Stereoselective synthesis with carbon dioxide

Homogeneous catalysis employing carbon dioxide (CO2) as a carbon-based renewable feedstock has been and continues to be a flourishing area of research, providing new and improved synthetic methodologies towards a range of organic products. Since CO2 is inexpensive, non-toxic and available in virtually unlimited amounts, the progress in CO2 catalysis is of widespread academic, industrial and societal interest. This interest is sparked by the demanding necessity to provide viable alternatives for fossil fuel-derived organic precursors and their post-modification. Whereas most of the advances have been made in the area of CO2 conversion focusing on simple organic structures, the more challenging and gratifying stereoselective syntheses have only recently become a subject of increasing attention. This review therefore aims at presenting a concise overview of the most recent achievements in the field of stereoselective transformations where CO2 is used as a key reagent. As such, it should empower the synthetic community with a starting point for expansion of the toolbox leading to a greater variety of value-added organic matter based on CO2.