Zinc Bioinspired Catalytic System for the Valorization of CO2 Into Cyclic Carbonates
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Cyclic organic carbonates are defined as key compounds for a sustainable chemical economy. Their synthesis from CO2 under mild conditions is a useful way to valorise this greenhouse gas as carbon source. Even if a wide range of catalysts were described to promote the carbon dioxide cycloaddition into epoxides, only few ones concern enzymatic systems. The zinc–l‐histidine active site of carbonic anhydrase inspired the present work, pointing out that the imidazole moiety of the amino acid ligand has a crucial role. An extensive study was undertaken to establish the structure–activity relationship of imidazole derivatives, zinc salts, and their respective catalytic activity in the CO2 cycloaddition reaction. The effect of aromatic, alkyl, or iodine substituents and their position in N‐heterocycles were highlighted. A synergic effect was noted when combining imidazole compounds with zinc salts. The optimization of reaction conditions emphasised the in situ ZnI2–1‐methylimidazole catalytic system, which is selective toward cyclic styrene carbonates and efficient under solvent‐free mild conditions (50 °C, atmospheric CO2 pressure). Once reusing tests confirmed the catalytic system robustness, the reaction scope was enlarged to several epoxides resulting in 84%–99% yields of their corresponding cyclic carbonates.
Source: ChemCatChem
Authors: Hugo Dias, Alain Tuel, Lorraine Christ
Language: English
Subfield: Process Chemistry and Technology
Field: Chemical Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4404040024