A DFT study on mechanisms of CO2 coupling with propargylic alcohols using alkali carbonates

The mechanisms of CO₂ coupling with the propargylic alcohol using alkali carbonates M₂CO₃ (M = Li, Na, K, Cs) have been investigated by means of density functional theory calculations. The calculations reveal that the target product tetronic acid (TA) is yielded through two stages: (a) the formation of the α-alkylidene cyclic carbonate (αACC) intermediate via Cs₂CO₃-mediated carboxylative cyclization of the propargylic alcohol with CO₂, and (b) the conversion of the αACC intermediate with Cs₂CO₃ to produce the cesium salt of the TA. Since the overall kinetic barriers for the two stages are comparable and affordable, the excellent chemoselectivity to the TA should be primarily originated from the high thermodynamic stability of the cesium salt of the TA. Moreover, relative to the TA, the possibility to yield the by-product acyclic carbonate can be excluded due to the both kinetics and thermodynamic inferiority. This result is different from the organic base-mediated reaction. Alternatively, our calculations predict that CsHCO₃ together generated with the cesium salt of the TA might also be an available mediating reagent for the incorporation of CO₂ with the propargylic alcohol. Compared to other alkali carbonates M₂CO₃ (M = Li, Na, K), the stronger basicity of Cs₂CO₃ and the lower ionic potential of cesium ion can raise the effective concentration of the αACC intermediate, and thus the conversion of the αACC intermediate into the cesium salt of the TA can be achieved with high yield.     

Zinc Imine Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane as a Quattro-Site Catalyst for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from Epoxides and Low-Pressure CO2

In the present research, the synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and structural investigations of a unique Zn^II complex of imine-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is designed, and hereby described, as a catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂. The uncommon features of the designed catalytic system is the elimination of the need for a high pressure of CO₂ and the significant shortening of reaction times commonly associated with such difficult transformations like that of styrene oxide to styrene carbonate. Our studies have shown that imine-POSS is able to chelate metal ions like Zn^II to form a unique coordination complex. The silsesquioxane core and the hindrance of the side arms (their steric effect) influence the construction process of the homoleptic Zn₄@POSS-1 complex. The compound was characterized in solution by NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ²⁹Si), ESI-MS, UV/Vis spectroscopy and in the solid state by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP MAS) NMR (¹³C, ²⁹Si) spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.     

Pyridinium-functionalized metalloporphyrins as bifunctional catalysts for cycloaddition of epoxides and carbon dioxide

New pyridinium-functionalized metalloporphyrins MEtPpBr₄ (M = Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺; EtPp = 5, 10, 15, 20-tetra(4-(3-(N-ethyl-4-pyridyl)pyrazolyl)phenyl)porphyrin) were synthesized as bifunctional catalysts for the cycloaddition reactions of epoxides and CO₂. The effects of catalyst loading, CO₂ pressure, reaction temperature and time on catalytic activity were investigated. ZnEtPpBr₄ ( 1 ) and CoEtPpBr₄ ( 2 ) exhibited efficient activities in the cycloaddition reactions of various epoxides with CO₂ as at 120 °C under 2 MPa of CO₂ pressure without solvent. Most of corresponding cyclic carbonates could be obtained in almost quantitative yields and > 99.9% selectivity with molar ratio of epoxide/catalyst 2222 after 8 hr of reaction.     

Anionic ring-opening polymerization behavior of trans-cyclohexene carbonate using metal tert-butoxides: Construction of living anionic ring-opening polymerization by lithium tert-butoxide

Anionic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) behavior of trans-cyclohexene carbonate (CHC) using metal alkoxides as initiators was investigated. As a result, lithium tert-butoxide-initiated ROP of CHC with a high-monomer concentration (10 M) at low temperature (−15 to −10°C) proceeded to afford a poly(trans-cyclohexene carbonate) (PCHC) without undesired side reactions such as mainly backbiting. The suppression of side reactions enables the control of the molecular weight (M_n = 2400–6100) of PCHC with low molar-mass dispersity values (M_w/M_n = 1.16–1.22). Furthermore, by increasing the feed ratio of the monomer to the initiator, the molecular weight increases proportionally, indicating a controllable polymerization. The results of a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis, a kinetic study, and a chain extension experiment suggested a living nature of this ROP using lithium tert-butoxide.     

