Synthesis of Precursors to Ethylene Glycol via the Acid-Catalyzed Carbonylation of Formaldehyde

Abstract

Methyl glycolate was synthesized as a precursor to ethylene glycol from the acid-catalyzed carbonylation of formaldehyde, followed by esterification with methanol. Homogeneous acids and different solid acids (e.g., resins and zeolites) were used as catalysts, and the effect of the solvent was examined. Afterward, a carboxylic acid protection strategy was proposed. With sulfolane and acetic acid as the mixed solvent, the solubility of CO increases, and the reaction rate can be accelerated. The rapid reaction between acetic acid and glycolic acid inhibits glycolic acid polymerization and pulls the reaction balance to promote the carbonylation reaction rate. Under the optimal solvent system (a molar ratio of acetic acid to sulfolane of 1:5) and the appropriate reaction conditions, the selectivity of the target product is higher than 85%. Solid acid catalysts with a −SO3H or −CF2SO3H functional group are supposed to be efficient in the carbonylation of formaldehyde, based on which a supported Nafion catalyst with a high surface area and total acid content was designed and synthesized. The novel supported Nafion catalyst presents a high total acid content and high Brönsted–Lewis acid ratio due to the characteristics of modified zeolite and, thus, leads to the high reactivity and very low selectivity of the by-product. A possible reaction mechanism is proposed to explain the product’s distribution by ascribing the formation of different products to different types of acid sites.