Organocatalytic Cycloaddition of CO2 to Glycidol: the Dual Role of Substrate and Catalyst Played by a Hydroxy-Functionalized Epoxide

The coupling of carbon dioxide with epoxides represents a very attractive reaction for the possibility of recovering a waste, namely CO2, by means of a 100% atom-economical process leading to value added products such as cyclic carbonates.[1] In the last decade, the development of CO2 chemistry parallely to the increasing production of biodiesel from vegetable oils offered to the market a new cheap raw material as glycerol whose decreasing price has triggered a growing interest in the efficient conversion of this molecule to value added commodities. Among the possible derivatives, glycerol carbonate (GC) is a particularly interesting target since it has a potential application as low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), a bio-based alternative to organic solvents from non-renewable resources.