Silver-anchored porous aromatic framework for efficient conversion of propargylic alcohols with CO2 at ambient pressure

The conversion of propargylic alcohols and carbon dioxide (CO₂) into fine chemicals suffers from issues of harsh reaction conditions and difficult catalyst recovery. To achieve efficient CO₂ activation at low energy consumption, a silver-anchored porous aromatic framework catalyst Ag@PAF-DAB with high active phase density and CO₂ adsorption capacity was proposed. Since Ag@PAF-DAB has the dual functions of CO₂ capture and conversion, propargylic alcohols were completely converted into α-alkylidene cyclic carbonate or α?hydroxy ketone as high value-added product under atmospheric pressure (CO₂, 0.1 MPa) and low silver equivalent (0.5 mol%). Notably, Ag@PAF-DAB exhibited broad substrate diversity, high stability, and excellent reusability. By applying FTIR and GC, the key to green synthetic route of α?hydroxy ketone was confirmed to lie in the further hydration of α-alkylidene cyclic carbonate.