alexwoo10
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Hydrolysis of propylene carbonate
I have multiple liters of propylene carbonate. Would it be possible to make propylene glycol by refluxing in sodium hydroxide solution, driven by CO2
production and immediate precipitation of sodium carbonate?
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Metacelsus
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why not just buy propylene glycol? it's super cheap (cheaper than propylene carbonate, for sure)
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Polkem
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I recommended just buying it as Metacelsus stated, however, I did some research, and commonly propylene oxide is used to make the glycol or carbonate,
or glycol to carbonate. However, I found some interesting titles, but haven't read them, or I can't access them but will forward them to you.
Stating 99% yield, using SBIL catalyst, to propylene Glycol.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S13811...
Use of ammonium salts to propylene Glycol
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11144-005-0318-y
Synthesis of Propylene glycol from propylene oxide
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2004085375A1/en
Propylene Glycol from bicarbonate in supercritical CO2 (O.o)
https://intapi.sciendo.com/pdf/10.1515/pjct-2015-0010
Hope this helps, many sources are discussing glycol synthesis using propylene oxide, maybe you can find a way to convert the carbonate to oxide, but
beware, I believe the oxide is quite toxic.
Safe Research 
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EF2000
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Quote: Originally posted by Polkem  | I recommended just buying it as Metacelsus stated, however, I did some research, and commonly propylene oxide is used to make the glycol or carbonate,
or glycol to carbonate. However, I found some interesting titles, but haven't read them, or I can't access them but will forward them to you.
Stating 99% yield, using SBIL catalyst, to propylene Glycol.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S13811...
Use of ammonium salts to propylene Glycol
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11144-005-0318-y
Synthesis of Propylene glycol from propylene oxide
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2004085375A1/en
Propylene Glycol from bicarbonate in supercritical CO2 (O.o)
https://intapi.sciendo.com/pdf/10.1515/pjct-2015-0010
Hope this helps, many sources are discussing glycol synthesis using propylene oxide, maybe you can find a way to convert the carbonate to oxide, but
beware, I believe the oxide is quite toxic.
Safe Research |
While propylene carbonate is easily synthetized from propylene oxide and CO2 (a way for carbon capture?), it's hard to produce propylene
oxide from carbonate. Epoxides are produced either by oxidation of alkenes or dehydrohalogenation of chlorohydrins.
99% yield is great, but they used autoclave. And Supported Basic Ionic Liquid (SBIL) is produced from chloromethylated polystyrene resin. They say it
is "commercially available", but that usually should be read as "Aladdin Scientific/Sigma-Aldrich ships it to our institute every Friday". Similiar
story with 1-methylimidazole.
Second article: transesterification of propylene carbonate, producing propylene glycol and dimethyl carbonate DMC). It's great too, since usually DMC
is produced using phosgene. But: reaction is done in autoclave under high pressure of CO2. "250-400 psig" in obsolete units is
~1.7-2.7 MPa in normal units. Doesn't sounds as amateur-friendly, especially on multiple liters scale.
Propylene glycol, meanwhile, is widely available, even as food-grade. I think that it would be better to obtain it that way, and use propylene
carbonate for electrolysis or batteries experiments.
Attachment: 1-s2.0-S1381116907002105-main.pdf (152kB)
This file has been downloaded 72 times
Attachment: s11144-005-0318-y.pdf (70kB)
This file has been downloaded 74 times
Wroom wroom
"The practice of pouring yourself alcohol from a rocket fuel tank is to be strongly condemned encouraged"
-R-1 User's Guide
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Polkem
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[/rquote]
While propylene carbonate is easily synthetized from propylene oxide and CO2 (a way for carbon capture?), it's hard to produce propylene
oxide from carbonate. Epoxides are produced either by oxidation of alkenes or dehydrohalogenation of chlorohydrins.
99% yield is great, but they used autoclave. And Supported Basic Ionic Liquid (SBIL) is produced from chloromethylated polystyrene resin. They say it
is "commercially available", but that usually should be read as "Aladdin Scientific/Sigma-Aldrich ships it to our institute every Friday". Similiar
story with 1-methylimidazole.
Second article: transesterification of propylene carbonate, producing propylene glycol and dimethyl carbonate DMC). It's great too, since usually DMC
is produced using phosgene. But: reaction is done in autoclave under high pressure of CO2. "250-400 psig" in obsolete units is
~1.7-2.7 MPa in normal units. Doesn't sounds as amateur-friendly, especially on multiple liters scale.
Propylene glycol, meanwhile, is widely available, even as food-grade. I think that it would be better to obtain it that way, and use propylene
carbonate for electrolysis or batteries experiments.
[/rquote]
True, the routes provided are going to be difficult for the amateur, also I thank you for providing the PDFs of the sources !
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