Iodide-Photocatalyzed Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid with Thiols and Hydrogen Sulfide

Utilization of CO2 Feedstock for Organic Synthesis by Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis

CO₂ is a highly abundant, green, and sustainable carbon feedstock. Despite its kinetic inertness and thermodynamic stability, the development of various catalytic techniques has enabled the conversion of CO₂ to value-added products such as carboxylic acids, amino acids, and heterocyclic compounds, where visible-light photocatalysis has emerged to be an efficient promoter of these processes. This Minireview covers the progress in the areas of CO₂ incorporation onto organic matters based on the combined venture of renewable resources of CO₂ and light energy with significant emphasis on the last three years' developments.

Visible-Light-Driven Iron-Promoted Thiocarboxylation of Styrenes and Acrylates with CO2

The first thiocarboxylation of styrenes and acrylates with CO₂ was realized by using visible light as a driving force and catalytic iron salts as promoters. A variety of important β-thioacids were obtained in high yields. This multicomponent reaction proceeds in an atom- and redox-economical manner with broad substrate scope under mild reaction conditions. Notably, high regio-, chemo-, and diasteroselectivity are observed. Mechanistic studies indicate that a radical pathway can account for the unusual regioselectivity.