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Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
Published on: November 9, 2019
Ce[N(SiMe3)2]3(THF)3-Catalyzed Hydroboration of CO2, Esters and Epoxides with Pinacolborane: Selective Synthesis of
Md Jabed Hossain1, Brij Kumar Shah1, Soumya Ranjan Dash2
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, 411008, India.
Abstract:
In this work, we have reduced CO2 with HBpin to afford borylated methanol product selectively in ~99 % yield using Ce[N(SiMe3)2]3(THF)3 as a catalyst. This led to multigram scale isolation of methanol obtained from CO2 reduction via the hydrolysis of borylated methanol, this establishes the potential of Ce[N(SiMe3)2]3(THF)3 as an efficient homogeneous catalyst for the bulk scale methanol synthesis. A practical application of this catalytic system was also shown by reducing CO2-containing motorbike exhaust efficiently and selectively. Further, C-O bond activation of esters and epoxides using HBpin and 1-2 mol % of Ce[N(SiMe3)2]3(THF)3 at 60 °C afforded the borylated alcohols in good to excellent yields, which can easily be hydrolysed to the eco-friendly corresponding alcohol. The stoichiometric experiments were performed to prove the formation of in-situ generated cerium hydride [Ce]-H as an active catalyst.
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