Light-Mediated Carboxylation Using Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a green and sustainable one-carbon source, which could be utilized in the production of various fine chemicals. In recent studies, the light-mediated carboxylation employing CO2 has received considerable attention. The photocarboxylation of substrates with CO2 to build novel C-C bonds is introduced in this Minireview. The article is arranged based on the light-driven reactive intermediates, including CO2 radical anion, substrate radical anions, carbanions, and M-C species. Most of the cases are under the topic of photoredox catalysis, with single electron transfer as the main driving force. Some non-catalytic examples are also discussed to provide more mechanistic insights.