A DFT study unveils the secret of how H2 is activated in the N-formylation of amines with CO2 and H2 catalyzed by Ru(ii) pincer complexes in the absence of exogenous additives.

We herein report a new H₂ activation mechanism to elucidate the N-formylation of amines with CO₂ and H₂, catalyzed by Ru(ii) pincer complexes in the absence of exogenous additives. Furthermore, we show that the mechanism could be applied to other types of Ru(ii) pincer complexes and computed iron analogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]