Oxidative Carbonylation of Methanol to Dimethyl Carbonate by Chlorine-Free Homogeneous and Immobilized 2,2'-Bipyrimidine Modified Copper Catalyst

Abstract

A chlorine-free catalyst, prepared in situ from Cu(II) acetate and 2,2'-bipyrimidine, can be used for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol to dimethyl carbonate. In situ high pressure IR and NMR spectroscopic studies suggest the formation of [Cu(2,2'-bipyrimidine)(CO)- (OMe)] as one of the key intermediates. The catalytic performance of the 2,2'-bipyrimidine-modified Cu-catalyst is similar to the CuCl-based system. The chlorine free catalyst can be immobilized by using the copolymer of 5-vinyl-2,2'-bipyrimidine and styrene.