Dinuclear zinc catalysts with unprecedented activities for the copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and CO2.

A variety of new dinuclear zinc catalysts was developed and tested for the copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and carbon dioxide. Electron-withdrawing groups thereby led to unprecedented activities with turnover frequencies up to 155,000 h(-1). These are by far the highest polymerization rates ever reported for the copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and CO2.