Valorization of carbon dioxide into organic molecules using catalytic approaches has witnessed an upsurge in recent years. Here, the influence of an Al(III) aminotriphenolate complex on the regio- and stereochemical features of the coupling between carbon dioxide and a cyclic epoxy alcohol has been studied. Three distinct bicyclic carbonate products were produced from a single starting material, depending on the catalytic conditions. The proposed carbonate configurations were examined by solution and solid-phase techniques, including NMR spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analyses. Control experiments combined with DFT calculations provide a rationale for the distinct catalytic manifolds observed in the presence and absence of the Al(III) complex.
Effect of an Al(III) Complex on the Regio- and Stereoisomeric Formation of Bicyclic Organic Carbonates
Organometallics 2020, 39 (9), 1642-165, DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.9b00773.