Iodide-Photocatalyzed Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid with Thiols and Hydrogen Sulfide.

The photolysis of iodide anions promotes the reaction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen sulfide or thiols to quantitatively yield formic acid and sulfur or disulfides. The reaction proceeds in acetonitrile and aqueous solutions, at atmospheric pressure and room temperature by irradiation using a low-pressure mercury lamp. This transition-metal-free photocatalytic process for CO2 capture coupled with H2 S removal may have been relevant as a prebiotic carbon dioxide fixation.