Catalytic Methylation of OH Bonds Using CO2 and H2

摘要

Formation of C—C bonds from CO2 is a much sought after reaction in organic synthesis. To date, other than C—H carboxylations using stoichiometric amounts of metals, base, or organometallic reagents, little is known about C-C bond formation. In fact, to the best of our knowledge no catalytic methylation of C—H bonds using CO2 and H2 has been reported. Described herein is the combination of CO2 and H2 for efficient methylation of carbon nucleophiles such as indoles, pyrroles, and electron-rich arenes. Comparison experiments which employ paraformaldehyde show similar reactivity for the CO2/H2 system.