Controlling the Product Platform of Carbon Dioxide Reduction: Adaptive Catalytic Hydrosilylation of CO2 Using a Molecular Cobalt(II) Triazine Complex

The catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered a major pillar of future sustainable energy systems and chemical industries based on renewable energy and raw materials. Typically, catalysts and catalytic systems are transforming CO2 preferentially or even exclusively to one of the possible reduction levels and are then optimized for this specific product. Here, we report a cobalt-based catalytic system that enables the adaptive and highly selective transformation of carbon dioxide individually to either the formic acid, the formaldehyde, or the methanol level, demonstrating the possibility of molecular control over the desired product platform.