Substituted Benzoxazole and Catechol Cocrystals as an Adsorbent for CO₂ Capture: Synthesis and Mechanistic Studies

We report the synthesis of cocrystals of a substituted benzoxazole and catechol from a primary amine and 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzoquinone. Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectroscopy studies revealed that cocrystals 2 could be synthesized in excellent yield from 1 and 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzoquinone. Introduction of an amine into the cocrystal structure enhanced the CO₂ adsorption capacity of the cocrystals at room temperature from 15.69 to 44.21 mg/g. Our results indicated the ability to use cocrystals for CO₂ capture and to easily modify them to enhance their CO₂ adsorption capacity.