Just a random thought I had while doing nothing:

Correct me if im wrong but: the main problem with cooling devices is that they use more energy (than they extract from the area they cool), when their goal is simply to transfer heat from one place too another (just moving energy) but they end up generating additional heat from the energy used to transfer it.
And, in theory, one should be able to create some sort of cooling unit which removes the heat without using additional energy in the process. ie the thermal energy outputted is exactly equal to the thermal energy removed from the environnement it's cooling.

So my thought was this:
If there are chemical reactions which are both endothermic and exothermic, could perhaps one create a device which initiated an endothermic reaction at one end and an exothermic at the other.
For clarity:
I have compound (or a mixture of some compounds) labeled A and B and catalysts X and Y
At the cool end, Catalyst X turns compound A into compound B via endothermic reaction.
At the hot end, Catalyst Y turns compound B into compound A via exothermic reaction.
A The catalysts could be somehow attached to a metal plate at each end to conduct the heat.

Well there you have my thought, has it been thought before? Comments, questions? Is it simply the insane byproduct of an undereducated brain :p?

Not sure if this would be better placed in chemistry, but if theres a problem a mod can fix it, no?

-Andrew