Recent advances in organic synthesis with CO2

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is widely recognized as a major greenhouse gas, but in synthetic chemistry it is also an abundant, inexpensive, non-toxic, and readily available one-carbon feedstock. Incorporating CO₂ into organic molecules offers opportunities to prepare value-added chemicals from an alternative carbon source. However, its thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness make efficient and selective activation challenging.

A multi-institutional team has now reviewed major advances in CO₂-involved organic synthesis during the past five years. Published in Science China Chemistry, the review organizes the field according to the chemical bonds formed between CO₂ and organic substrates, primarily covering C-C, C-N, and C-O bond formation. This bond-centered framework connects diverse catalytic systems and product classes. C-C bond-forming reactions constitute a major part of the review. Representative strategies include carboxylation, difunctionalization, and cyclization reactions, which provide access to carboxylic acids and related derivatives. These approaches demonstrate how CO₂ can be incorporated while additional bonds or molecular frameworks are constructed. The review also surveys C-N and C-O bond-forming transformations. C-N bond formation enables the synthesis of nitrogen-containing products such as carbamates, ureas, and oxazolidinones, whereas C-O bond-forming processes provide access to organic carbonates, cyclic carbonates, and polycarbonates. Together, these reactions illustrate the breadth of products that can be obtained using CO₂ as a carbon source.

One of the clearest trends is the resurgence of photochemistry and electrochemistry. Visible light and electrical energy can facilitate electron-transfer and radical processes, generating reactive intermediates that engage otherwise inert CO₂ under comparatively mild conditions. These activation modes complement conventional thermal and catalytic methods and have enabled new patterns of reactivity. By comparing representative reactions, mechanisms, and catalytic strategies, the review provides a structured overview of recent progress and a useful reference for future research on the sustainable utilization of CO₂ in organic synthesis.

See the article: Recent advances in organic synthesis with CO₂

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-026-3468-7