Addition of carbon dioxide to allyl glycidyl ether using ionic liquids catalysts

The addition of carbon dioxide to allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) was investigated without using any solvent in the presence of ionic liquid as catalyst. Ionic liquids based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMIm), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (BMIm), and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium (HMIm) with different anions such as Cl-, BF4-, PF6_ were used as catalysts. The reaction was performed in a 50 mL stainless steel autoclave. The conversion of allyl glycidyl ether was affected by the structure of imidazolium salt ionic liquids; the one with the cation of bulkier alkyl chain length and with more nucleophilic anion showed better reactivity. Reaction temperature and carbon dioxide pressure enhanced the addition of carbon dioxide to AGE. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.