Task-specific ionic liquid-catalyzed conversion of carbon dioxide into fuel additive and value-added chemicals

As an abundant, nontoxic, nonflammable, easily available, and renewable carbon resource, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is very attractive as an environmentally friendly feedstock for making commodity chemicals, fuels, and materials. Owing to its kinetic inertness and thermodynamic stability, significant efforts have been directed towards constructing C-C, C-O and C-N bond on the basis of COCO₂ activation through molecular catalysis. Development of catalytic methodologies for chemical transformation of CO₂ into useful compounds is of paramount importance from a standpoint of C1 chemistry and Green. Chem.istry. In this chapter, we would like to illustrate potential applications of COCO₂ in the synthesis of fuel additive/industrial useful chemicals by employing task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) as catalysts/reaction media. Those findings summarized herein would open synthetic pathways for the selective synthesis of heterocycles such as cyclic carbonates and oxazolidinones as well as industrial important compounds from COCO₂ and demonstrate that such COCO₂ functionalization with high energy starting material like epoxides is easily operative and practical in industry. We believe that COCO₂ chemistry disclosed in this chapter including our recent work performed at Nankai University, will stimulate further interest in research that may lead to the development of COCO₂ as a C1 building block for a wide set of value-added organic compounds like solvents, fuels, fine/bulk chemicals, pharmaceuticals and polymers.