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The Reaction between K2CO3 and Ethylene Glycol in Deep Eutectic Solvents
Yi Zhou1, Mingzhe Chen1, Xueling Dong1
1School of Science, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China.
Abstract:
Understanding intermolecular interactions is important for the design of deep eutectic solvents. Herein, potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and ethylene glycol (EG) are used to form deep eutectic solvents. The interactions between K2CO3 and EG are studied using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Interestingly, the interaction results indicate that the carbonate anion CO32- can react with EG to form EG-based organic carbonate, which can occur even at room temperature. The possible reaction steps between K2CO3 and EG are presented. As K2CO3 can be prepared from CO2 and KOH, the findings of this work may provide a promising strategy for CO2 capture and conversion.
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