Green chemistry of polyurethanes: Synthesis, structure, and functionality of triglycerides of soybean oil with epoxy and cyclocarbonate groups—renewable raw materials for new urethanes

Abstract

The synthesis of cyclocarbonate-containing oligomers for non-isocyanate polyurethanes via the catalytic reaction of carbon dioxide with epoxidized soybean oil has been described. It has been shown via the mass-spectrometric method that the oligomers, which are triglycerides of epoxide- and cyclocarbonate-containing derivatives of carboxylic acids, are characterized by an extremely wide composition distribution, reflecting almost the entire set of components contained in natural raw materials. The presence of 25 types of triglycerides of unsaturated (oleic, linoleic, and linolenic) and saturated (stearic and palmitic) carboxylic acids in various combinations in oligomers has been found. The functionality of oligomers at epoxy and cyclocarbonate groups and the problems of the use of plant raw materials for the synthesis of non-isocyanate polyurethanes are discussed.