Haibo Chang,Dongdong Li,Tingting Cao,Qingshuo Li,Zhanwei Bu,Wenshan Zhao,Tong Lin
In this study, we have for the first time demonstrated that palladium chloride (PdCl 2 ) is an efficient catalyst for ring-opening polymerization of cyclohexene oxide in a solvent-free condition. The polymerization product was in atactic structure, and reaction conditions, such as reaction temperature, time, and catalyst amount, showed effects on polymerization conversion yield, turnover number, and number-average molecular weight of the resulting poly(cyclohexene oxide). PdCl 2 catalysis follows a cationic ring-opening mechanism. The polymerization result is highly determined by the chemical structure of the monomers.
Yu Cao,Ran Ma,Ning Wang,Mei-Yan Wang,Xue-Dong Li,Liang-Nian He
Selective hydrogenolysis is a crucial challenge for lignin valorization. A PdCl 2 -catalyzed hydrogenolysis of C OH bond of various lignin β-O-4 alcohol model compounds was developed for preparation of corresponding phenethoxybenzene in 78–98% isolated yield. Notably, the introduction of low-pressure CO 2 (1 MPa) remarkably improves the reaction efficiency and selectivity of phenethoxybenzene. Neither over-reduction of aromatic ring nor further debenzylation was detected. This is understandable that the in situ methylcarbonic acid generated from CO 2 and methanol acts as an acidic catalyst and enhances the leaving ability of hydroxyl group of β-O-4 alcohols. Besides, the present PdCl 2 /CO 2 /MeOH catalyst system proved to be effective for reductive cleavage of C O bonds of β-O-4 ketones, producing ethylbenzenes accompanied with phenols in high yields. Furthermore, this protocol could also be extended to selective hydrodeoxygenation of the carbonyl group to methylene in aromatic ketones. As a sound reaction medium, such in situ CO 2 /MeOH acidic system could be inherently neutralized by depressurizing CO 2 , providing feature advantages for simple post-processing and none waste disposal.