Carbodiimides as catalysts for the reduction of CO2 with boranes†
Abstract
Carbodiimides catalyse the reduction of CO2 with H-BBN or BH3·SMe2 to give either mixtures of CH2(OBBN)2 and CH3OBBN or (MeOBO)3 and B(OMe)3 under mild conditions (25–60 °C, 1 atm CO2). Stoichiometric reactions and theoretical calculations were performed to unveil the mechanism of these catalytic processes.