Significant rate acceleration in carbonate synthesis from carbon dioxide and oxiranes using dimethyl carbonate as a recyclable medium

The synthesis of cyclic carbonates by the reaction of oxiranes and carbon dioxide in the presence of catalytic amount of tetrabutylammonium bromide in dimethylcarbonate without any metal catalyst is reported. Significant rate acceleration in the reaction is observed in dimethylcarbonate as compared to the other solvents. Under the reaction conditions of 100 °C and 2.1 MPa in dimethyl carbonate, maximum conversion and selectivity is achieved. The dimethylcarbonate containing tetrabutylammonium bromide catalyst can be easily recovered and reused for at least six recycles with the same selectivity.