Selective co-oligomerization of 1,3-butadiene and carbon dioxide with immobilzed catalysts

Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometric Study of Selected Phosphine-Based Ligands for Catalytically Active Organometallics

Selected organometallic compounds are nowadays extensively used as highly efficient catalysts in organic synthesis. A great variety of different ligand systems exists, of which phosphine-based ligands are a significant subgroup. While mass spectrometry, predominantly electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), is a standard analytical technique for the identification of new ligands and their metal complexes, there is little information on the behavior of phosphine-based ligands/molecules by electrospray ionization collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-CID-MS/MS) at low collision energies (<100 eV) in the literature. Here, we report a study on the identification of typical product ions occurring in tandem mass spectra of selected phosphine-based ligand systems by ESI-CID-MS/MS. The influence on the fragmentation behavior of different backbones (pyridine, benzene, triazine) as well as different spacer groups (amine, methylamine, methylene), which are directly linked to the phosphine moiety, is investigated by tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, possible fragmentation pathways are elaborated based on the assigned masses in the tandem mass spectra with high-resolution accurate mass determination. This knowledge may be particularly useful in the future for the elucidation of fragmentation pathways for coordination compounds by MS/MS, where the studied compounds serve as building blocks.

Advances in the use of CO2 as a renewable feedstock for the synthesis of polymers

Carbon dioxide offers an accessible, cheap and renewable carbon feedstock for synthesis. Current interest in the area of carbon dioxide valorisation aims at new, emerging technologies that are able to provide new opportunities to turn a waste into value. Polymers are among the most widely produced chemicals in the world greatly affecting the quality of life. However, there are growing concerns about the lack of reuse of the majority of the consumer plastics and their after-life disposal resulting in an increasing demand for sustainable alternatives. New monomers and polymers that can address these issues are therefore warranted, and merging polymer synthesis with the recycling of carbon dioxide offers a tangible route to transition towards a circular economy. Here, an overview of the most relevant and recent approaches to CO2-based monomers and polymers are highlighted with particular emphasis on the transformation routes used and their involved manifolds.