Transesterification of Ethylene Carbonate and Dimethyl Sebacate

The transesterification of ethylene carbonate( EC)and dimethyl sebacate( DMS) was investigated over metal acetate catalysts. The main product was proved to be dimethyl carbonate( DMC) by GC-MS,which is an environmentally benign chemical intermediate. At the same time,a new kind of aliphatic polyester can be synthesized,which can be biodegraded. This method improved the atom economy,avoiding the formation of by-product methanol and ethylene glycol and made good use of CO2. The results showed Li( CH3COO) ·2H2O had the highest activity. Effects of reaction temperature,catalyst amount,ratio of reactant and reaction time on yields of dimethyl carbonate was investigated. When the reaction was carried out 250 ℃,with mole ratio catalyst to DMS of0. 004,mole ratio of EC to DMS of 3∶ 1,reaction time 3 h,the yield of DMC is 45. 7%.