Sustainable Chemistry: Reversible reaction of CO2 with amines

The reaction of primary and secondary amines with CO2 has been successfully leveraged to develop sustainable processes. In this article, we review specific examples that use the reversible reaction of CO2 with amines to synergistically enhance reaction and recovery of the products. The three cases of interest highlighted herein are: (i) reversible protection of amines, (ii) reversible ionic liquids for CO2 capture and chemical transformations, and (iii) reversible gels of ethylene diamine. These examples demonstrate that the reversible reaction of amines with CO2 is one of the tools in the sustainable technology’s toolbox.