Bulk chemicals such as ethylene glycol (EG) can be industrially synthesized from either ethylene or syngas, but the latter undergoes a bottleneck reaction and requires high hydrogen pressures. We show that fullerene (exemplified by C
60
) can act as an electron buffer for a copper-silica catalyst (Cu/SiO
2
). Hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate over a C
60
-Cu/SiO
2
catalyst at ambient pressure and temperatures of 180° to 190°C had an EG yield of up to 98 ± 1%. In a kilogram-scale reaction, no deactivation of the catalyst was seen after 1000 hours. This mild route for the final step toward EG can be combined with the already-industrialized ambient reaction from syngas to the intermediate of dimethyl oxalate.
Coinage metals nanoparticles with high dispersion can serve as highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts. However, owing to their low melting point, poor thermal stability remains a major obstacle towards applications under...
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