Preparation of polystyrene-supported Lewis acidic Fe(III) ionic liquid and its application in catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide

A polystyrene-supported Lewis acidic iron-containing ionic liquid was proved to be recyclable and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for converting CO2 into cyclic carbonate without utilization of any organic solvent or additive. Excellent yields and selectivity were obtained under mild reaction conditions. Notably, the catalyst could be readily recovered and reused over five times without appreciable loss of catalytic activity. A possible catalytic cycle was proposed. The present protocol has successfully been applied to reactions of aziridines/propargyl amines with CO2. This kind of the catalyst presented herein would have great potential in industrial application thanks to its featured advantages. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.