Synthesis and low temperature spectroscopic observation of 1,3,5-trioxane-2,4,6-trione: The cyclic trimer of carbon dioxide

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.6b00647

1,3,5-Trioxane-2,4,6-trione (cyclic trimer of CO₂) is the product of a four-step synthesis: chlorination of isobutyraldehyde; cyclotrimerization of 2-chloro-2-methylpropanal; dehydochlorination of 2,4,6-tris(2-chloropropan)-2-yl-1,3,5-trioxane; ozonolysis at -80 °C of 2,4,6-tri(propan-2-ylidene)-1,3,5-trioxane. This trioxane-trione is detected in solution at temperatures between -80 to -40 °C, and its conversion to CO₂ is monitored by ¹³C NMR and FTIR. The CO₂ trimer has a half-life of approximately 40 min at -40 °C.