PROCESS FOR PREPARING METHYL FORMATE BY REACTION OF METHANOL WITH CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING ALKALI METAL FORMATE AND ALKALI METAL ALKOXIDE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for producing methyl formate by carbonylating methanol with carbon monoxide in a carbonylation reactor in the presence of a catalyst system containing alkali formate and alkali alcoholate, thereby obtaining a reaction mixture (RG) which contains methyl formate, alkali formate, alkali alcoholate and optionally unreacted methanol and unreacted carbon monoxide and which is removed from the carbonylation reactor. The reaction mixture (RG) contains at least 0.5 wt.% alkali alcoholate, based on the total weight of the reaction mixture (RG), and the molar ratio of alkali formate to alkali alcoholate in the reaction mixture (RG) is greater than 1.