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    Copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides mediated by zinc organyls
    (London : RSC Publishing, 2018) Wulf, Christoph; Doering, Ulrike; Werner, Thomas
    Herein we report the copolymerization of CHO with CO2 in the presence of various zinc compounds R2Zn (R = Et, Bu, iPr, Cy and Ph). Several zinc organyls proved to be efficient catalysts for this reaction in the absence of water and co-catalyst. Notably, readily available Bu2Zn reached a TON up to 269 and an initial TOF up to 91 h-1. The effect of various parameters on the reaction outcome has been investigated. Poly(ether)carbonates with molecular weights up to 79.3 kg mol-1 and a CO2 content of up to 97% were obtained. Under standard reaction conditions (100 °C, 2.0 MPa, 16 h) the influence of commonly employed co-catalysts such as PPNCl and TBAB has been investigated in the presence of Et2Zn (0.5 mol%). The reaction of other epoxides (e.g. propylene and styrene oxide) under these conditions led to no significant conversion or to the formation of the respective cyclic carbonate as the main product.
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    Theoretical mechanistic investigation of zinc(ii) catalyzed oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and esters
    (London : RSC Publishing, 2016) Nisa, Riffat Un; Mahmood, Tariq; Ludwig, Ralf; Ayub, Khurshid
    The mechanism of the Zn(II) catalyzed oxidation of benzylic alcohol to benzaldehyde and ester by H2O2 oxidant was investigated through density functional theory methods and compared with the similar oxidation mechanisms of other late transition metals. Both inner sphere and intermediate sphere mechanisms have been analyzed in the presence and absence of pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (ligand). An intermediate sphere mechanism involving the transfer of hydrogen from alcohol to H2O2 was found to be preferred over the competitive inner sphere mechanism involving β-hydride elimination. Kinetic barriers associated with the intermediate sphere mechanism are consistent with the experimental observations, suggesting that the intermediate sphere mechanism is a plausible mechanism under these reaction conditions. The oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes (first step) is kinetically more demanding than the oxidation of hemiacetals to esters (second step). Changing the oxidant to tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) increases the activation barrier for the oxidation of alcohol to aldehyde by 0.4 kcal mol−1, but decreases the activation barrier by 3.24 kcal mol−1 for oxidation of hemiacetal to ester. Replacement of zinc bromide with zinc iodide causes the second step to be more demanding than the first step. Pyridine-2-carboxylic acid ligand remarkably decreases the activation barriers for the intermediate sphere pathway, whereas a less pronounced inverse effect is estimated for the inner sphere mechanism.
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    Dimethyl carbonate synthesis from carbon dioxide using ceria–zirconia catalysts prepared using a templating method: characterization, parametric optimization and chemical equilibrium modeling
    (London : RSC Publishing, 2016) Kumar, Praveen; With, Patrick; Srivastava, Vimal Chandra; Shukla, Kartikeya; Gläser, Roger; Mishra, Indra Mani
    In this paper, a series of CexZr1−xO2 solid solution spheres were synthesized by exo- and endo-templating methods and tested for dimethyl carbonate (DMC) synthesis using direct conversion of CO2. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2-physisorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and CO2/NH3-temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Formation of CexZr1−xO2 solid solutions with tetragonal and cubic crystal structures depending on cerium/zirconium compositions was confirmed by XRD analysis. The specific surface area of the mixed oxide decreased and the average pore diameter increased with an increase in the ceria content, with the exception of the mixed oxides with x = 0.4–0.5 i.e. Ce0.4Zr0.6O2 and Ce0.5Zr0.5O2. The basic and acidic site density of the synthesized catalysts was in the order: ZrO2 < CeO2 < Ce0.5Zr0.5O2, and the basic and acidic site density per unit area followed the same order. The best Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 catalyst was further used for the optimization of reaction conditions such as reaction time, reaction temperature, catalyst dose and reusability for DMC synthesis. Furthermore, study of chemical equilibrium modeling was done using the Peng–Robinson–Stryjek–Vera equation of state (PRSV-EoS) along with the van der Waals one-fluid reaction condition so as to calculate change of Gibbs free energy (ΔG°) and heat of reaction (ΔH°).