchanged in the mixed-metal oxide. Under both oxidizing and reducing conditions 18O is exchanged with unlabelled O resulting in the observation of all isotopomers.