Calix[4]pyrroles as macrocyclic organocatalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide†
Abstract
Calix[4]pyrrole 1, calix[4]arene 2, or porphyrin 3 together with tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) catalyzed the conversion of epoxides and CO2 into cyclic carbonates. Among them, meso-octamethylcalix[4]pyrrole 1a, which was synthesized easily in one step by the acid-catalyzed condensation of pyrrole with acetone, was found to be a very active and robust organocatalyst. DFT calculations suggested that 1a adopts a 1,3-alternate conformation to stabilize the anionic species generated during the catalysis. In the key transition state of the epoxide ring-opening step, one pyrrolic NH group and the tetrabutylammonium (TBA) cation activate the epoxide by hydrogen bonding while another NH group on the opposite side guides the Iā anion, which is located away from the TBA cation, to the backside attack on the epoxide.