SYNTHESIS OF ETHYLENE CARBONATE FROM ETHYLENE OXIDE AND CO2 IN THE PRESENCE OF ZINC PHENOLATES / IONIC LIQUID CATALYSTS

The synthesis of cyclic carbonates by the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 with epoxy compounds is one of the most promising directions in the utilization of CO2. The present work studies the synthesis of ethylene carbonate by the cycloaddition reaction of ethylene oxide with carbon dioxide in the presence of zinc-phenolate catalysts of the formula ZnY (where, Y – methylene-bis, thio-bis and dithio-bis alkyl phenols), ionic liquids of the formula RLX (where, R – H atom or C1 –C8 alkyl groups; L – cations of [NMP]+, [MIM]+, [Py]+ or alkyl amine; X – anions of Br–, НСОО–, СН3СОО–), or binary catalysts Zn-phenolate/ionic liquid, using selected optimal zinc phenolate and ionic liquid catalysts, or by using synthesized ionic liquid catalysts of the formula R2L2X2ZnY. In the presence of these catalysts the conversion of ethylene oxide is 32.0–99.0%, the selectivity for ethylene carbonate is 81.0–100.0%, the catalyst productivity is 210.0–1501.0 g EC/g Cat, and TOF is 891.0–12000.0 mol EC/mol Cat·h. Organic carbonates have a fairly large market (about 1.8 million tons/year) and are widely used as solvents, selective reagents, intermediates (for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and agricultural preparates), fuel additives, as well as monomers in polymer synthesis