# A reflection on ‘Bimetallic mechanism operating in the copolymerization of propylene oxide with carbon dioxide catalyzed by cobalt–salen complexes’

## TL;DR

This paper reflects on the development of bimetallic catalysts for copolymerizing propylene oxide with carbon dioxide.

## Contribution

It highlights the significance of intramolecular bimetallic mechanisms in enhancing catalytic activity for polymerization.

## Key findings

- Dinuclear cobalt complexes enable efficient copolymerization of epoxides with CO2.
- Intramolecular bimetallic propagation mechanisms improve catalytic performance.
- Subsequent studies have expanded the understanding of cooperative bimetallic catalysts.

## Abstract

The development of catalysts that exploits cooperative interactions between two distinct metal centers has emerged as a powerful strategy in modern organic transformations. In 2010, we reported dinuclear cobalt complexes for the alternating copolymerization of epoxides with carbon dioxide, in which an intramolecular bimetallic propagation mechanism operates to afford high catalytic activity (K. Nakano, S. Hashimoto, and K. Nozaki, Chem. Sci. 2010, 1, 369–373, https://doi.org/10.1039/C0SC00220H). In this reflection, we provide a brief overview of subsequent studies on cooperative bimetallic catalysts for the epoxide/CO2 copolymerization.

In celebration of our 15th anniversary and some of our most popular articles, Koji Nakano and Kyoko Nozaki reflect on the area of bimetallic polymerisation catalysts, building on the first paper published in Chemical Science on this topic: https://doi.org/10.1039/C0SC00220H.