Synthesis of methyl glycolate by hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate over Cu-Ag/SiO2 catalyst

Methyl glycolate is a good solvent and can be used as feedstock for the synthesis of some important organic chemicals. Catalytic hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) over copper-silver catalyst supported on silica was studied. The Cu-Ag/SiO2 catalyst supported on silica sol was prepared by homogeneous deposition-precipitation of the mixture of aqueous cuprammonia complex and silica sol. The proper active temperature of Cu-Ag/SiO2 catalyst for hydrogenation of DMO was 523-623 K. The most preferable reaction conditions for methyl glycolate (MG) were optimized: temperature at 468-478 K, 40-60 mesh catalyst diameter, H-2/DMO ratio 40, and 1.0 h(-1) of LHSV.