Heterogeneous Catalysis for Oxazolidinone Synthesis from Aziridines and CO2

Abstract

With the increasing environmental and societal concerns about global warming associated with carbon emission, great efforts have been devoted to carbon dioxide fixation during the past two decades. Indeed, CO2 has been widely used as a potential C1 building block for the production of various chemical products, as it is nontoxic, renewable, economical and abundant. One promising methodology is the coupling reaction of CO2 with aziridines to afford oxazolidinones, which is 100% atom-efficient and eco-friendly. In addition, oxazolidinones are important heterocyclic compounds showing application as intermediates and chiral auxiliaries in organic synthesis. To date, numerous homogeneous catalysts have been developed for this reaction. With criteria of green chemistry and sustainable development, developing efficient heterogeneous catalysts would be crucial for industrial application. In this review article, we present the latest progress on the coupling reaction of CO2 with aziridines, and particularly focus on the preparation, activity evaluation and recyclability of various heterogeneous catalytic systems including mesoporous material, functionalized polymer-based catalysts and supported catalysts. We hope this review could stimulate further research on oxazolidinone synthesis from CO2 and aziridines with green, and efficient heterogeneous catalyst. Keywords: Carbon dioxide, oxazolidinone, heterogeneous catalyst, cycloaddition, aziridines, recyclability.