Metal–Organic Polymers Containing Discrete Single-Walled Nanotube as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Cycloaddition of Carbon Dioxide to Epoxides

The cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates is quite promising and does not result in any side products. A discrete single-walled metal-organic nanotube was synthesized by incorporating a tetraphenyl-ethylene moiety as the four-point connected node. The assembled complex has a large cross-section, with an exterior wall diameter of 3.6 nm and an interior channel diameter of 2.1 nm. It features excellent activity toward the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide, with a turnover number of 17,500 per mole of catalyst and an initial turnover frequency as high as 1000 per mole of catalyst per hour. Only minimal decreases in the catalytic activity were observed after 70 h under identical reaction conditions, and a total turnover number as high as 35,000 was achieved. A simple comparison of relative porous MOFs suggested that the cross-section of the channels is an important factor influencing the transport of the substrates and products through the channel.