Technical and economic evaluation of different reactors for methanotrophic cultures for propylene oxide production

A two-stage process for the manufacture of propylene oxide is described. The preliminary economics based on use of methanol as a regeneration factor has resulted in a production cost of $12.10/lb of propylene oxide based on propylene oxide production rate of 40 mg/g-cell/h in conventional reactor. Increasing the propylene oxide production from 40 to 500 mg/g-cell/h resulted in a cost reduction from $12.10 to 5.8/lb of propylene oxide. The granular-activated, carbon-fluidized bed reactor (GAC-FBR) absorbs the propylene oxide and when saturated is eluted with ethyl acetate, and the bed is regenerated by steam to drive off the residual solvents. The estimated manufacturing costs are approx 59% lower (from $12.10/lb in conventional reactors to $5.00/lb for GAC-FBRs) for products that are highly inhibitory such as epoxides. In the GAC-FBR reactor, enhancing the propylene oxide production rate from 120 to 1500 mg/g-cell/h has resulted in the cost reduction to $2.00/lb. Enhancing the production capacity from 1 million lb to 10 million lb/yr has further reduced the cost of production to $1.00/lb.     

Production of single-walled carbon nanotubes from methane over Co-Mo/MgO nanocatalyst:A comparative study of fixed and fluidized bed reactors

In this study,the performances of fixed and fluidized bed reactors in the production of single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs)have been investigated.In both reactors,single-walled carbon nanotubes were grown by catalytic chemical vapor decomposition(CCVD)of methane over Co-Mo/MgO nanocatalyst under two different operating conditions.The synthesized samples were characterized by TEM,TGA and Raman spectroscopy.It is found that the performance of a fluidized bed in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes is much better than that of a fixed bed.The quality of carbon nanotubes obtained from the fluidized bed was significantly higher than that from the fixed bed and the former one with the ID/IG ratio of 0.11 while the latter one with the ID/IG ratio of 0.71.Also,the yield of SWNTs in the fluidized bed was 92 wt%,while it was 78 wt%in the fixed bed.These advantages of fluidized bed reactors for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes can be attributed to more available space for the growth of carbon nanotubes and more uniform temperature and concentration profiles.     

Slip flow in fixed and fluidized bed plasma reactors

The characteristics of low-pressure gas low through fixed and fluidized bed plasma reactors for the study of plasma-solid reactions are presented. In the plasma fluidized bed reactor (PFBR), solid particles are fuidized at subatmospheric conditions in a resonantly sustained high frequency 2.45 GHz) plasma. The reactor operates in a previously uninvestigated regime of fuidization and microwave breakdown. A modified version of Darey's law is developed to describe and compare fixed and fluidized bed behavior, as well as to rationalize experimental measurements of pressure drop and gas flow in the absence of information about the bed temperature profile. The study has shown for a bed operating in or near the slip flow region that minimum fluidization can be predicted for slip flow fluidization in the absence of a plasma. However, the results of this work indicate that the mass fluxes and pressure drops at minimum fluidization in the presence of a plasma are significantly different from nonplasma fuidized bed. The pressure drop at minimum fluidization, in the presence of a high-frequency electrical discharge, is as much as 25% above that required to levitate the bed contents, and appears to corroborate otherfndings that link increased stability of the bed with the presence of electromagnetic fields.Notation A cross-sectional area of tube, m₂ - B ₀ bed permeability - D _p diameter of glass bead, m - D hydraulic diameter, m, defined as the ratio of the cross-sectional area to the wetted perimeter - E electric field strength, J/(C m) - F slip flow correction factor - F _d volume driving force, N/m'm³ - g gravitational acceleration, N/kg - G mass flow rate, kg/s - G _min mass flow rate at minimum fluidization, kg/s - k Boltzmann's constant - K ₀ slip correction - L bed height, m - M molecular weight of gas, kg/kg-mole - M _p mass of particles in bed, kg - n _p,e number of density of positive ions or electrons, m^–3 - P _1,2,3 bed pressure below frit, above frit, and above bed, Pa - q electronic charge, C - Q volumetric flow rate of gas, m³/s - R gas constant - Re_p,mf Reynolds number at minimum fluidization - T temperature, K - u superficial gas velocity, m/s - U _mf superficial velocity at minimum fluidization, m/s XKnudsen number - x length variable, m or dimensionless Greek gl _o coefficient in expression for mean free path - c _n mean free path - gas viscosity, kg/(m s) - ₀ prefactor in expression for viscosity - 3.14159 ... - _g mass density, kg/m³ - hard sphere diameter, m     

