Highly efficient reduction of carbon dioxide with a borane catalyzed by bis(phosphinite) pincer ligated palladium thiolate complexes

Qiang-Qiang Ma^a,Ting Liu^a,Shujun Li^a,Jie Zhang*^a,Xuenian Chen*^aandHairong Guan*^b

Highly efficient catalytic reduction of CO₂ with catecholborane has been developed by using bis(phosphinite) pincer ligated palladium thiolate complexes. Turnover frequencies up to 1780 h⁻¹have been achieved at room temperature under an atmospheric pressure of CO₂. These thiolate complexes represent the most efficient homogeneous catalysts known to date for the reduction of CO₂to methanol under mild conditions.

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2016/CC/C6CC07987C#fn1