Carbon Dioxide as a C sub(1) Building Block for the Formation of Carboxylic Acids by Formal Catalytic Hydrocarboxylation

A happy marriage of two processes: An effective catalytic system was identified for the direct synthesis of carboxylic acids from non-activated olefins or alcohols, CO sub(2), and H sub(2). Detailed analysis together with labeling studies indicated that the overall hydrocarboxylation of simple olefins results from a combination of the reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reaction and a hydroxycarbonylation step, each promoted by a rhodium catalyst (see scheme).