Synthesis of Diethyl Carbonate from Ethyl Carbamate and Ethanol with Acid as Catalyst

The catalytic activity of many Lewis and Bronsted acid for the synthesis of diethyl carbonate (DEC) from ethyl carbamate (EC) and ethanol was evaluated in a bath reactor. Pyrophosphoric acid (H4P7O2) which showed the best activity was selected to further investigate the effect of reaction conditions, such as reaction temperature, catalyst dose and reaction time, on the yield of DEC. Under the optimal conditions, DEC yield can reach 29.1%.