Synthesis of Functionalized Cyclic Carbonates through Commodity Polymer Upcycling

Functionalized cyclic carbonates are attractive monomers for the synthesis of innovative polycarbonates or polyurethanes for various applications. Even though their synthesis has been intensively investigated, doing so in a sustainable and efficient manner remains a challenge. Herein, we propose an organocatalytic procedure based on the depolymerization of a commodity polymer, bisphenol A based polycarbonate (BPA-PC). Different carbonate-containing heterocycles are obtained in good to excellent yields employing BPA-PC as a sustainable and inexpensive source of carbonate, including functionalized six-membered cyclic carbonates.官能化环状碳酸酯（functionalized cyclic carbonates）是一类极具应用价值的单体，可用于合成面向各类应用场景的新型聚碳酸酯或聚氨酯。尽管其合成路径已得到广泛深入的研究，但实现可持续且高效的合成方法仍是一项挑战。在此，我们提出了一种基于通用商品聚合物——双酚A型聚碳酸酯（bisphenol A based polycarbonate，BPA-PC）解聚的有机催化合成方法。该方法以BPA-PC作为可持续且低成本的碳酸酯来源，可得到各类含碳酸酯基杂环化合物，产率介于良好至优异水平，其中包括官能化六元环状碳酸酯。