Catalytic coproduction of methanol and glycol in one pot from epoxide, CO₂, and H₂

An atom (100%) and energy-efficient approach to coproduce two commodity chemicals, methanol and glycol, has been demonstrated for the first time using H₂, CO₂, and epoxide as feeds. A basic medium used for CO₂ capture, polyethyleneimine (PEI₆₀₀), is shown to facilitate the formation of a key reaction intermediate, cyclic carbonates. Upon hydrogenation of cyclic carbonates in the presence of a homogenous Ru-PNP catalyst, a 1 : 1 mixture of methanol and glycol is produced. This approach has been demonstrated in one pot by adding all the required reactants directly or stepwise. The stepwise addition of reactants resulted in good yields (>95% for PG and 84% for methanol) and selectivity of products.