The development of new, scalable CO2 utilization strategies could transform CO2 from a waste product and greenhouse gas into a valuable commodity chemical precursor. Carboxylic acids are attractive targets because they have numerous high-volume applications and their current synthesis from petroleum hydrocarbon feedstocks requires difficult and costly oxidations. However, all reported hydrocarbon carboxylation strategies consume stoichiometric amounts of an energy-intensive promoter (e.g., strong base or Lewis acid), followed by stoichiometric strong acid. In contrast, I will present a two-step cycle catalyzed by a simple solid base, M2CO3/TiO2, which converts aromatic hydrocarbons into their methyl ester derivatives at elevated temperatures without generating any stoichiometric waste. Substrate scope, mechanistic studies, and characterization of the catalyst surface at both ambient and high temperatures will be presented.

CO2 insertion into C–H bonds for carboxylic acid synthesis

2019 Spring National Meeting

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