Prominent among the processes that represent technologically viable uses of carbon dioxide, both as a solvent and a monomer, is the production of biodegradable copolymers. Although carbon dioxide is thermodynamically and kinetically very stable, it does undergo reactions with highly reactive molecules. Most notably for our purposes are transformations with ring-strained heterocycles such as propylene oxide and cyclohexene oxide. These processes are generally accompanied by the production of differing amounts of five-membered cyclic carbonates. Of importance, the copolymer and its corresponding cyclic carbonate resulting from the coupling of epoxides and carbon dioxide have industrial applications. An alternative source of polycarbonate derived from carbon dioxide involves the alternating copolymerization of oxetane and carbon dioxide, thereby providing a component of biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers which have numerous clinical applications. The scope of this presentation will be to examine discrete, well-characterized metal-based catalysts for the incorporation of CO2 in the preparation of polymeric materials.

Award Address (ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry Sponsored by Aldrich Chemical Company, Inc.). Making plastics from carbon dioxide

239th National Meeting (2010)

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