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Carbon dioxide is inexpensive and abundant, and its prevalence as waste makes it attractive as a sustainable chemical feedstock. Although there are examples of copolymerizations of CO2 with high-energy monomers, the direct copolymerization of CO2 with olefins has not been reported. Herein, an alternate route to functionalizable, recyclable polyesters derived from CO2, butadiene and hydrogen via an intermediary lactone, 3-ethyl-6-vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one, is described. Catalytic ring-opening polymerization of the lactone by 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene yields polyesters with molar masses up to 13.6 kg/mol and pendent vinyl sidechains that can undergo post-polymerization functionalization. The polymer has a low ceiling temperature of 138 ºC, allowing for facile chemical recycling, and is inherently biodegradable under aerobic aqueous conditions (OECD-301B protocol). These results mark the first example of a well-defined polyester derived from CO2, olefins and hydrogen, expanding access to new polymer feedstocks that were once considered unfeasible.
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3-Ethyl-6-vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one (EVP): a versatile CO2-derived lactone platform for polymer synthesis.
3-ethyl-6-vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one (EVP) is a CO2-derived lactone synthesized via Pd-catalyzed telomerization of butadiene. As EVP is 28.9% by weight CO2, it has received significant recent attention as an intermediary for the synthesis of high CO2-content polymers. This article provides an overview of strategies for the polymerization of EVP to a wide variety of polymer structures, ranging from radical polymerizations to ring-opening polymerizations, that each take unique advantage of the highly functionalized lactone.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1901635
- PAR ID:
- 10350017
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Chemical Communications
- ISSN:
- 1359-7345
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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The coupling of carbon dioxide and ethylene to generate value added chemicals has been part of recent fundamental advances to improve sustainability in commercial chemical synthons. A formal zerovalent triphosphine ligated ruthenium complex, (tBuP(CH2CH2PEt2)2)Ru(κ-S-DMSO)(C2H4), was found to promote CO2 activation, affording products derived from both a 1:1 and 1:2 ethylene to CO2 coupling stoichiometry. The equimolecular coupling reaction selectively afforded a five-membered ruthenium lactone species, (tBuP(CH2CH2PEt2)2)Ru(κ-S-DMSO)(κ-C,κ-O-CH2CH2CO2), under low CO2 pressure. At higher CO2 pressure, the ruthenium lactone complex activated a second equivalent of CO2, yielding a dimeric methylmalonate ruthenium compound, [(tBuP(CH2CH2PEt2)2)Ru(μ2, κ1-O, κ2-O,O-O2CCHCH3CO2)]2. Both carbon dioxide activation products were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that reversible β-H elimination is a key process in conversion between the two ruthenium carboxylate species. A rare formally zerovalent ruthenium coordination compound stabilized only by ethylene and DMSO ligands was also isolated and characterized.more » « less
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) has long been recognized as an ideal C1 feedstock comonomer for producing sustainable materials because it is renewable, abundant, and cost-effective. However, activating CO2 presents a significant challenge because it is highly oxidized and stable. A CO2/butadiene-derived δ-valerolactone (EVP), generated via palladium-catalyzed telomerization between CO2 and butadiene, has emerged as an attractive intermediate for producing sustainable copolymers from CO2 and butadiene. Owing to the presence of two active carbon–carbon double bonds and a lactone unit, EVP serves as a versatile intermediate for creating sustainable copolymers with a CO2 content of up to 29 wt % (33 mol %). In this Review, advances in the synthesis of copolymers from CO2 and butadiene with divergent structures through various polymerization protocols have been summarized. Achievements made in homo- and copolymerization of EVP or its derivatives are comprehensively reviewed, while the postmodification of the obtained copolymers to access new polymers are also discussed. Meanwhile, potential applications of the obtained copolymers are also discussed. The literature references were sorted into sections based on polymerization strategies and mechanisms, facilitating readers in gaining a comprehensive view of the present chemistry landscape and inspiring innovative approaches to synthesizing novel CO2-derived copolymers.more » « less
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Abstract Synthetic investigations of natural products has been instrumental in the development of novel antibacterial small molecules. 1‐hydroxyboivinianin A, a lactone containing phenolic bisabolane isolated from marine sediment, has reported antibacterial activity against the aquatic pathogenVibrio harveyi. The total synthesis of 1‐hydroxyboivinianin A and its enantiomer was completed in a six‐step sequence in 42 % overall yield. The synthesis leveraged a key diastereoselective nucleophilic addition with chiral imidazolidinone to establish the benzylic tertiary alcohol and intramolecular Horner‐Wadsworth Emmons to furnish the lactone. Both enantiomers were found to have negligible antibacterial activity against a panel of gram‐positive and negative bacteria and minimal antifungal activity against phytopathogens. Investigations of a possiblein vitrolactone hydrolysis to produce an inactive linear acid led to the discovery of a spontaneous cyclization, suggesting the lactone is resistant to hydrolysis and the lactone is not degrading to produce an inactive species.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC03516B
