Direct condensation reaction of carbon dioxide with alcohols using trisubstituted phosphine-carbon tetrabromide-base system as a condensing agent

This paper describes the preparation of carbonates by the direct condensati on of CO2 with alcohols using a trisubstituted phosphine-carbon tetrabromid e-base system as a condensing agent. The yield of dibenzyl carbonate from C O2 and benzyl alcohol was at most 90.7%. The reaction of CO2 with the other primary alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, butan-1-ol, hexan-1-ol, allyl alcohol, and ethylene glycol also gave corresponding carbonates in relative ly high yields, whereas yields of carbonates from CO2 and secondary alcohol s were low.