环境友好型离子液体催化环氧丙烷反应合成丙二醇醚

丙二醇醚类化合物是性能优良的精细化学品,也是环保型高级溶剂.该类化合物具有两个强溶解性功能基团—醚键和羟基,前者具有亲油性,可溶解疏水性物质,后者具有亲水性,可溶解亲水性物质,因而丙二醇醚具有很强的溶解能力,素有"万能溶剂"之称,可广泛应用于涂料、油墨、油漆、印刷、电子化学品、染料、净洗和纺织等行业.丙二醇醚类化合物目前主要由环氧丙烷和低级脂肪醇反应合成,然而,由于环氧丙烷的位阻效应,使其在酸或碱的条件下开环的位置会不同,从而得到不同的醇醚产物.由于碱催化的醇醚产物更加环境友好,因而越来越被人们所关注.工业上丙二醇醚合成多采用传统的强碱性催化剂醇钠以及氢氧化钠,腐蚀性强,产生的废液量大.本文采用环境友好的非卤素离子液体作为催化剂,研究了其催化环氧丙烷醚化合成丙二醇醚的反应特性.本文采用两步法合成了一系列环境友好的醋酸类碱性功能化离子液体,并在温和的条件下将其用于催化环氧丙烷与醇反应合成丙二醇醚.结果表明,该类离子液体可以高效催化该反应的进行.利用紫外-可见光谱测定Hammett指数来表征实验中所用离子液体的碱强度,并构建了离子液体碱性与催化活性之间的关系.结果表明,离子液体的催化性能和其碱性密切相关,随着离子液体碱性的增加,催化活性增强,其中咪唑醋酸类离子液体碱性强于季胺类,表现出优异的催化性能.离子液体的碱性明显弱于NaOH,但却呈现出更优异的催化性能.相同反应条件下,EmimOAc离子液体作为催化剂,PO的转化率分别较NaOH高出20%–30%,选择性略高于NaOH,这可能是由于二者催化机理不同造成的.传统NaOH催化机理的关键步骤是醇在碱性催化剂的作用下去质子化形成电子供体烷氧根离子,促进环氧丙烷的开环加成.而本文提出了离子液体亲电亲核双活化作用机理,即离子液体在阴阳离子之间的氢键和电荷相互作用的共同作用下,促进环氧丙烷开环和醇的去质子化,形成相应的反应中间体.通过电喷雾质谱分析手段检测到了阴阳离子通过协同作用亲电亲核催化过程中的反应中间体,证明了该假设机理的可行性.此外,还考察了催化剂浓度、醇比、反应温度以及醇的空间位阻效应对反应的影响.以EmimOAc催化合成丙二醇丁醚为例,反应的转化率随催化剂浓度的增加而增大,在催化剂添加量1%(催化剂与PO的摩尔比)时,PO转化率达到最大值为98.2%,1-丁氧基-2-丙醇的选择性为86.4%.当正丁醇与环氧丙烷的摩尔比为3时,转化率最高为88.6%,选择性高达94%.该反应为放热反应,最适反应温度约为140 oC,此时转化率高达96.5%.在环氧丙烷和不同的低碳醇合成丙二醇醚的反应中,反应物醇的碳链越短,支链越少,催化反应效率越高.     

