8-Formyl-7-hydroxycoumarin (A) and their
derived salophen-type
organocatalysts L1, L2, and L3 were used for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from carbon dioxide
(CO2) and epoxides under solvent-, halide-, and metal-free
conditions. According to previous optimization tests, L1 and L2 had the best catalytic activity presenting 89
and 92% conversion toward the synthesis of 3-chloropropylene carbonate
(2c) using 8 bar CO2, 100 °C at 9 h.
Therefore, they were used as organocatalysts to complete the catalytic
screening with 11 terminal epoxides (1a–k) exhibiting
the highest TOF values of 20 and 22 h–1 using 1c and 1b, respectively. Similarly, they were
tested with an internal epoxide, such as cyclohexene oxide (1l) exhibiting 72% conversion, becoming the first salophen
organocatalyst to obtain cis-cyclohexane carbonate
(2l) in the absence of a cocatalyst. In addition, a reaction
mechanism was proposed for the formation of cyclic carbonates based
on experimental data and computational techniques; these contributed
in establishing a probable role of CO2 pressure along the
catalysis and the hydrogen bonds that favor the stabilization of the
different intermediates of the reaction.