The First Catalytic Synthesis of an Acrylate from CO2 and an Alkene-A Rational Approach

For more than three decades the catalytic synthesis of acrylates from the cheap and abundantly available C-1 building block carbon dioxide and alkenes has been an unsolved problem in catalysis research, both in academia and industry. Herein, we describe a homogeneous catalyst based on nickel that permits the catalytic synthesis of the industrially highly relevant acrylate sodium acrylate from CO2, ethylene, and a base, as demonstrated, at this stage, by a turnover number of greater than 10 with respect to the metal.