Umpolung Reactivity of Aldehydes toward Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is an intrinsically stable molecule. Therefore, its activation requires extra energy input in the form of reactive reagents and/or activated catalysts and, often, harsh reaction conditions. Reported here is a direct carboxylation reaction of aromatic aldehydes with carbon dioxide to afford α‐keto acids as added‐value products. In situ generation of a reactive cyanohydrin was the key to the successful carboxylation reaction under operationally mild reaction conditions (25–40 °C, 1 atm CO₂). The resulting α‐keto acids served as a platform for α‐amino acid synthesis by reductive amination reactions, illustrating the chemical synthesis of essential bioactive molecules from carbon dioxide.