Monitoring the catalytic synthesis of glycerol carbonate by real-time attenuated total reflection FTIR spectroscopy

In situ Attenuated Total Reflectance FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the carbonylation of glycerol with urea. Cobalt oxide nanoparticles, Co3O4, hierarchically dispersed on zinc oxide microparticles, ZnO, were used as catalysts. The present work demonstrates that in situ real-time attenuated total reflection ATR-FTIR spectroscopy is a valuable tool for monitoring reaction progress and analyzing the reaction mechanism of the synthesis of glycerol carbonate. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy during the carbonylation reaction of glycerol with urea reveals differences in reactivity of various Co3O4/ZnO catalysts, and in particular demonstrates that the first (fast) step in the conversion of glycerol with urea is the formation of glycerol urethane, whereas the consecutive conversion to glycerol carbonate is relatively slow. In addition, possible interactions of the catalytically active sites with in particular the product glycerol carbonate were also evaluated. Interactions of the 2-hydroxyethyl chain of the product with the surface of the catalysts were identified, suggesting product inhibition might be of relevance to the reaction kinetics.

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► In situ real-time ATR-FTIR spectroscopy monitors glycerol carbonate synthesis.
► Co3O4 nanoparticles hierarchically dispersed on ZnO microparticles act as catalysts.
► ATR-FTIR spectroscopy reveals differences in reactivity of the catalysts.
► ATR-FTIR monitoring provides thorough molecular information on the reaction mechanism.