Electrogenerated Sm(II)-Catalyzed Carbon Dioxide Reduction for -Hydrocarboxylation of Styrenes

The synthesis of carboxylic acids from low-value materialssuchas alkenes using CO2 as a C-1-building blockremains a real challenge for synthetic chemists from both reactivityand selectivity perspectives. Electrochemical carboxylations havebeen examined but they remain limited, still suffering from a cruciallack of selectivity. Herein we report a catalytic protocol based onan electrogenerated Sm(II) catalyst as a powerful CO2 reductant,able to perform exclusively anti-Markovnikov hydrocarboxylationof alkenes. This electrochemical approach overcomes several currentlimitations and allows direct beta-hydrocarboxylation of styrenederivatives, in a regioselective manner.