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 C₁ 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.

Authors: M. L. Lejkowski, R. Lindner, T. Kageyama, G. E. Bodizs, P. Plessow, I. B. Müller, A. Schäfer, F. Rominger, P. Hofmann, C. Futter, S. A. Schunk, M. Limbach