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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
Published on: November 9, 2019
Catalytic asymmetric addition of carbon dioxide to propylene oxide with unprecedented enantioselectivity
Albrecht Berkessel1, Marc Brandenburg
1Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität zu Köln, Greinstrasse 4, D-50939 Köln, Germany. berkessel@uni-koeln.de
Abstract:
New chiral catalyst systems were developed for the reaction of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide (PO) at atmospheric pressure to generate enantiomerically enriched propylene carbonate (PC). The best selectivity was achieved with a Co(III)(salen)-trifluoroacetyl complex and bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene)ammonium fluoride (PPN+F-) as catalysts, affording PC in 40% yield and 83% ee (selectivity factor = 19). In addition, PC was prepared for the first time by kinetic resolution of PO with tetrabutylammonium methyl carbonate (TBAMC, nBu4N+ (-)OOCOMe). With TBAMC as "activated CO2", up to 71% ee was obtained.
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