Synthesis of diphenyl carbonate from dimethyl carbonate and phenol using O2-promoted PbO/MgO catalysts

Various heterogeneously supported PbO catalysts were prepared for the synthesis of diphenyl carbonate (DPC) by transesterification of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) with phenol. MgO was found to be the best support, and the modification by oxygen further enhanced the catalytic activities of PbO/MgO catalysts. Several parameters affecting the transesterification were investigated. The yields of methylphenyl carbonate (MPC) and DPC reached 10% and 26.6%, respectively, over 10 wt% O2-promoted PbO/MgO catalyst which was prepared by impregnation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) technique were employed for the characterization of prepared catalysts. It was discovered that the structure and the oxidation states of lead species in PbO/MgO catalysts changed after the promotion by oxygen.