Mechanistic guidelines in nonreductive conversion of CO2: the case of cyclic carbonates

Nonreductive conversion of carbon dioxide has received wide attention in the area of homogeneous catalysis, especially in the context of cyclic organic carbonate formation processes. Whereas the synthesis of such carbonates has been central in the majority of the scientific contributions with a crucial role for catalyst design, much less attention has been paid to the mechanistic requisites that allow for more challenging transformations to occur. In this perspective article, a detailed summary of the efforts leading to a better understanding of the manifolds providing efficient preparative routes for cyclic organic carbonates is presented, considering primarily experimental and theoretical breakthrough results.