Isolated enzymes, environmentally benign

Carboxylation of organic molecules using CO2 has received attention as an environmentally benign synthetic method. A decarboxylase, an enzyme from Bacillus megaterium that catalyzes the elimination of CO2 from organic molecules, has been found to also catalyze the reverse CO2 fixation reactions. " The substrate scope of this enzyme, however, is limited to pyrrole, which is carboxylated to form pyrrole-2-carboxylate (Fig. 10.41(a)). For the carboxylations of phenol and catechol, decarboxylases from Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum have been isolated and employed (Fig. 41(b) and(c)). ... 

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