A method for the synthesis of α-amino acids by direct reductive carboxylation of aromatic imines with CO₂ is described. The protocol employs readily available commercial reagents and serves as a one-step alternative to the Strecker synthesis.

A synthesis of α-amino acids via direct reductive carboxylation of imines with carbon dioxide

Ajay A. Sathe,^a   Douglas R. Hartline^a and  Alexander T. Radosevich*^a  

* Corresponding authors

^a

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA 
E-mail: radosevich@psu.edu ;
Tel: +1 814 867 4268

Chem. Commun., 2013,49, 5040-5042

DOI: 10.1039/C3CC42057D
Received 21 Mar 2013, Accepted 16 Apr 2013
First published online 25 Apr 2013

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/CC/c3cc42057d

Turning carbon dioxide into something useful -Carbon dioxide reduced to formate by iridium pincer catalyst

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/07/iridium-catalyst-carbon-dioxide-reduction-formate

New research shows that a water-soluble catalyst developed by scientists in the US can electrocatalytically transform carbon dioxide into a useful chemical feedstock.
The global demand for fuel is rising, as are carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Recent studies have attempted to address the global carbon imbalance by exploring ways to recycle carbon dioxide into liquid fuels. Formate, the anion of formic acid, is an intermediate of carbon dioxide reduction and can be used as a fuel in formic acid fuel cells. However, the selective production of formate, without using organic solvents, is challenging. Water, being inexpensive and environmentally-friendly, is obviously preferred over organic solvents as a reaction medium. On the other hand, the reduction of carbon dioxide in water is complicated by the reduction of water to hydrogen being a more kinetically favourable process.
 http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/07/iridium-catalyst-carbon-dioxide-reduction-formate