Poly(pyridine-2,5-diyl)-CuCl2 catalyst for synthesis of dimethyl carbonate by oxidative carbonylation of methanol: catalytic activity and corrosion influence

A pi-conjugated polymer, poly(pyridine-2,5-diyl) (PPy) was investigated as a support for CuCl2 in the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate by oxidative carbonylation of methanol. The PPy-CuCl2 adduct had high catalytic activity which was comparable to that of the homogeneous CuCl2 catalyst. The adduct caused corrosion of stainless-steel vessels only to minor extent, compared with the homogeneous CuCl2 catalyst. This PPy-CuCl2 catalyst was easily recycled by filtration and showed a similar catalytic activity in the third time use. The presence of the pi-conjugated system in PPy, through which electrons can move, may bring about the high catalytic activity for the oxidative carbonylation of methanol, which involves Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox processes.