Thepresentcontributionhighlightsrecentdevelopmentsintheapplicationof compressed

(liquid or supercritical) carbon dioxide as a solvent for chemical reactions. After a brief intro-

duction to the basic physical properties of scCO 2 , some practical aspects of the use of com-

pressed gases are discussed. A survey of successful applications of compressed and partic-

ularly supercritical CO 2 in organic synthesis is provided with an emphasis on metal-catalyzed

reactions.