利用沸腾床反应器制备碳纳米管

碳纳米管自1991年被日本NEC的Iijima发现以来,已经引起物理、化学和材料科学领域学者的广泛关注,并成为研究热点,理论和实验研究表明,碳纳米管具有独特的电学和力学性质,其导电性与管本身的直径和管的螺旋度有关,随着这些参数的变化,碳纳米管可表现出导体或半导体的性质。扬氏模量的测量表明,碳纳米管具有极高的强度,这些都预示着它具有广泛的应用前景。     

稀土三元催化剂作用下正辛酸缩水甘油酯-二氧化碳-环氧丙烷的三元共聚合研究

本工作研究了稀土三元催化剂(三氯乙酸稀土配合物/二乙基锌/甘油)催化下的正辛酸缩水甘油酯、二氧化碳和环氧丙烷三元共聚合。红外光谱、核磁共振和差示扫描结果表明所获得的聚合物是一种新型的三元共聚物。随着反应单体中正辛酸缩水甘油酯比例的增加,所得聚合物在20℃下的断裂伸长率由二氧化碳－环氧丙烷共聚物的31.0%增大到二氧化碳－正辛酸缩水甘油酯共聚物的983.9%,相应的玻璃化转变温度由39.6℃降低至-12.3℃。所得三元共聚物中长碳链侧基单元含量为5.6%时,其断裂伸长率就已经达到481.1％,而拉伸强度仍然维持在24.9MPa的较高水平。     

Hydrogen production by catalytic decomposition of methane using a Fe-based catalyst in a fluidized bed reactor

Catalytic decomposition of methane using a Fe-based catalyst for hydrogen production has been studied in this work. A Fe/Al2O3 catalyst previously developed by our research group has been tested in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR). A parametric study of the effects of some process variables,including reaction temperature and space velocity,is undertaken. The operating conditions strongly affect the catalyst performance. Methane conversion was increased by increasing the temperature and lowering the space velocity. Using temperatures between 700 and 900℃ and space velocities between 3 and 6LN/(gcat·h),a methane conversion in the range of 25%-40% for the gas exiting the reactor could be obtained during a 6 hrun. In addition,carbon was deposited in the form of nanofilaments (chain like nanofibers and multiwall nanotubes) with similar properties to those obtained in a fixed bed reactor.     

Methoxycarbonylation of propylene oxide: A new way to β-hydroxybutyrate

The methoxycarbonylation of propylene oxide (PO) to methyl β-hydroxybutyrate (MHB) catalyzed by dicobaltoctacarbonyl ([Co₂(CO)₈]) and 3-hydroxypyridine (3-OH-Py) in methanol system has been studied. The effects of different additives, the molar ratio of 3-OH-Py:Co₂(CO)₈, temperature, carbon monoxide (CO) pressure, reaction time on the conversion and selectivity have been investigated. The conversion of propylene oxide is 80.4%, and the yield of methyl β-hydroxybutyrate is 74.9% with selectivity 93.2% when the reaction is carried out for 16 h at 80 °C and 6.0 MPa of CO in methanol, with 0.125 mmol of Co₂(CO)₈, 0.25 mmol of 3-OH-Py. The mechanism of this catalytic reaction has also been proposed.     

