# CO-to-sugars conversion from one-pot two-step electro-organocatalytic process

## TL;DR

Scientists developed a two-step process to convert carbon monoxide into sugars, offering a sustainable way to make complex carbon molecules.

## Contribution

A novel one-pot two-step system for CO-to-sugars conversion using electroreduction and organocatalysis.

## Key findings

- Electroreduction of CO to formaldehyde was successfully integrated with organocatalytic oligomerization.
- The process selectively produces C5–6 carbohydrates with formaldehyde as the intermediate.
- This method provides a sustainable route for synthesizing complex carbon chains from CO.

## Abstract

The conversion of C1 molecules (single-carbon species) into Cn products (carbon chains) is a key challenge for developing sustainable chemical feedstocks to replace fossil resources. Carbohydrates, a vital class of complex polycarbon molecules, are mainly extracted from biomass, but de novo synthesis provides a complementary route to access rare and non-natural carbohydrates. Here, we report a fully integrated, one-pot two-step system converting carbon monoxide (CO) into carbohydrates. This process couples the electroreduction of CO to formaldehyde with the organocatalytic oligomerization of formaldehyde into C5–6 carbohydrates selectively. This work establishes a novel pathway to utilize CO as a building block for synthesizing complex carbon chains.

A one-pot two-step process combining electroreduction and organocatalysis to selectively transform CO into C5–6 carbohydrates with formaldehyde as the key intermediate.