Efficient catalytic synthesis of optically active cyclic carbonates via coupling reaction of epoxides and carbon dioxide

Chiral Co(salen) complexes bearing the Lewis acid of group 13 can efficiently catalyze the reactions of carbon dioxide with epoxides in the presence of catalytic amounts of alkali metal salts, quaternary ammonium halide or ionic liquids. They exhibited excellent activity for producing enantiomerically enriched cyclic carbonates.