Highly efficient hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to formate catalyzed by iridium(iii) complexes of imine-diphosphine ligands

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/c5sc00248f

A new iridium catalyst containing an imine-diphosphine ligand has been developed, which showed high efficiency for the hydrogenation of CO₂ to formate (yield up to 99%, TON up to 450000). A possible catalytic mechanism is proposed, in which the imine group of the catalyst plays a key role in the cleavage of H₂ and the activation of CO₂.