Organocatalytic Trapping of Elusive Carbon Dioxide based Heterocycles through a Kinetically Controlled Cascade Process

22 May 2020, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

A conceptually novel approach is described for the
synthesis of larger-ring cyclic carbonates derived from carbon dioxide. The approach utilizes homoallylic precursors that are converted into five-membered cyclic carbonates having a beta-positioned alcohol group in one of the ring substituents. The activation of the pendent alcohol group through an N-heterocyclic base allows for equilibration towards a thermodynamically disfavored six-membered carbonate analogue that can be conveniently trapped by an acylation agent. Various control experiments and computational analysis of this manifold are in line with a process that is primarily dictated by a kinetically controlled acylation step. This cascade process delivers an ample diversity of novel six-membered cyclic carbonates in excellent yields and chemoselectivities under remarkably mild reaction conditions. This newly developed protocol helps to expand the repertoire of CO2-based heterocycles that are otherwise difficult to generate by conventional approaches.

Keywords

carbon dioxide (CO2)
organocatalysis
Cyclic carbonates
Heterocycles
Base catalysis

Supplementary materials

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Kleij et al. SI 21may20
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