Study confirms high yield aromatic urethane from tin alkoxide, amine and carbon dioxide

Tokyo -- Japanese researchers have developed a new, high-yield reaction process to obtain aromatic urethane from CO₂, amine and tin alkoxide.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) team has confirmed that aromatic urethanes can be synthesised when amine and tin alkoxide are reacted with high-pressure CO₂.

The development was driven by the need for “a more direct urethane synthesis process,” the study said.

AIST previously found that urethane can be synthesised with a high yield from CO₂, amine, and alcohol when a compound containing tin or nickel is used as a catalyst in the presence of acetone dimethyl acetal.

“The one-step urethane synthesis process using CO₂ as a raw material and tin alkoxide instead of alcohol made it possible to synthesise aromatic urethane with a high yield from CO₂ and aromatic amine without using catalysts,” according to the study.

The study can be found here.