Organic carbonates as alternative reactants for the production of fine chemicals and bio-based monomers

In this thesis, organic carbonates are presented as innovative reagents in the synthesis of industrially applied molecules. The research carried out at the University of Bologna, in the Department of Industrial Chemistry, articulated in three main projects: (I) the application of glycerol carbonate (GlyC) as innovative alkylating agent for phenolics, (II) the synthesis of 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol (eugenol) from guaiacol and diallyl carbonate (DAC), and the synthesis of dimethyl adipate (DMA) from cyclopentanone (CPO) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The research work carried out at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) investigated the direct synthesis of GlyC from glycerol and CO2, and the transesterification of dimethyl-2,5-furandicarboxylate (DM-FDCA) with GlyC to produce biobased monomers. The investigations involved the study and optimisation of reaction parameters, the formulation of the reaction scheme, and the implementation of multistep reaction protocols to address the selectivity of the process towards the desired product.