聚(碳酸丁二醇酯-co-三环癸烷二甲醇碳酸酯)的制备与性能

采用熔融酯交换和缩聚两步法,合成了以1,4-丁二醇、4,8-三环[5.2.1.0(2,6)]癸烷二甲醇和碳酸二苯酯为原料的聚(碳酸丁二醇酯-co-三环癸烷二甲醇碳酸酯)(PBTCx, x为进料中TCD占二元醇总量的百分比)。用1H NMR和13C NMR对PBTCs的微观结构和组成进行了表征。采用GPC、 DSC、 XRD、 TG对PBTCs的分子量、玻璃化转变温度(Tg)、热稳定性等进行了研究。结果表明,PBTCs的Mw为10500~124800 g?mol-1, Mn为6300~73000 g?mol-1, PDI为1.59~1.73; PBTCs呈无定形态、Tg为-3.43 ℃~70.90 ℃, PBTCs表现出比PBC更高的热稳定性。薄膜拉伸试验结果表明,PBTC30(拉伸强度为33.54 MPa,断裂伸长率为275.69%)和PBTC40(拉伸强度为32.13 MPa,断裂伸长率为294.63%)具有较高的强度和韧性,在薄膜材料中具有一定的应用潜力。     

超高效液相色谱-质谱法检测土壤中的羟基化多溴联苯醚

建立了土壤中8种羟基化多溴联苯醚(Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers,OH-PBDEs)的Qu ECh ERS-超高效液相色谱串联质谱(UPLC-MS/MS)分析方法。样品前处理采用Qu ECh ERS方法,土壤样品用水浸润之后,以甲酸和乙腈提取目标物,C18填料和正丙基乙二胺(PSA)净化,C18色谱柱分离,乙腈和水梯度洗脱,多反应监测负离子模式扫描。在最佳实验条件下,8种目标物在9 min内分离良好,并在2~200μg/L范围内线性良好,相关系数范围在0.9936~0.9990,检出限范围为0.23~1.21 ng/g。在5.0和50 ng/g 2个浓度水平6次平行加标实验中,8种OH-PBDEs平均回收率为73.2%~117.7%,相对标准偏差为5.6%~19.7%。本方法操作简便,灵敏度高,适用于大批量样品的快速分析。     

Chemo- and Regioselective Additions of Nucleophiles to Cyclic Carbonates for the Preparation of Self-Blowing Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Foams

Polyurethane (PU) foams are indisputably daily essential materials found in many applications, notably for comfort (for example, matrasses) or energy saving (for example, thermal insulation). Today, greener routes for their production are intensively searched for to avoid the use of toxic isocyanates. An easily scalable process for the simple construction of self-blown isocyanate-free PU foams by exploiting the organocatalyzed chemo- and regioselective additions of amines and thiols to easily accessible cyclic carbonates is described. These reactions are first validated on model compounds and rationalized by DFT calculations. Various foams are then prepared and characterized in terms of morphology and mechanical properties, and the scope of the process is illustrated by modulating the composition of the reactive formulation. With impressive diversity and accessibility of the main components of the formulations, this new robust and solvent-free process could open avenues for construction of more sustainable PU foams, and offers the first realistic alternative to the traditional isocyanate route.     

High‐performance segmented polyurea by transesterification of diphenyl carbonates with aliphatic diamines

In an effort to develop a green process for the production of elastomeric polyurethane–urea (PUaE) through a nonisocyanate route, a highly practical method was found using diphenyl carbonate (DPC) instead of diisocyanate as the carbonylation agent. The transesterification of aliphatic diamines in a solvent such as tetramethylene sulfone (TMS) with DPC results in a new process obtaining new segmented PUaE with high molecular weights and excellent mechanical performance. The key to the present success lies in the timing and sequence of the diamine addition forming initial carbamate intermediates in situ and then in shifting the equilibrium toward polyurea product formation by phenol removal from the TMS solution so that high‐molecular‐weight polyurea could be formed favorably. The most optimized polyurea films made in this study has a η_inh of 0.64, with high‐performance characteristics showing tensile strength of greater than 30 MPa and elongation exceeding 400% with decomposition temperature (5%) of >280 °C. Well‐defined soft‐ and hard‐segment domains were observed for the products as determined by atomic force microscope. This new improved process to produce segmented polyurea thereby complies fully with the principles of green chemistry using readily available chemicals. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2781–2790     

Bifunctional coordination polymers as efficient catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion

The multidentate ligand H₂ L upon complexation with Zn (II) and Cd (II) provide a one‐dimensional polymeric networks. These coordination polymers (CPs) CP‐1 and CP‐2 containing Zn (II) and Cd (II) metals respectively are well characterized. The single crystal structural analysis confirms the formation of one‐dimensional coordination polymer with zigzag fashion in CP‐1 and ladder chain CP‐2 . Both the CPs are applied as catalysts to synthesize various cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide. The catalysts are giving better conversion under solvent‐free and additive‐free condition using 10 bar CO₂ and 100 °C as optimized pressure and temperature. The detailed kinetic experiments suggesting the first order kinetics, the energy of activation (Ea) is calculated for this catalytic conversion.