Spontaneous α-C-H Carboxylation of Ketones by Gaseous CO 2 at the Air-water Interface of Aqueous Microdroplets.

We present a catalyst-free route for the reduction of carbon dioxide integrated with the formation of a carbon-carbon bond at the air/water interface of negatively charged aqueous microdroplets, at ambient temperature. The reactions proceed through carbanion generation at the α-carbon of a ketone followed by nucleophilic addition to CO ₂ . Online mass spectrometry reveals that the product is an α-ketoacid. Several factors, such as the concentration of the reagents, pressure of CO ₂ gas, and distance traveled by the droplets, control the kinetics of the reaction. Theoretical calculations suggest that water in the microdroplets facilitates this unusual chemistry. Furthermore, such a microdroplet strategy has been extended to seven different ketones. This work demonstrates a green pathway for the reduction of CO ₂ to useful carboxylated organic products.
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