The improved synthesis of carbonated soybean oil using supercritical carbon dioxide at a reduced reaction time

We have demonstrated an improved synthesis of a cyclic carbonate of soybean oil (CSO) utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) as the solvent. Because the mutual solubility of supercritical CO2 and soybean oil is significantly higher than that of gaseous CO2 and soybean oil, our method synthesizes the material in similar to 1/3 of the reaction time reported in the literature. We have also demonstrated a catalyst removal method for our system based on the simple Hofmann elimination reaction, reducing the need for organic solvent extraction. CSO is a potential petroleum replacement, and may be useful in the synthesis of polymers based on bio-resources.