A Chitosan Derivative Containing Both Carboxylic Acid and Quaternary Ammonium Moieties for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates

Abstract

Chitosan, a renewable feedstock, is modified and used as a catalytic support in the presence of potassium iodide. The system is highly efficient towards the incorporation of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) into epoxides. It demonstrates very good thermal stability and is recyclable more than five times without loss of activity. The optimal reaction conditions were determined using allylglycidyl ether as a model and extended to a wide range of other epoxides. Cyclic carbonates were obtained with very high yield in a few hours under mild conditions (2-7 bar≈0.2-0.7 MPa, 80 °C) and no solvent.

Keywords: chitosan; cyclic carbonates; epoxides; heterogeneous catalysis; supported catalyst.