Organocatalyzed Domino [3+2] Cycloaddition/Payne‐Type Rearrangement using Carbon Dioxide and Epoxy Alcohols

An unprecedented organocatalytic approach towards highly substituted cyclic carbonates from tri‐ and tetrasubstituted oxiranes and carbon dioxide has been developed. The protocol involves the use of a simple and cheap superbase under mild, additive‐ and metal‐free conditions towards the initial formation of a less substituted carbonate product that equilibrates to a tri‐ or even tetrasubstituted cyclic carbonate under thermodynamic control. The latter are conveniently trapped in situ, providing overall a new domino process for synthetically elusive heterocyclic scaffolds. Control experiments provide a rationale for the observed cascade reactions, which demonstrate similarity to the well‐known Payne rearrangement of epoxy alcohols.