Applications of Dimethyl Carbonate for the Chemical Upgrading of Biosourced Platform Chemicals

Abstract

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is a nontoxic compound currently prepared from CO2 as a building block, which displays a versatile reactivity for multiple applications including, particularly, the implementation of sustainable protocols for the conversion of biosourced substrates. Among them, this paper will survey representative cases of DMC-mediated methylation and carboxymethylation reactions by which platform chemicals including glycerol and its derivatives, succinic and levulinic acids, furan-derived compounds as 5-HMF and FDCA, and sorbitol are transformed into added-value compounds. By their intrinsic nature, these processes typify genuine green archetypes combining the upgrading of renewables with the use of safe reagents, catalysis, recycle, minimal, if any, production of wastes, and solvent-less conditions.