Unravelling the role of an amide intermediate in co-catalyst-based sequential CO₂ hydrogenation reaction to methanol.

NiCl₂·6H₂O, in the presence of a wide range of amines, forms a green gel in protic solvents. UV-Vis studies indicate the initial formation of a square planar species which is transformed into tetrahedral or octahedral components. Theoretical studies indicate the presence of cis-Ni(OMe)₂(MeOH)₄ as one of the major components of the gel. This study reveals that metallogel formation does not necessarily require synthetically designed ligands with pre-defined coordination sites.