From Carbon Dioxide to Formaldehyde and Organic Molecules

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a waste gas that finds little use because it is very unreactive. In contrast, formaldehyde (CH₂O) is very reactive and can be converted to a multitude of chemicals. The conversion of carbon dioxide to formaldehyde is, therefore, a very useful transformation. However, this transformation is difficult to achieve because carbon dioxide is very unreactive. Therefore, it is significant that we have discovered a means to convert carbon dioxide to formaldehyde at room temperature, which thereby provides a means to convert carbon dioxide into useful chemicals.