Abstract: The continuously increasing CO2 emission, as all known harmful to the global environment and responsible for the greenhouse effect, have raised worldwide researches aiming to reduce CO2 content in the atmosphere or even to effectively utilize CO2. One of the various potential approaches is using N-heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs) and its metal complexes to activate CO2, and convert it into chemical raw materials or fuels so as to achieve the purpose of recycling carbon resources. This review gives a summary of the research progress in applying NHC and its complexes with transition metals Cu, Pd and Ag to the activating CO2 and catalyzing reactions of CO2 and organic compounds such as alkenes and alkynes. It ends with a critical analysis of the developmental prospects of this field.
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