Making C-C Bonds from Carbon Dioxide via Transition-Metal Catalysis

Developing more green and sustainable strategies for organic synthesis is an important modern challenge. Although carbon dioxide is an attractive reagent, because of its availability, the low reactivity of this small molecule renders it challenging to use widely in organic synthesis. The discovery of new catalysts thus plays a central role in advancing the science and impact of CO2 utilization. This perspective describes advances in metal-catalyzed carbon dioxide incorporation since Aresta's report of the first metal-CO2 complex.