Takashi Yano, Hideo Matsui, Takahiro Koike, Hiroyasu Ishiguro, Hisashi Fujihara, Masakuni Yoshihara and Toshihisa Maeshima
Magnesium oxide is an efficient catalyst for the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides under mild conditions; the reaction of carbon dioxide with (R)-styrene oxide in the presence of magnesium oxide gives (R)-phenyl carbonate in 97% ee with retention of stereochemistry.