Diethyl carbonate (DEC) has been produced by the oxidative carbonylation of ethanol in the
gas phase over a heterogeneous CuCl2/PdCl2 catalyst supported on activated carbon. Yields of
DEC with this catalyst are approximately 10 wt % with the byproducts diethoxymethane, ethyl
formate, and acetaldehyde also formed in significantly lower yields. Treatment of the catalyst
immediately after preparation with potassium hydroxide enhances the production of DEC almost
2-fold without increasing the amount of byproducts formed. The reactions that form DEC and
the byproducts occur in a parallel, rather than a sequential, manner indicating that it should be
possible to identify a catalyst which is more selective for DEC.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.