A new synthetic route to optically active unsaturated γ- and δ-lactones has been demonstrated via asymmetric allylic carboxylation with a planar-chiral Cp'Ru catalyst and ring-closing metathesis reaction with a Grubbs II catalyst, and successfully applied to the enantioselective synthesis of (R)-(-)-massoialactone.

A novel way to accommodate heterogeneous catalysis, CO2 fixation and asymmetric synthesis on one catalyst is reported. The [Co]@Ag composite was prepared for the first time and used for asymmetric carboxylation of benzyl bromides with CO2. All the procedures were performed under mild conditions. Moreover, the [Co]@Ag composite has terrific stability and reusability.

Enzymatic decarboxylation and carboxylation are emerging as prospective processes to produce high-value compounds under mild conditions. Ferulic acid decarboxylase Fdc1 catalyzes broad substrate tolerance against α, β-unsaturated carboxylic acids, provides green routes for carbon dioxide fixation with the reversible carboxylation, while activity of enzyme is limited by indispensable cofactor pr...

Seeds of three C₃ and one C₄ annual weedy species were collected from agricultural fields in Beltsville, Maryland in 1966 and 2006, when atmospheric CO₂ concentrations averaged about 320 and 380 mol mol-1, respectively. Plants from each collection year were grown over a range of CO₂ concentrations to test for adaptation of these weedy species to recent changes in atmospheric CO₂. In all three o...

The carboxylative cyclization of o-hydroxy- and o-acetamidoacetophenone with carbon dioxide promoted by the organic base 1,8-diazabicycloundec-7-ene (DBU) is reported. This reaction provides convenient access to the biologically important compounds 4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one and 4-hydroxy-2(1H)-quinolinone in moderate to good yields using carbon dioxide as the carboxylation reagent. An acyl mig...