PRODUCTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND GLYCOL

摘要

PURPOSE: To provide a method for producing carbon monoxide and a glycol capable of exhibiting extremely high conversion in spite of being a reaction carried out at a low temperature. CONSTITUTION: Carbonic acid gas, hydrogen and oxiranes are made to react with each other in the presence of a transition metal complex as a catalyst. As an alternative method, a cyclic carbonic acid ester, which is synthesized from the carbonic acid gas and oxiranes, can be reacted with hydrogen. These reactions are carried out in a solvent in the presence of a base. A preferred reaction temperature is 100-180 deg.C (e.g. 140 deg.C). The most suitable example of the transition metal complex is a ruthenium-based carbonyl complex.