Manganese catalysed dehydrogenative synthesis of polyureas from diformamide and diamines

Abstract

We report here the synthesis of polyureas from the dehydrogenative coupling of diamines and diformamides. The reaction is catalysed by a manganese pincer complex and releases H₂ gas as the only by-product making the process atom-economic and sustainable. The reported method is greener in comparison to the current state-of-the-art production routes that involve diisocyanate and phosgene feedstock. We also report here the physical, morphological, and mechanical properties of synthesized polyureas. Based on our mechanistic studies, we suggest that the reaction proceeds via isocyanate intermediates formed by the manganese catalysed dehydrogenation of formamides.