Catalysis, Kinetic and Mechanistical Studies for the Transformation of Ethylene Glycol by Alumina and Silica Gel under Autogenous Pressure and Solvent-free Conditions

Abstract

A kinetic and mechanistical studies of the new pathway for competitive transformation of ethylene glycol by alumina and silica gel have been described. Commercial alumina (Al com), synthetic alumina (Al syn), commercial silica gel (Si com) and synthetic silica gel (Si syn) were used for the transformation of ethylene glycol to a mixture of diethylene glycol, 1,4-dioxane and 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane via acetaldehyde by heating at 150 °C under autogenous pressure without solvent. The results show that the yield of these three products strongly depends on the nature of the used catalyst and the reaction time.