One-pot catalysis from renewable resources: A direct route to recyclable camphor-based polycarbonates

To solve some of the environmental problems associated with oil extraction and make plastics production sustainable, there is increasing interest in developing selective methods to convert renewable feedstocks into monomers suitable for polymer production. Here we present a catalytic one-pot synthesis of polycarbonates from renewable resources. This approach relies on the use of a commercially available magnesium catalyst that allows the coupling of diethyl carbonate with a rigid camphor-based diol. In combination with a solvent-free polymerization, this sequence can also be extended to different diols , providing direct access to a new library of unique polycarbonates. Additionally, chemical recycling of these polycarbonates could be triggered by magnesium-catalyzed methanolysis.