CO2 is a cheap, nontoxic and abundant C1 feedstock and its
chemical utilization is a challenge and important topic. Thus, any
efficient reactions using CO2 as a reagent have positive ramifications
on efforts towards carbon management. However, CO2 is a
thermodynamically stable compound, and then its reduction
requires high energy substances or electroreductive processes. Such
aninert property ofCO2, togetherwiththe lower reactivity invarious
reactions, is probably the major reasons why currently the toxic
carbon monoxide, as a C1 building unit for many processes, is used
mostly in industry. Although a number of organic syntheses using
carbon dioxide are known, only a few were applied in industry, the
main processes being the syntheses of urea and its derivatives, and
the production of organic carbonates, where phosgene (COCl2) is
increasingly being replaced by CO2 as the C1 building unit. Another
important CO2 consumer is the electrochemical Kolbe–Schmitt
process for the production of salicylic acid.