Formation of Polyhydroxyurethanes in the Reaction of Carbon Dioxide with Diepoxides and Diamines in the Presence of a Chromium Complex.

Cyclic biscarbonates were synthesized from CO2 and diepoxides in the presence of a chromium(III) salen complex. The effect of the reaction conditions on the process kinetics, recorded by monitoring the CO2 absorption during the reaction, has been studied for the first time. After complete conversion of diepoxides to cyclic biscarbonate, the same catalytic system was used in the reaction of biscarbonates with diamines to form polyhydroxyurethanes. The thermal characteristics of the synthesized polymers are mainly determined by the structure of the diepoxide and, to a lesser extent, by the nature of the amine used in the second stage of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]