Study of the catalytic activity of electrochemically reduced forms of phthalocyanines in the reaction of CO2 with epoxides

Chemical fixation of carbon dioxide by NaI/PPh3/PhOH

In the presence of catalytic amounts of sodium iodide, triphenylphosphine, and phenol, carbon dioxide can efficiently react with epoxides to give the corresponding five-membered cyclic carbonates in high yields. The mechanism of this reaction was disclosed by (31)P NMR spectroscopic data and deuterium labeling experiments.

Cyclic carbonate formation from carbon dioxide and oxiranes in tetrabutylammonium halides as solvents and catalysts

[reaction: see text] Epoxides dissolved in molten tetralkylammonium salts bearing halides as counterions are converted into cyclic carbonates under atmospheric pressure of carbon dioxide. The reaction rate depends on the nucleophilicity of the halide ion as well as the structure of the cation.