Glycerol carbonate as a versatile building block for tomorrow: synthesis, reactivity, properties and applications

Matthieu O. Sonnati (1) , Sonia Amigoni (2) , Elisabeth P. Taffin de Givenchy (3) , Thierry Darmanin (1) , Olivier Choulet (3) , Frédéric Guittard (1)

1 Surfaces & Interfaces
2 Surfaces & Interfacesx
3 LPMC - Laboratoire de physique de la matière condensée

The synthesis, reactivity and applications of glycerol carbonate (glycerine carbonate or 4-hydroxymethyl- 2-oxo-1,3-dioxolane) are discussed and reviewed. Supported by the increasing sustainable awareness, glycerol carbonate has gained much interest over the last 20 years because of its versatile reactivity and as a way to valorize waste glycerol. Numerous synthesis pathways for this molecule were identified, some of them very promising and on the verge of being applied at an industrial scale. The wide reactivity of this molecule due to the presence of both a hydroxyl group and a 2-oxo-1,3-dioxolane group has been studied and has initiated some emerging applications in various domains from solvents to polymers.

Domaines: Matériaux

Matthieu O. Sonnati, Sonia Amigoni, Elisabeth P. Taffin de Givenchy, Thierry Darmanin, Olivier Choulet, et al.. Glycerol carbonate as a versatile building block for tomorrow: synthesis, reactivity, properties and applications. Green Chemistry, 2013, 15, pp.283-306. ⟨10.1039/c2gc36525a⟩. ⟨hal-00844159⟩