This paper reports on an ATR-FTIR spectroscopic investigation of the CO2 absorption characteristics of a series of heterocyclic diamines: hexahydropyrimidine (HHPY), 2-methyl and 2,2-dimethylhexahydropyrimidine (MHHPY and DMHHPY), hexahydropyridazine (HHPZ), piperazine (PZ) and 2,5- and 2,6-dimethylpiperazine (2,6-DMPZ and 2,5-DMPZ). By using in situ ATR-FTIR the structure–activity relationship of the reaction between heterocyclic diamines and CO2 is probed. PZ forms a hydrolysis-resistant carbamate derivative, while HHPY forms a more labile carbamate species with increased susceptibility to hydrolysis, particularly at higher CO2 loadings (>0.5 mol CO2/mol amine). HHPY exhibits similar reactivity toward CO2 to PZ, but with improved aqueous solubility. The α-methyl-substituted MHHPY favours HCO3− formation, but MHHPY exhibits comparable CO2 absorption capacity to conventional amines MEA and DEA. MHHPY show improved reactivity compared to the conventional α-methyl- substituted primary amine 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol. DMHHPY is representative of blended amine systems, and its reactivity highlights the advantages of such systems. HHPZ is relatively unreactive towards CO2. The CO2 absorption capacity CA (mol CO2/mol amine) and initial rates of absorption RIA (mol CO2/mol amine min−1) for each reactive diamine are determined: PZ: CA=0.92, RIA=0.045; 2,6-DMPZ: CA=0.86, RIA=0.025; 2,5-DMPZ: CA=0.88, RIA=0.018; HHPY: CA=0.85, RIA=0.032; MHHPY: CA=0.86, RIA=0.018; DMHHPY: CA=1.1, RIA=0.032; and HHPZ: no reaction. Calculations at the B3LYP/6-31+G** and MP2/6-31+G** calculations show that the substitution patterns of the heterocyclic diamines affect carbamate stability, which influences hydrolysis rates.
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