Rapid Synthesis of Asymmetric Methyl-Alkyl Carbonates Catalyzed by α-KMgPO4 in a Sealed-Vessel Reactor Monowave 50

Dimethyl-carbonate (DMC) is a green carboxymethylation agent for synthesis of the versatile long-chain alkyl carbonates through base-catalyzed transesterification with aliphatic alcohols. Herein, we demonstrated the facile preparation of a novel heterogeneous base catalyst α-KMgPO4 using commercially cheap metal salts via hydrothermal-calcination procedure. The combination of temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and FTIR measurements with CO2 pre-adsorbed revealed the presence of weak and medium base sites on α-KMgPO4. Furthermore, α-KMgPO4 catalyzed transesterification of DMC and n-octanol was performed in a sealed-vessel reactor (Monowave 50). The results show that the reaction was completed in only 10 min with the 97.5% conversion of n-octanol and >99% selectivity to asymmetric methyl-octyl carbonate under the optimal conditions. Additionally, the possible catalytic mechanism is proposed. As an extended contribution, the tribology performance of the asymmetric methyl-alkyl carbonates was further evaluated.