Efficient Cycloaddition Reaction of Carbon Dioxide with Epoxide by Rhodamine Based Catalyst Under 1 atm Pressure

Abstract

Rhodamine B (RhB) and rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) were employed as catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonate from carbon dioxide and epoxide. It turned out that the catalytic activity of Rh6G was nearly 29 times higher than that of RhB at 1 atm pressure, <TEX>$90^{\circ}C$</TEX>. Furthermore, the catalytic efficiency of RhB and Rh6G was greatly enhanced with triethylamine as co-catalyst. Under the optimized conditions, the best isolated yield (93%) of cyclic carbonate was achieved without organic solvent and metal component.