Elsevier

Coordination Chemistry Reviews

Volume 153, August 1996, Pages 155-174
Coordination Chemistry Reviews

Catalysts for the reactions of epoxides and carbon dioxide

https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-8545(95)01232-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Oxiranes and carbon dioxide are known to cycloadd and/or copolymerize in the presence of a variety of catalysts. Indeed, cyclic carbonates are prepared on a technical scale by coupling epoxides and carbon dioxide. The fact that cyclic carbonate formation represents one of the few examples of successful carbon dioxide utilization, coupled with the high reactivity of epoxides, has resulted in many papers which reveal a remarkable variety of active catalysts for the CO2/epoxide coupling processes. Catalysts include simple alkali metal salts, ammonium salts, phosphines, main-group metal complexes, and both non-oxidative and oxidative transition-metal complexes. The purpose of this review is to compile the different catalysts into their general groups of similarity, with the hopes of shedding light on some of the important differences in reaction pathways. There generally appears to be a lack of detailed mechanistic studies; therefore, it is hoped that this review will emphasize where mechanistic clarification is most importantly needed. Furthermore, we anticipate that this review will provide insight into cyclic carbonate vs. polycarbonate production from the CO2/epoxide coupling process.

References (51)

  • M. Aresta et al.

    J. Mol. Catal.

    (1987)
  • A. Baba et al.

    Tetrahedron Lett.

    (1985)
  • D. Walther

    Coord. Chem. Rev.

    (1987)
  • W. Kuran et al.

    Macromol. Chem. Phys.

    (1994)
  • S. Inoue et al.

    J. Polym. Sci.

    (1969)
  • A. Behr

    Carbon Dioxide Activation by Metal Complexes

  • A. Rokicki et al.

    Monatsch. Chem.

    (1984)
  • L. Vogdanis et al.

    Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun.

    (1986)
  • N. Kihara et al.

    J. Org. Chem.

    (1993)
  • T. Nishikubo et al.

    J. Polym. Sci.

    (1993)
  • H. Koinuma et al.

    Makromol. Chem.

    (1977)
  • M. Ratzenhofer et al.

    Angew. Chem.

    (1980)
  • N. Takeda et al.

    Makromol. Chem.

    (1978)
  • T. Aida et al.

    Macromolecules

    (1982)
  • T. Aida et al.

    J. Am. Chem. Soc.

    (1983)
  • H. Matsuda et al.

    Chem. Lett.

    (1979)
  • R. Nomura et al.

    J. Org. Chem.

    (1980)
  • R. Nomura et al.

    Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn.

    (1982)
  • H. Matsuda et al.

    Chem. Lett.

    (1979)
  • A. Baba et al.

    Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn.

    (1987)
  • D.J. Darenbourg et al.

    J. Am. Chem. Soc.

    (1995)
  • P.W. Lednor et al.

    J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm.

    (1985)
  • W. Kuran et al.

    Macromol. Chem. Phys.

    (1994)
  • P. Gorecki et al.

    J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Lett. Ed.

    (1985)
  • S. Penczek et al.

    Cationic ring-opening polymerization of heterocyclic monomers

    Adv. Polymer Sci.

    (1980)
  • Cited by (822)

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text