冠醚络合高活性双金属氰化物制备及CO2与环氧丙烷共聚

首次在共沉淀过程中添加18-冠-6醚络合生成的钾离子得到了均一的高活性冠醚络合的锌-钴双金属催化剂,并用红外光谱(FTIR)、扫描电镜(SEM)、热重红外(TGA-IR)和X射线衍射(XRD)进行了表征.元素分析发现K含量为1.2%. FTIR表明未加冠醚络合的双金属催化剂离心后上下部分呈现不同的络合状态,而冠醚络合的双金属催化剂仍保持均一. SEM表明冠醚络合的双金属催化剂为均一松散的结构.由于生成的钾离子被冠醚络合,不影响聚合反应效果. TGA-IR表明冠醚不仅络合K离子,还参与对金属活性中心的络合. XRD表明此催化剂具有低的结晶度.所制冠醚络合的锌-钴双金属催化剂能成功催化CO2与环氧丙烷共聚,其中CDMC3催化得到的共聚物碳酸酯含量为47.8%,副产物环状碳酸酯为1.5%,催化效率高达5122 g/g催化剂(32600 g/g Zn),明显优于不添加冠醚以同样工艺制备的DMC1(共聚物碳酸酯含量29.2%,副产物环状碳酸酯3.3%,催化效率4100 g/g催化剂(16300 g/g Zn).与不添加冠醚8次洗涤离心得到的DMC2相当(共聚物碳酸酯含量48.3%,副产物环状碳酸酯含量2.4%,催化效率5073 g/g催化剂(16400 g/g Zn)).基于此结果提出了两步的反应机理假设.     

Theoretical and experimental studies of the initiator influence on the anionic ring opening polymerization of propylene oxide

In this work, the influence of three different initiators (KOH, KOH dissolved in ethanol and the potassium salt of ethylene glycol) on the propylene oxide polymerization was studied by experimental and theoretical methods. A first series of reactions was carried out to establish the adequate thermal conditions for a minimal monomer transfer during the polymerization. The formation of end insaturations (main consequence of the monomer transfer interference) in the poly(propylene oxide) chains was studied by spectroscopic methods. Furthermore, a second series of poly(propylene oxide)s was prepared by using the mentioned initiators, and characterized by size exclusion chromatography. The initiator efficiency to create active centers in every reactive system was determined from the molecular weight and the conversion data obtained. Experimental results were elucidated by using quantum chemical calculations at density functional theory level, involving thermo-chemistry parameters, and the simulation of the infrared, and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. This method led to studying the addition of up to ten propylene oxide unit, resulting into important energetic tendencies and regioselectivity, being compared to the physicochemical data of products obtained. These correlations meant further understanding of the reaction course and the type of products obtained, depending on the nature of the initiator.     

Design of a fluidized bed reactor for microencapsulated urease

A fluidized bed reactor was designed, constructed, and tested for handling microencapsulated urease. The working volume of the reactor was 10 mL, with a minimum fluidization velocity of 7.7×10⁻⁵ m/s. An even suspension of the microcapsules was obtained at fluid velocities between 1.5×10⁻⁴ and 6.0×10⁻⁴ m/s without breakage of the shear-sensitive microcapsules. The mixing behavior in the reactor was evaluated using pulse input tracer experiments and the hydrolysis rates of urea in continuous flow experiments were evaluated under various operating conditions.     

