Issue 13, 2022

Polymeric frustrated Lewis pairs in CO2/cyclic ether coupling catalysis

Abstract

Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) are now ubiquitous as metal-free catalysts in an array of different chemical transformations. In this paper we show that this reactivity can be transferred to a polymeric system, offering advantageous opportunities at the interface between catalysis and stimuli-responsive materials. Formation of cyclic carbonates from cyclic ethers using CO2 as a C1 feedstock continues to be dominated by metal-based systems. When paired with a suitable nucleophile, discrete aryl or alkyl boranes have shown significant promise as metal-free Lewis acidic alternatives, although catalyst reuse remains illusive. Herein, we leverage the reactivity of FLPs in a polymeric system to promote CO2/cyclic ether coupling catalysis that can be tuned for the desired epoxide or oxetane substrate. Moreover, these macromolecular FLPs can be reused across multiple reaction cycles, further increasing their appeal over analogous small molecule systems.

Graphical abstract: Polymeric frustrated Lewis pairs in CO2/cyclic ether coupling catalysis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
11 Feb 2022
Accepted
08 Mar 2022
First published
08 Mar 2022
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 3845-3850

Polymeric frustrated Lewis pairs in CO2/cyclic ether coupling catalysis

T. A. R. Horton, M. Wang and M. P. Shaver, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 3845 DOI: 10.1039/D2SC00894G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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