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Cationic organobismuth complex as an effective catalyst for conversion of CO2 into cyclic carbonates

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Abstract

In order to achieve high-efficiency conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals, and to exploit new applications of organobismuth compounds, cationic organobismuth complex with 5,6,7,12-tetrahydrodibenz[c,f][1,5] azabismocine framework was examined for the first time for the coupling of CO2 into cyclic carbonates, using terminal epoxides as substrates and tetrabutylammonium halide as co-catalyst in a solvent-free environment under mild conditions. It is shown that the catalyst exhibited high activity and selectivity for the coupling reaction of CO2 with a wide range of terminal epoxide. The selectivity of propylene carbonates could reach 100%, and the maximum turnover frequency was up to 10740 h−1 at 120°C and 3 MPa CO2 pressure when tetrabutylammonium iodide was used as co-catalyst. Moreover, the catalyst is environment friendly, resistant to air and water, and can be readily reused and recycled without any loss of activity, demonstrating a potential in industrial application.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

    Xiaowen Zhang, Weili Dai, Shuangfeng Yin & Shenglian Luo

  2. Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China

    Chak-Tong Au

Authors
  1. Xiaowen Zhang
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  2. Weili Dai
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  3. Shuangfeng Yin
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  4. Shenglian Luo
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  5. Chak-Tong Au
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Correspondence to Shuangfeng Yin.

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Zhang, X., Dai, W., Yin, S. et al. Cationic organobismuth complex as an effective catalyst for conversion of CO2 into cyclic carbonates. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. China 3, 32–37 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-008-0068-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-008-0068-y

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