负载于二氧化硅上的小尺寸氧化亚铜物种促进丙烯选择性氧化生成丙烯醛

氧化物负载的含铜材料是丙烯选择性氧化制备丙烯醛的理想催化剂,一直以来都受到人们的广泛关注.然而,对于该催化体系的结构与性能之间的关系仍不是很清楚.因此,我们以碳酸钠为沉淀剂,通过沉积沉淀法将铜负载于高比表面的二氧化硅载体上,从而得到了均匀分散且小尺寸的Cu/SiO2催化剂.另外,采用浸渍法制得了相同负载量的分散不均匀、大尺寸的Cu/SiO2催化剂.丙烯选择性氧化反应活性测试发现,沉积沉淀法制备的催化剂比浸渍法制备的更有利于丙烯醛的生成,表现出了优异的催化性能:在300℃反应时,丙烯的转化率达到25.5%,丙烯醛的选择性达到66.8%,对应的丙烯醛的生成速率高达10.5 mmol·h^-1·gcat.^-1或111.2 mmol·h^-1·gCu^-1,远远超出了浸渍法制备的催化剂性能(1.7 mmol·h^-1·gcat.^-1或17.2mmol·h^-1·gCu^-1)和文献中报道的结果.结合高角度环形暗场扫描透射电子显微镜(HAADF-STEM)和X射线吸收精细结构(XAFS)技术,对沉积沉淀法制备的催化剂进行表征,发现在反应后铜物种的结构发生了明显的变化,由小尺寸的氧化铜(CuO)团簇转变为氧化亚铜(Cu2O)团簇,并且铜物种的尺寸没有明显的增大.为了进一步探索铜物种在预处理(氢气还原)以及催化反应时(丙烯+氧气)的结构变化,对不同方法合成的两种催化剂进行了原位X射线粉末衍射测试,发现不同尺寸的铜物种在还原和反应时都经历了从氧化铜(CuO)变为金属Cu再到Cu2O的结构变化,并且Cu2O在320 min的反应过程中可以稳定存在,说明它是该催化反应的活性物种.另外,通过原位双光束傅里叶变换红外光谱追踪反应时气体分子在催化剂表面的吸脱附状态,发现丙烯可以有效地吸附在小尺寸Cu/SiO2催化剂表面,随着Cu2O的形成,检测到了烯丙基中间体(CH2=CHCH2*)的产生,该物种可以与邻近Cu2O上的一个氧发生反应,从而生成丙烯醛,因此结合N2O滴定实验,我们可认为,高度分散的小尺寸的Cu2O物种是丙烯进行高效选择性氧化反应生成丙烯醛的活性物种.     

High yield synthesis of biodegradable poly(propylene carbonate) from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide

A novel SalenCo^III (2,4‐dinitrophenoxy) (Salen = N,N'‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylsalicylidene)‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamino) and 1,10‐phenanthroline monohydrate catalyst system was designed and employed for the copolymerization of CO₂ and propylene oxide (PO). The perfectly alternating copolymerization of CO₂ and PO proceeds effectively under middle temperature and pressure to yield poly(propylene carbonate) with a high yield and a high number average molecular weight of polymer. The structure of polymer was characterized by the IR and NMR measurements. The perfectly alternating copolymer was confirmed. The MALDI‐TOF spectrum insinuates that the copolymerization of CO₂ and PO was initiated by H₂O. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

催化剂组成和反应条件对W-Fe-MgO催化分解甲烷制备单壁碳纳米管的影响

 采用“柠檬酸法”制备的W-Fe-MgO催化剂,在小型流化床反应器中分别以Ar和H2为载气在1073～1373 K下催化甲烷分解制单壁碳纳米管(SWCNTs). 实验结果表明,用H2作载气制备SWCNTs的最佳温度为1373 K,在Fe∶Mg摩尔比≤10∶100时,催化剂上的碳产率随其W载量的增加而显著增大,产物中的SWCNTs含量也保持在较高水平,最高碳产率可达55%(相对于催化剂的质量分数). 而使用Ar载气时最佳反应温度为1073 K, 用W∶Mg摩尔比为1∶100的催化剂可制得SWCNTs含量较高的产物,而W∶Mg摩尔比超过1∶100的催化剂上产物中的SWCNTs含量显著下降. 根据XRD和XPS实验结果推测了W-Fe-MgO催化剂上生长SWCNTs的活性相.     

碳纳米管的宏量制备及产业化

作为纳米材料的代表之一,碳纳米管因其独特的一维结构具备了优异的力学、电学、热学、光学和反应性能,使其在能源存储与转化、复合材料、多相催化、环境保护及生物医药等领域具有大量的应用潜力.本文总结了多种类型碳纳米管宏量制备的化学及工程原理,并对多壁碳纳米管、单壁碳纳米管、双壁碳纳米管、定向碳纳米管、超顺排碳纳米管、水平超长碳纳米管、掺杂碳纳米管、螺旋碳纳米管、碳纳米管结及碳纳米管/石墨烯杂化物的宏量制备方法进行了评述.同时,对碳纳米管产业化中新的工程问题,如工业标准、环境评估以及产业化进展进行了分析.目前,碳纳米管已经具有成千吨的产能,并广泛应用于锂离子电池电极、导电复合材料、汽车配件和体育用品等领域.尽管如此,高性能的碳纳米管的宏量制备及其配套产业化技术仍有待深入开发,产品需要进一步丰富、市场需要进一步拓展,以望形成大规模纳米产业,促进社会的可持续发展.     

