Reactions of glycerol with poly(ethylene ether carbonate) polyols

Poly(ethylene ether carbonate) polyols can be modified by chemical reactions with polyglycol modifiers under conditions of elevated temperatures and reduced pressures. The modifier becomes chemically incorporated into the modified polyol and is used to control properties such as moisture sensitivity, CO₂ content, T_g, density, etc. in the resultant polyol. However, glycerol cannot be used as a modifier for poly(ethylene ether carbonate) polyols under the same conditions since it reacts with poly(ethylene ether carbonate) polyols by a transesterification reaction sequence to form glyceryl carbonate. As the temperature is increased, the glyceryl carbonate decomposes to yield glycidol and carbon dioxide. These reactions are conveniently followed by ¹³C-NMR. The preparation of glyceryl carbonate by this process has not been previously reported.