Mg/La mixed oxide as catalyst for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from cyclic carbonates and methanol

The Mg/La mixed oxide catalyst with varied molar ratio has been synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized using various analytical techniques. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts is studied for synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from cyclic carbonates and methanol. Various reaction parameters such as temperature, reactant ratio and catalyst amount have been studied to optimize the yield of the product. The catalyst shows very high turnover number (719 mmol/gcat.) among other reported heterogeneous catalysts. The effect of water content in the reaction mixture has also been investigated. The active sites of the reused catalysts can be regenerated by simple calcination process.