B-N Coordinated Phenanthroimidazole-Based Zinc-Salen as a Photocatalyst for the Synthesis of Oxazolidinones using Carbon Dioxide as a C1 Source under Mild Reaction Conditions

Cycloaddition of carbon dioxide (CO2) with aziridine catalyzed by a zinc-salen having B-N coordinated phenanthroimidazole motif as a photocatalyst (1), at 1 bar CO2 pressure and room temperature under solvent free condition is presented. The photocatalyst exhibited excellent selectivity and tolerates a variety of substituted aziridines, and successfully produces the corresponding oxazolidinones at mild conditions.