Yanqin Wang, Zhenjiang Li
Feb 1, 2012
Citations
0
Influential Citations
4
Citations
Journal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis
Abstract
1,3-Disubstituted imidazol(in)ium-2-carboxylates (ImCO2) were used as precatalysts for transesterification reactions of unactivated ethyl benzoate with monohydric alcohols, dihydric alcohols, and amino alcohols. Highly active N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are usually not used directly as catalysts because of their air and moisture sensitivity. Here they were liberated in situ by thermal decarboxylation of ImCO2 at designated temperatures. The results showed that the yield of the reactions reached up to 95% within 3 h using only 0.5 mol% catalyst. No active enol esters, molecular sieves, or a 20-fold excess of alcohol were used to drive the reaction to completion. It was proved that unsaturated imidazolium-2-carboxylates have a better activity than saturated species in this type of reaction. Different types of substituting groups of ImCO2 exhibited varied transesterification activity.