Appearance white solid | ||
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Trimethylene carbonate or 1,3-propylene carbonate is a 6-membered cyclic carbonate ester. It is a colourless solid that upon heating or catalytic ring-opening converts to the poly(trimethylene carbonate). Such polymers are called aliphatic polycarbonates are of interest for potential biomedical applications. An isomeric derivative is propylene carbonate, a colourless liquid that does not spontaneously polymerize.
Preparation
This compound may be prepared from 1,3-propanediol and ethyl chloroformate (a phosgene substitute), or from oxetane and carbon dioxide with an appropriate catalyst:
HOC3H6OH + ClCO2C2H5 → C3H6O2CO + C2H5OH + HClC3H6O + CO2 → C3H6O2CO
This cyclic carbonate undergoes ring-opening polymerization to give poly(trimethylene carbonate), abbreviated PTC. The polymer PTC is of commercial interest as a biodegradable polymer with biomedical applications.
