Graphene oxide immobilized copper phthalocyanine tetrasulphonamide: the first heterogenized homogeneous catalyst for dimethylcarbonate synthesis from CO2 and methanol

The first successful synthesis of DMC directly from methanol and carbon dioxide using a heterogenized homogeneous graphene oxide immobilized copper phthalocyanine tetrasulphonamide catalyst in the presence of N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as a dehydrating agent is described. The presence of a dehydrating agent was found to be vital and in its absence the yield of DMC was found to be decreased significantly. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the maximum yield of DMC reaches up to 13.3%. Although the homogeneous copper phthalocyanine tetrasulphonamide catalyst provided a little higher yield of DMC (14.2%), the facile recovery and recycling ability of the heterogeneous catalyst make the developed method more attractive from environmental and economical viewpoints.