Redox-active metal complexes for catalytic carbon dioxide reduction

The catalytic chemical or electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to produce platform C1 or C2 chemicals from this plentiful feedstock remains an enduring challenge.1 This is particularly true for the reduction of CO2 to oxalate (C2O42), the least energy intensive conversion in terms of electron management (one electron per CO2) and which provides a viable route to a C2 platform chemical. The controlled catalytic formation of oxalate is very rare and new catalytic routes to its formation from CO2 are a priority.2