A readily prepared bimetallic catalyst is capable of effecting epoxide carbonylation to produce β-lactones at substantially lower CO pressures than previously reported catalyst systems. A functionally diverse array of β-lactones is produced in excellent yields at CO pressures as low as 1 atm. This procedure allows for epoxide carbonylation on a multigram scale without the requirement of specialized, high-pressure equipment.
[Lopez-Lopez, Jose A.; Guerra, Francisco M.; Javier Moreno-Dorado; Jorge, Zacarias D.; Massanet, Guillermo M. Tetrahedron Letters, 2007 , vol. 48, # 10 p. 1749 - 1752]
