Metal-free CO₂ fixation: conversion of epoxides to cyclic carbonates by a highly efficient bifunctional boron-tethered N-heterocyclic nitrenium catalyst.

Authors

Rahul Mondal, Reetu Rani Mondal, K Geetharani

Published in

Chemical science. Oct 07, 2026. Epub Oct 07, 2026.

Abstract

The development of sustainable, metal-free catalytic platforms for the chemical fixation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value-added products remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we report the rational design of a highly efficient bifunctional organoboron catalyst, featuring a Lewis acidic boron center tethered to an N-heterocyclic nitrenium ion, for the solvent-free cycloaddition of CO₂ to epoxides. This system exhibits enhanced catalytic activity and recyclability, delivering a broad range of cyclic carbonates in excellent yields under neat conditions. Thorough mechanistic studies reveal the key transient intermediates in the reaction pathway. Notably, our catalyst demonstrates the highest activity among the metal-free systems reported to date for the coupling of CO₂ to propylene oxide under ambient conditions (TOF = 12.4 h^-1, 25 °C, 1 bar), establishing this organoboron framework as a remarkably robust and green catalyst.

PMID:
42865753
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Oct 2026.

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