Qing-Wen Song

Equimolar CO2 Capture by N‐Substituted Amino Acid Salts and Subsequent Conversion

Steric bulk controls CO(2) absorption: N-substituted amino acid salts in poly(ethylene glycol) reversibly absorb CO(2) in nearly 1:1 stoichiometry. Carbamic acid is thought to be the absorbed form of CO(2); this was supported by NMR and in situ IR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. The captured CO(2) could be converted directly into oxazolidinones and thus CO(2) desorption could be sidestepped.

Efficient chemical fixation of CO2 promoted by a bifunctional Ag2WO4/Ph3P system

An efficient heterogeneous silver-catalyzed reaction for construction of the α-methylene cyclic carbonate motif was developed through carboxylative assembly of propargyl alcohols and CO2. Such a CO2 fixation protocol proceeded smoothly with only 1 mol% of Ag2WO4 and 2 mol% of PPh3 as well as atmospheric CO2 at room temperature under solvent-free conditions, in an environmentally benign and low energy manner along with an easy operating procedure. Notably, up to 98% isolated yields of carbonates could be attained with exclusive chemo-selectivity. In addition, the dual activation capacity of Ag2WO4 towards both the propargylic substrate and CO2 is based on which cooperative catalytic mechanism by the silver cation and the tungstate anion is proposed. Recycling trials on carboxylative cyclization of propargyl alcohols and CO2 illustrate that the catalyst can be reused at least 4 times with retention of high catalytic activity and selectivity. Especially, it allows the direct and effective application in the one-pot synthesis of various oxazolidinones bearing exocyclic alkenes and carbamates in moderate to high yields upon the alternative introduction of primary or secondary amines.

Catalytic fixation of CO2 to cyclic carbonates by phosphonium chlorides immobilized on fluorous polymer

Phosphonium chloride covalently bound to the fluorous polymer is proved to be an efficient and recyclable homogeneous CO2-soluble catalyst for organic solvent-free synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO2 under supercritical CO2 conditions. The catalyst can be easily recovered by simple filtration after reaction and reused with retention of high activity and selectivity. In addition, the effects of various reaction variables on the catalytic performance are also discussed in detail. The process represents a simpler access to preparing cyclic carbonates with the ease of homogeneous catalyst recycling.

Bifunctional silver(I) complex-catalyzed CO2 conversion at ambient conditions: synthesis of α-methylene cyclic carbonates and derivatives.

The chemical conversion of CO2 at atmospheric pressure and room temperature remains a great challenge. The triphenylphosphine complex of silver(I) carbonate was proved to be a robust bifunctional catalyst for the carboxylative cyclization of propargylic alcohols and CO2 at ambient conditions leading to the formation of α-methylene cyclic carbonates in excellent yields. The unprecedented performance of [(PPh3)2Ag]2CO3 is presumably attributed to the simultaneous activation of CO2 and propargylic alcohol. Moreover, the highly compatible basicity of the catalytic species allows propargylic alcohol to react with CO2 leading to key silver alkylcarbonate intermediates: the bulkier [(Ph3P)2Ag(I)](+) effectively activates the carbon-carbon triple bond and enhances O-nucleophilicity of the alkylcarbonic anion, thereby greatly promoting the intramolecular nucleophilic cyclization. Notably, this catalytic protocol also worked well for the reaction of propargylic alcohols, secondary amines, and CO2 (at atmospheric pressure) to afford β-oxopropylcarbamates.

Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide at atmospheric pressure to 2-oxazolidinones promoted by bifunctional Cu(II)-substituted polyoxometalate-based ionic liquids

Copper(II) substituted polyoxometalate-based ionic liquids e.g. [(nC7H15)4N]6[α-SiW11O39Cu] were successfully developed as halogen-free bifunctional catalysts for the carboxylative cyclization of propargylic amines with CO2. Such a CO2 fixation protocol proceeded smoothly at atmospheric pressure under solvent-free conditions, in an environmentally benign and low energy-input manner. Notably, various propargylic amines could react smoothly to afford 2-oxazolidinones as the target products in high to quantitative yields. Furthermore, the dual activation of both propargylic amine and CO2 by [(nC7H15)4N]6[α-SiW11O39Cu] was studied using NMR techniques and control experiments.

Carboxylation of terminal alkynes at ambient CO2 pressure in ethylene carbonate

The CuI-catalyzed carboxylation of terminal alkynes with CO2 and alkyl halides using ethylene carbonate as the solvent under mild conditions was studied. DFT calculations reveal that the energy barrier for CO2 insertion into the sp-hybridized Cu-C bond could be reduced by employing ethylene carbonate as the solvent. Notably, the procedure was conducted under ambient CO2 pressure without any external ligands. A broad range of substrates with electron-withdrawing groups or electron-donating groups gave the corresponding products in reasonable yields.

Cooperative calcium-based catalysis with 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-undec-7-ene for the cycloaddition of epoxides with CO2 at atmospheric pressure

A bifuncational catalytic system consisting of CaBr2 and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-undec-7-ene (DBU) was developed for the efficient fixation of CO2 with epoxides to cyclic carbonates. Such a dual catalysis facilitates the reaction to proceed smoothly at atmospheric CO2 pressure, presumably due to the simultaneous activation of CO2 by DBU and epoxides by CaBr2. In addition, the activation role of CaBr2 was also studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A plausible mechanism involving the DBU–CO2 adduct-assisted ring opening path and the bromide anion-promoted ring opening path is proposed, in combination with the activation of epoxides by the calcium cation. This process represents a simple, cost-effective and biocompatible route to obtain cyclic carbonates from CO2 under mild conditions, especially at atmospheric CO2 pressure.

Iron(III)-based ionic liquid-catalyzed regioselective benzylation of arenes and heteroarenes

An easily prepared Fe(III)-derived Lewis acid ionic liquid ([C4mim][FeCl4]), being comprised of 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium cation and tetrachloroferrate anion, was found to be an efficient, recyclable catalyst for benzylation of various arenes/heteroarenes into the diarylmethanes derivatives under mild reaction conditions without utilization of additional organic solvent. Interestingly, the acidity of [C4mim][FeCl4] could account for its catalytic activity in promoting the Lewis acid-catalyzed alkylation. Notably, this type of Fe(III)-based ionic liquid (IL) shows excellent stability, and could be easily recovered, and reused for five times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.

Efficient iron(III)-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction of alkynes, CH2Cl2 and amines to propargylamines

An iron(III)-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction of alkynes, CH(2)Cl(2) and amines was developed for facile synthesis of propargylamines. Preliminary mechanism investigation using in situ FT-IR reveals that the crucial Fe-acetylide intermediate could be formed through C-H bond activation of alkynes thanks to cooperative effect of FeCl(3) and 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine.

Equimolar Carbon Absorption by Potassium Phthalimide and In Situ Catalytic Conversion Under Mild Conditions

Potassium phthalimide, with weak basicity, is an excellent absorbent for rapid carbon dioxide capture with almost equimolar absorption. This process is assumed to proceed through the potassium carbamate formation pathway, as supported by NMR spectroscopy, an in situ FTIR study, and computational calculations. Both the basicity and nucleophilicity of phthalimide salts have a crucial effect on the capture process. Furthermore, the captured carbon dioxide could more easily be converted in situ into value-added chemicals and fuel-related products through carbon capture and utilization, rather than going through a desorption process.