Tandem Amine and Ruthenium-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of CO₂ to Methanol

Abstract

This Communication describes the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to methanol via tandem catalysis with dimethylamine and a homogeneous ruthenium complex. Unlike previous examples with homogeneous catalysts, this CO₂-to-CH₃OH process proceeds under basic reaction conditions. The dimethylamine is proposed to play a dual role in this system. It reacts directly with CO₂ to produce dimethylammonium dimethylcarbamate, and it also intercepts the intermediate formic acid to generate dimethylformamide. With the appropriate selection of catalyst and reaction conditions, >95% conversion of CO₂ was achieved to form a mixture of CH₃OH and dimethylformamide