High-performance addition reaction of methyl acrylate and methanol for the preparation of Methyl 3-methoxypropionate on NiO/MgO catalyst

Abstract

In this study, Methyl 3-methoxypropionate (MMP) was formed from the addition reaction of methyl acrylate (MA) and methanol using MO/MgO (M = Ce, Co, Ni) catalysts, which were prepared by a direct-mixing method. The prepared catalyst NiO/MgO shows good catalytic activity than that of the CeO/MgO and CoO/MgO under the same conditions. The characterization and catalytic activity evaluation indicate that the NiO content of NiO/MgO has a significant effect on the catalytic activity of the addition reaction by changing the acid-base properties of the catalyst. The synergistic effect of acidic and basic sites contributes to the addition reaction. The optimal reaction temperature and pressure for NiO/MgO on this addition reaction is 200 ℃ and 2 MPa, respectively (over 90% selectivity to MMP). The cycle test indicates that the NiO/MgO catalyst is highly recyclable.