Ecofriendly routes for the synthesis of carbamates and carbonylative coupling products such as benzyl formate derivatives are very demanding for both academia and industries. Foreseeing a sustainable green future, we systematically analyzed the synthesis history of both these chemicals, mentioning their pros and cons. As a step towards green chemistry, here we have optimized the reaction conditions for the synthesis of various benzyl formates from corresponding benzyl halides and carbamates from substituted anilines and alkyl halides catalyzed by Ni(0) nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized over amine-functionalized ordered mesoporous SBA-15 material in the presence of CO2 as C1 source. This spotlight on applications is aimed to provide a clear outlook to date regarding the gradual progress in the synthesis of both these aforementioned chemicals and finally addresses further efforts for overcoming the current challenges.
Keywords: CO2 fixation; benzyl formates; carbamates; immobilized Ni nanoparticles; ordered mesoporous silica.