Aluminium‐Mediated Carbon Dioxide Reduction by an Isolated Monoalumoxane Anion

The deoxygenative conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide is promoted by the aluminyl anion [Al(NONAr)]− (NONAr=[O(SiMe2NAr)2]2−, Ar=2,6‐iPr2C6H3). The reaction proceeds via the isolable monoalumoxane anion [Al(NONAr)(O)]−, containing a terminal aluminum‐oxygen bond. This species reacts with a second equivalent of carbon dioxide to afford the carbonate [Al(NONAr)(CO3)]−, and with nitrous oxide to generate the hyponitrite anion, [Al(NONAr)(κ2O,O′‐N2O2)]−. Suck it up! An isolated monoalumoxane anion reacts with the greenhouse gases CO2 and N2O to generate potentially useful chemical compounds.