Online Coupling High-Temperature Electrolysis with Carbonylation Reactions: A Powerful Method for Continuous Carbon Dioxide Utilization

Abstract

Despite being widely available, the broad utilization of CO₂ for chemical production remains in its infancy. The difficulty of using CO₂ as an important resource for the chemical industry lies in the high stability of the molecule and its associated inertia. In this work, we demonstrate how to overcome these limitations by utilizing a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) with an optimized cathode to produce dry CO through the high-temperature electrolysis of CO₂. We further integrate this process with a synthesis setup in a continuous-flow coil reactor to boost reactivity in various carbonylation processes, including in amino-, alkoxy-, and phenoxycarbonylation, carbonylative Sonogashira couplings, or the synthesis of redox-active esters. Ultimately, our approach offers a platform strategy for the rapid, scalable, and continuous production of carbonyl compounds directly from CO₂ while eliminating the requirement for storing large CO quantities.