A new copolymerization process leading to poly(propylene carbonate) with a highly enhanced yield from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide

Using excessively loaded propylene oxide (PO) as a solvent, the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and PO was carried out with zinc glutarate catalyst, consequently producing poly(propylene carbonate) of high molecular weight in a high yield (64–70 g polymer per gram of catalyst) never achieved before. Both the PO used as solvent and the excessively loaded CO₂ were fully recoverable, respectively, and reusable for their copolymerization, indicating that this is a clean, green polymerization process to convert CO₂ to its polycarbonate. The polymer yield was further improved by scaling up the copolymerization process. Among zinc glutarate catalysts prepared through several synthetic routes, one from zinc oxide delivered the highest yield in the copolymerization. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1863–1876, 1999     

Copolymerization of propylene oxide with carbon dioxide catalyzed by zinc adipate

Copolymerization of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide in the presence of zinc adipate was studied. The effects of the temperature, nature of the solvent, and catalyst concentration on the molecular weight, molecular-weight distribution, and yields of the copolymer and propylene carbonate were examined. The structure of the polymer obtained was studied by ¹³N and ¹I NMR spectroscopy.     

Au/ZSM-5催化剂催化裂化轻柴油多产丙烯

经过三十多年的研究与开发,金催化已应用到环境污染治理与控制、精细化工合成和能源等领域,涉及的化学反应从简单的 CO氧化和丙烯环氧化等扩展到加氢、羰化和缩合等各类有机合成反应,研究领域从多相催化到均相催化以及光催化等.然而金催化所探索的反应多在较温和的反应条件下进行,对于重油催化裂解这类高温和复杂混合反应物体系的研究几乎无人问津.催化裂化(FCC)过程由于具有能耗较低、原料低廉及装置适应能力强等优点,在增产丙烯方面发挥着重要作用.由于特殊孔结构的择形性、较强的酸性和低的氢转移活性以及良好的水热稳定性, ZSM-5分子筛是目前应用于 FCC多产丙烯催化剂和助剂最为广泛的重要组分.值得注意的是,目前国内外开发的改性 ZSM-5无论是对 C4烃类和石脑油等催化裂解或作为助剂用于 FCC增产丙烯均有积极作用,但反应温度较高(大于510oC);当降低反应温度后,其增产丙烯的能力将受到极大限制.本文利用纳米金低温催化活性高的特点,采用改进的沉积沉淀(DP)方法,通过调变制备参数和金载量,制备了系列金修饰的 ZSM-5催化剂,考察了其对轻柴油催化裂解多产丙烯的催化性能.采用 X射线衍射(XRD)、N2吸附-脱附、氨程序升温脱附(NH3-TPD)、透射电镜(TEM)和诱导耦合等离子体光谱(ICP-AES)等手段研究了纳米金的分散状况及其对 ZSM-5物理化学结构的调变.结果发现,在460oC的较低反应温度下,与微米 ZSM-5母体相比,采用常规 DP法制备的经过滤洗涤后未用 NaBH4还原而是在300oC下空气中焙烧,理论金载量分别为0.5,0.8和1.0 wt%的三个纳米金催化剂的微反活性和丙烯选择性均增加.其中丙烯选择性分别提高了8.8%,2.9%和23.2%,微反活性指数分别提高了7.1%,4.3%和4.5%.这表明少量金的引入有利于在较低反应温度下催化裂化轻柴油增产丙烯,反映了其催化裂解烃类化合物的能力. TEM观察表明, Au/ZSM-5催化剂中金粒径分布非常不均匀(<10 nm–<200 nm).然而其中一些金粒子与载体呈扁平式接触,显示了两者间较强的相互作用.另外一些较小的金粒子可能嵌入到狭缝片状 ZSM-5颗粒之间的孔隙中,这可能在一定程度上影响了母体 ZSM-5的孔结构分布及其催化裂化性能. XRD, N2吸附-脱附和 NH3-TPD结果表明,金引入制备参数及其载量的变化导致了母体 ZSM-5载体的 MFI结构、孔结构分布及强弱酸量的变化.上述丙烯选择性和微反活性因
　　金的修饰而同时提高的三个金催化剂,基本保持了完整的 ZSM-5的 MFI结构,并且其孔分布比 ZSM-5窄.金的引入明显提高了 ZSM-5母体的酸性尤其是低温弱酸的酸强度,然而,综合性能优良的催化剂其强弱酸量的比例相近.因此,金修饰导致微反活性和丙烯选择性的同时提高取决于改性催化剂的 MFI结构、孔分布以及强弱酸比例的协同作用,而金载量和金粒子尺寸的影响不明显.一般来讲,修饰的金属主要通过形成正碳离子而在 B酸位上生成轻烯烃.高温水汽老化试验后,金修饰的 ZSM-5比未修饰的ZSM-5保留了更多的酸位,说明金在一定程度上抑制了骨架铝的脱除.扁平状分布在母体上的金粒子与母体间较强的相互作用可能导致部分电子从金属态金转移到(SiAl)O(OH)m上,增加了羟基中质子的流动性而提高了改性分子筛的酸性,有利于正碳离子的形成.     

