Ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of CO₂ as a route to methyl esters for use as biofuels or fine chemicals

Abstract

A novel robust diphosphine–ruthenium(<sc>ii</sc>) complex has been developed that can efficiently catalyze both the hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol and its <italic>in situ</italic> condensation with carboxylic acids to give methyl esters.