Direct Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates in the Presence of Organometallic Compounds. Catalyses by Systems from IVA, VA, and VIA Group Compounds and Lewis Base

In the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to oxiranes to form cyclic carbonates in the presence of organometallic halides of group IVA, VA, and VIA, catalytic activities of organometallic halides are in the order Sb>Te>Sn>>Bi, Ge, and Si. An improvement of their catalytic activities is achieved by addition of an equimolar amount of Lewis base. In binary catalyst systems, the order of catalytic activities is in the order Sn>Te>Sb>>Bi, Ge, and Si. Organotin halide–base systems show the highest catalytic activity.