Carbon Dioxide Oversolubility in Nanoconfined Liquids for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates

The physical phenomenon of gas oversolubility in nanoconfined liquids was successfully applied for the catalytic cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides to generate organic cyclic carbonates. Hybrid adsorbents based on MCM‐41 and SBA‐15 mesoporous silica materials were synthesized, and efficient nucleophile deposition on the surface of the support was achieved through a grafting procedure, which allowed for an effective and durable metal‐free catalytic system. Room‐temperature transformation of styrene and hexene oxides to the corresponding organic carbonates at atmospheric pressure of carbon dioxide was explored.