Carboxylic acid functionalized imidazolium-based ionic liquids: efficient catalysts for cycloaddition of CO2 and epoxides

Catalytic Performance of CPM-200-In/Mg in the Cycloaddition of CO2 and Epoxides

Crystalline porous materials (CPM)-200-In and CPM-200-In/Mg metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized by a solvothermal method and were characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), FT-IR, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), TGA, XPS, and SEM-EDS. They were used as heterogeneous catalysts for the cycloaddition of CO2 with epoxides and found to be highly efficient toward the cycloaddition reaction at moderate reaction conditions under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was easily separated by a simple filtration and can be reused up to five consecutive times without any considerable decrease of its initial activity. CPM-200-In/Mg showed excellent catalytic performance in the cycloaddition reaction due to the synergistic role of the acidic sites and basic sites. A plausible reaction mechanism for the CPM-200-In/Mg MOF catalyzed cycloaddition reaction is proposed based on the experimental results and our previously reported DFT (Density Functional Theory) studies.

Hydroxy acid-functionalized ionic liquids as green alternatives for the efficient catalytic conversion of epoxides to cyclic carbonates under solvent and co-catalyst-free conditions

Environmentally friendly synthesis route of carbonates from CO2 and epoxides catalysed by novel hydroxy acid ionic liquids under metal/halogen/cocatalyst/solvent-free conditions.

Carbocation/Polyol Systems as Efficient Organic Catalysts for the Preparation of Cyclic Carbonates

Carbocation/polyol systems are shown to be highly efficient catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide at 50 °C and 5 MPa CO₂ pressure. The best activity was shown by the combination of crystal violet and 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL), which could be recycled five times with no loss of activity. The presence of specific interactions between the amino groups of the carbocation and the hydroxyl protons was confirmed by NMR experiments. The Job plots for the crystal violet iodide/BINOL and brilliant green iodide/BINOL systems showed that the catalytic systems consist of one molecule of the carbocation and one molecule of BINOL. Mechanistic studies using a deuterated epoxide indicate that there was some loss of epoxide stereochemistry during the reaction, but predominant retention of stereochemistry is observed. On this basis, a catalytic cycle is proposed.

Synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide by using organocatalysts

The synthesis of cyclic carbonates through coupling of carbon dioxide with epoxides is 100 % atom economical and is already performed on an industrial scale. Its impact regarding the use of carbon dioxide as a renewable carbon source is expected to grow significantly in the near future, so that the development of efficient catalysts is of high interest in academia and industry. To improve the carbon footprint and sustainability of the cycloaddition reaction, the use of organocatalytic methods is a promising approach. Herein, available metal-free catalysts for the preparation of cyclic carbonates are described and elaborated concerning the overall sustainability of the process. Therefore, the required reaction conditions, as well as the activity of the catalysts and their reusability, are compared and evaluated. In addition to ammonium-, phosphonium-, or imidazolium-based single-component catalysts and their supported analogues, the growing field of research concerning dual catalysts are also discussed in detail.

Ion Exchange and Antibiofouling Properties of Poly(ether sulfone) Membranes Prepared by the Surface Immobilization of Brønsted Acidic Ionic Liquids via Double-Click Reactions

Brønsted acidic ionic liquids (BAILs) are unique ionic liquids that display chemical structures similar to zwitterions, and they were typically used as solvents and catalysts. In this work, an imidazole-based BAIL monolayer was fabricated onto poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membranes via surface clicking reactions, and the multifunctionality, including ion exchange and biofouling resistance to proteins and bacteria, was demonstrated, which was believed to be one of few works in which BAIL had been considered to be a novel fouling resistance layer for porous membranes. The successful immobilization of the BAILs onto a membrane surface was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, contact angle measurement, and ζ potential determination. The results from Raman spectroscopy showed that, as a decisive step prior to zwitterion, the BAIL was deprotonated in aqueous solution, and biofouling resistance to proteins and bacteria was found. However, BAIL displayed ion exchange ability at lower pH, and surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of membranes could be tuned on purpose. Our results have demonstrated that the BAIL grafted onto membranes will not only act as an antibiofouling barrier like zwitterions but also provide a platform for surface chemical tailoring by ion exchange, the property of which will become especially important in acidic solutions where the fouling resistance performances of zwitterions are greatly weakened.

Ionic liquid-based green processes for energy production

To mitigate the growing pressure on resource depletion and environment degradation, the development of green processes for the production of renewable energy is highly required. As a class of novel and promising media, ionic liquids (ILs) have shown infusive potential applications in energy production. Aiming to offer a critical overview regarding the new challenges and opportunities of ILs for developing green processes of renewable energy, this article emphasises the role of ILs as catalysts, solvents, or electrolytes in three broadly interesting energy production processes from renewable resources, such as CO2 conversion to fuels and fuel additives, biomass pretreatment and conversion to biofuels, as well as solar energy and energy storage. It is expected that this article will stimulate a generation of new ideas and new technologies in IL-based renewable energy production.

Core-double-shell Fe3O4@carbon@poly(In(III)-carboxylate) microspheres: cycloaddition of CO2 and epoxides on coordination polymer shells constituted by imidazolium-derived Al(III)-Salen bifunctional catalysts

A hydrid microsphere Fe3O4@carbon@poly(In(III)-carboxylate) consisting of a cluster of Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the core, a carbon layer as the inner shell and a porous In(III)-carboxylate coordination polymer as the outer shell was prepared and applied as a recyclable catalyst for the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 and epoxides. Construction of this hybrid microsphere was achieved in the two steps, including (1) the one-pot solvothermal synthesis of Fe3O4@C particles with the abundant carboxylic groups on the carbon surface and (2) the subsequent growth of the outer shell polymers based on the precipitation coordination polymerization. Imidazolium-substituted Salen ligands were synthesized and chelated with the In(III) ions using the terminal carboxylic groups. The coordination polymer shell was formed on the Fe3O4@C particles, and the structures including shell thickness, surface area and porosity could be varied by tuning the feeding ratios of the In(III) ions and the ligands. The optimal structure of the coordination polymers showed a shell thickness of ca. 45 nm with ∼5 nm of mesopore, 174.7 m(2)/g of surface area and 0.2175 cm(3)/g of pore volume. In light of gas uptake capability, catalytic activity and magnetic susceptibility, cycloaddition of CO2 with a series of epoxides were studied by using Al-complexed Fe3O4@C@In(III)-[IL-Salen] microspheres. The results validated that the self-supporting catalytic layer with high surface area was of remarkable advantages, which were attributed from great increment of effective active sites and combination of nucleophilic/electrophilic synergistic property and CO2 uptake capability. Therefore, these hybrid microspheres provided excellent catalytic activity, prominent selectivity to cyclic carbonates and outstanding recyclability with the assistance of an applied magnetic field.

Hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure of hydrophobic and hydrophilic COOH-functionalized imidazolium ionic liquids

Hydrogen bonds such as the classic O–H⋯X (halide ion) hydrogen bond and the carboxyl group dimer were observed in the crystal structures of hydrophilic and hydrophobic COOH-functionalized imidazolium ionic liquids, respectively.

Microwave-assisted one pot-synthesis of amino acid ionic liquids in water: simple catalysts for styrene carbonate synthesis under atmospheric pressure of CO2

A novel variety of ionic liquids based on amino acids is synthesized in water using microwave energy.