Robust Silver(I) Catalyst for the Carboxylative Cyclization of Propargylic Alcohols with Carbon Dioxide under Ambient Conditions

Abstract Inspired by the bulkier bis(triphenylphosphine)–silver cation‐induced mechanism of propargylic alcohols and carbon dioxide through the alkyl carbonate intermediate, a robust dual‐component catalytic system consisting of silver acetate and tetraheptylammonium bromide was rationally developed for the synthesis of α‐methylene cyclic carbonates under ambient conditions without employing any additional organic base and ligand. This is one of the most effective catalysts reported to date for this conversion, with a very high turnover number of up to 6024, probably due to the synergistic effect of Lewis basic and Lewis acidic species for the activation of both propargylic alcohol and carbon dioxide by the formation of the alkyl carbonate with a bulkier counterion. Notably, this catalyst also worked well for the carboxylative cyclization of propargylic amines with carbon dioxide with the highest turnover number of 544. magnified image