Cooperative Catalysis of Ru(III)-Porphyrin in CO₂-Involved Synthesis of Oxazolidinones

CO₂-transformations into high value-added products have become a fascinating area in green chemistry. Herein, a Ru(III)-porphyrin catalyst (RuCl₃ ⋅ 3H₂O−H₂TPP) was found highly efficient in the three-component reaction of CO₂, aliphatic amines and dichloroethane (or its derivative) for synthesis of oxazolidinones in the yields of 71∼91%. It was indicated by means of the control experiments and UV-vis spectra that CO₂ was stoichiometrically activated by the involved aliphatic amine substrates to form a stable carbamate salt while 1,2-dichloroethane (or its derivative) was independently activated by the involved Ru(III)-porphyrin catalyst. The combination of CO₂-activation by aliphatic amines with 1,2-dichloroethane activation by Ru(III)-porphyrin catalyst cooperatively contributed to this successful transformation.