Journal
CHEMSUSCHEM
Volume 15, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202102538
Keywords
alkylation; dimethyl carbonate; green solvent; lignin; organocatalysis
Funding
- Tokyo Ohka Foundation [21111]
- RIKEN Information Systems Division [Q21266]
- Hong Kong Baptist University [21111]
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Dimethyl sulfide was utilized as an inexpensive and sustainable catalyst for methylations with dimethyl carbonate, resulting in high yields of products with a straightforward workup procedure. Experimental and theoretical methods were used to elucidate the likely mechanisms involving a reactive intermediate.
Dimethyl sulfide, a major byproduct of the Kraft pulping process, was used as an inexpensive and sustainable catalyst/co-reagent (methyl donor) for various methylations with dimethyl carbonate (as both reagent and solvent), which afforded excellent yields of O-methylated phenols and benzoic acids, and mono-C-methylated arylacetonitriles. Furthermore, these products could be isolated using a remarkably straightforward workup and purification procedure, realized by dimethyl sulfide's neutral and distillable nature and the absence of residual salts. The likely mechanisms of these methylations were elucidated using experimental and theoretical methods, which revealed that the key step involves the generation of a highly reactive trimethylsulfonium methylcarbonate intermediate. The phenol methylation process represents a rare example of a Williamson-type reaction that occurs without the addition of a Bronsted base.
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