Ring-opening polymerization reactions of propylene oxide catalyzed by porphyrin metal 3+ complexes of aluminum, chromium and cobalt.

In today's world, a major scientific challenge is preserving the delicate balance between industrial growth and a pollutant free terrestrial environment. Thus, "greener" syntheses of commodity materials, capture and utilization of gaseous industrial by-products have become research areas of increasing significance. The pioneering work of Inoue showed a potential utilization of CO2, a major petrochemical by-product, and opened a new field of research. Inoue discovered the (porphyrin)Al(III)X catalyst systems, (X=Cl(-) or alkoxide) which copolymerize CO2 with epoxides to produce polycarbonates. This catalyst can also copolymerize epoxides and cyclic anhydrides to form polyesters. The current record describes our research aimed towards mechanistic understanding and further developments of (porphyrin)M(III)X catalyst systems. This detailed account shows the influence of the porphyrin ligands (tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), octaethylporphyrin (OEP), tetrakis-pentafluorophenylporphyrin (TFPP)), metal centers (Al, Cr, and Co) and Lewis base co-catalysts on the individual reaction steps and equilibria involved in the copolymerization processes.