Interaction of CO2 with C–C Multiple Bonds

Abstract

In the presence of low-valent transition metal centers, CO2 can react with unsaturated organic substrates, such as alkenes, alkynes, and conjugated and cumulated dienes, to give carboxylated products. This chapter focuses on the main mechanistic features of these carboxylation processes. A key step of these transformations is the metal-promoted oxidative coupling reaction between CO2 and the unsaturated substrate. The mechanistic details of this step are highlighted and the relevance and role of CO2 coordination to metal center in these reactions is argued.