| abstract |
A process for producing dialkyl carbonates, such as dimethyl carbonate, from the reaction of a primary alcohol with urea in the presence of a novel organotin catalyst complex with a high boiling electron donor compound acting as solvent which are <DEL-S DATE="20010821" ID="DEL-S-00001">(1) materials having the general formula RO[CH2(CH2)kCH2O]mR, wherein each R is independently selected from C1-12 alkyl, alkaryl or aralkyl moieties, k=0,1, 2 or 3 and m=1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and (2)<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00001"> bidentate ligand which form 1:1 bidentate and/or 1:2 monodentate adducts with R'2SnX2(X=Cl, R'O, R'COO or R'COS), R'3SnX, R'SnO, Ph3-nR'SnXn or Ph4-nSnXn (wherein R'=CqH2q-1n=0, 1 or 2 and q=<DEL-S DATE="20010821" ID="DEL-S-00002">2<DEL-E ID="DEL-S-00002"> <INS-S DATE="20010821" ID="INS-S-00001">1 <INS-E ID="INS-S-00001">to 12) and mixtures thereof<INS-S DATE="20010821" ID="INS-S-00002">, such as materials having the general formula RO[CH2(CH2)xCH2O]mR, wherein each R is independently selected from C1-12 alkyl, alkaryl or aralkyl moieties, k=0,1, 2 or 3 and m=1, 2, 3, 4, or 5<INS-E ID="INS-S-00002">. |