Selective Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Formaldehyde via a Bis(silyl)acetal: Incorporation of Isotopically Labeled C1 Moieties Derived from Carbon Dioxide into Organic Molecules

The conversion of carbon dioxide to formaldehyde is a transformation that is of considerable significance in view of the fact that formaldehyde is a widely used chemical, but this conversion is challenging because CO 2 is resistant to chemical transformations. Therefore, we report here that formaldehyde can be readily obtained from CO 2 at room temperature via he bis(silyl)acetal, H 2 C(OSiPh 3 ) 2 . Specifically, formaldehyde is released from H 2 C(OSiPh 3 ) 2 upon treatment with CsF at room temperature. H 2 C(OSiPh 3 ) 2 hus serves as a formaldehyde surrogate and provides a means to incorporate CH x ( x = 1 or 2) moieties into organic molecules. Isotopologues of H 2 C(OSiPh 3 ) 2 may also be synthesized, thereby providing a convenient means to use CO 2 as a source of isotopic labels in organic molecules.