BINAS - synthesis and use of a new ligand for propylene hydroformylation

BINAS is a new, very efficient ligand for propylene hydroformylation. BINAS is made by the sulfonation of NAPHOS. Different synthetic routes to NAPHOS are discussed. A new two step synthesis starting from 2,2′-bis(bromomethyl)-1,1′-binaphthyl is described.     

Copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide using an aluminum porphyrin system and its components

The catalytic activities of tetraphenylporphinatoaluminum chloride (TPPAlCl) and its propylene oxide adduct (TPPAl(PO)₂Cl) were investigated in detail together with a quarternary salt Et₄NBr for the copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide. In addition, for the components and starting raw materials of the catalyst systems, catalytic activities were examined for the copolymerization. The TPPAlCl catalyst delivered oligomers containing ether linkages to a large extent, regardless of its PO adduction. And cyclic propylene carbonate, as byproduct, was formed in a very small portion. Using the TPPAlCl coupled with Et₄NBr as a catalyst system, the formation of ether linkages was reduced significantly in the copolymerization; however, the obtained oligomer still contained ether linkages of 25.0 mol % in the backbone. On the other hand, the formation of cyclic carbonate was increased to 22.4 mol % relative to the oligomer product. The results indicate that the salt, which was coupled with the TPPAlCl catalyst, plays a key role in reducing the formation of ether linkage in the oligomer and, however, in enhancing the formation of cyclic carbonate. Similar results were obtained for the copolymerization catalyzed by the TPPAl(PO)₂Cl/Et₄NBr system. That is, the formation of ether linkages was not restricted further by the PO adduction of the TPPAlCl component in the catalyst system. Only oligomers with a relatively high molecular weight were produced. This indicates that the PO adduction of the TPPAlCl component contributes highly to the initiation and propagation step in the oligomerization, consequently leading to a relatively high molecular weight oligomer. In contrast, the Et₄NBr, as well as the Et₂AlCl, produced only cyclic carbonate in a very low yield. Furthermore, tetraphenylporphine exhibited no catalytic activity, regardless of using together with Et₄NBr. On the other hand, the Et₂AlCl coupled with Et₄NBr provided a low molecular weight oligomer having ether linkages of 92.3 mol % in addition to the cyclic carbonate. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3329–3336, 1999