Pd‐imidate@SBA‐15: a multifunctional heterogeneous catalyst for the aqueous room temperature hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid

The incorporation of hydrophilic and basic sites from phosphotriazaadamantane and saccharine in a water‐soluble Pd complex and the subsequent confinement into mesoporous silica support increases the activity and stability of the palladium catalytic species for the room‐temperature aqueous hydrogenation of either bicarbonate or CO 2 into formic acid. The use of low Pd loadings (<0.1 mmol Pd g −1 ) of the well‐dispersed complex on SBA‐15 mesoporous silica allows performing the reaction under room temperature, and aqueous conditions, exhibiting TON of ca . 40–100, for the CO 2 or bicarbonate hydrogenation, respectively, which is one order of magnitude higher than the homogeneous case, allowing the easy isolation and recycling of the solid catalyst.