Synthesis of Lactones and Other Heterocycles

Chemical fixation of CO₂ into value-added chemicals represents a promising field in view of sustainable development and green synthesis. In this aspect, the construction of heterocyclic compounds from CO₂ and readily available starting materials is particularly appealing in both organic and pharmaceutical fields since CO₂ can be regarded as carbon and oxygen resource with advantages of abundance, renewability, non-toxicity, and non-flammability. In this chapter, we have summarized elegant protocols with elaborately designed substrates for the direct incorporation of entire CO₂ molecule or ‘‘CO’’ or ‘‘C’’ fragments into lactones and other heterocycles such as oxazolidinones, cyclic carbonates, quinazoline- 2,4(1H,3H)-diones, etc., through the formation of carbon–carbon, carbon–nitrogen and/or carbon–oxygen bonds promoted by homogeneous catalysts.