Practical β-lactone synthesis: epoxide carbonylation at 1 atm

JW Kramer, EB Lobkovsky, GW Coates

Index: Kramer, John W.; Lobkovsky, Emil B.; Coates, Geoffrey W. Organic Letters, 2006 , vol. 8, # 17 p. 3709 - 3712

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Citation Number: 63

Abstract

A readily prepared bimetallic catalyst is capable of effecting epoxide carbonylation to produce β-lactones at substantially lower CO pressures than previously reported catalyst systems. A functionally diverse array of β-lactones is produced in excellent yields at CO pressures as low as 1 atm. This procedure allows for epoxide carbonylation on a multigram scale without the requirement of specialized, high-pressure equipment.