Poly(ethylene glycol)s as Ligands in Calcium-Catalyzed Cyclic Carbonate Synthesis.

Herein the use of CaI in combination with poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEG DME 500) as an efficient catalyst system for the addition of CO to epoxides is reported. This protocol is based on a nontoxic and abundant metal in conjunction with a polymeric ligand. Fifteen terminal epoxides were converted at room temperature to give the desired products in yields up to 99 %.

Recent Developments in the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from Epoxides and CO.

The use of CO as a C1 building block will be of essential importance in the future. In this context the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO gained great attention recently. These products are valuable compounds in a variety of chemical fields.

Organocatalyzed Synthesis of Oleochemical Carbonates from CO and Renewables.

Bifunctional phosphorus-based organocatalysts proved to be highly efficient for the atom-economic reaction of CO and epoxidized oleochemicals. Notably, those products are obtained from CO and renewable feedstocks only. Structure-activity relationships have been deduced from a screening of 22 organocatalysts in a test reaction.

Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from Epoxides and Carbon Dioxide by Using Bifunctional One-Component Phosphorus-Based Organocatalysts.

Numerous bifunctional organocatalysts were synthesized and tested for the atom-efficient addition of carbon dioxide and epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates. These catalysts are based on phosphonium salts containing an alcohol moiety in the side chain for substrate activation through hydrogen bonding. In the model reaction, converting 1,2-butylene oxide with CO2 , 19 catalysts were tested to determine structure-activity relationships.