A facile catalytic synthesis of trimethylene carbonate from trimethylene oxide and carbon dioxide

The coupling of oxetane (trimethylene oxide) and carbon dioxide catalyzed by VO(acac)2 in the presence of an onium salt was studied. The process was found to be highly selective and quantitative for the production of the six-membered cyclic carbonate, trimethylene carbonate, under very mild reaction conditions of 60 °C and 1.7 MPa. Other derivatives of trimethylene oxide were shown to similarly selectively afford the corresponding cyclic carbonates upon reaction with CO2.