Thermally stable zinc hydride catalyst for hydrosilylation of CO 2 to silyl formate at atmospheric pressure.

Neutral zinc complexes supported by H[PNNO], a diaminophenolate ligand bearing a pendant phosphine group, were synthesized and characterized. The phosphine arm adopts two different configurations in solution and prevents aggregation. The monomeric zinc hydride complex is stable at elevated temperatures up to 125 °C and reacts readily with CO 2 to afford a zinc formate complex. The zinc hydride is active for CO 2 hydrosilylation at atmospheric CO 2 pressure and is selective for CO 2 reduction to the silyl-formate product.