Synthesis of Cyclic Chloropropylene Carbonate from Carbon Dioxide with Epichlorohydrin

Abstract

The copolymerization of epichlorohydrin (ECH) with carbon dioxide was performed, by using silica supported dinuclear catalyst Cu₂(OAc)₂/SiO₂ with 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) as cocatalyst, to produce a cyclic chloropropylene carbonate. The effects of the molar ratio of catalyst components, the reaction time and the operating temperature and pressure on the catalytic activity and the conversion of epichlorohydrin were systematically studied. A conversion of up to 90 % for epichlorohydrin was obtained at 80 ºC and 2 MPa over a period of 14 h, with a molar ratio of catalyst to monomer of 10^-3. No byproduct such as polycarbonates or polyester was formed in the target products. The catalyst system exhibited good stability and was subjected to utilization for 24 h with no loss of activity.