Metal-Free Carboxylation of Aromatic Ketones and Aldehydes with CO2 by a Diazabenzoacenaphthenium Photoredox Catalyst

Abstract The transition toward sustainable technologies necessitates replacing precious-metal catalysts with viable and earth-abundant alternatives. Herein, we demonstrate that the benzoacenaphthenium cation (N-BAP) serves as a metal-free photoredox catalyst for the reductive carboxylation of aromatic aldehydes and ketones with CO2, a reaction conventionally reliant on iridium.