Ambient-pressure synthesis of ethylene glycol catalyzed by C-60-buffered Cu/SiO2

Bulk chemicals such as ethylene glycol (EG) can be industrially synthesized from either ethylene or syngas, but the latter undergoes a bottleneck reaction and requires high hydrogen pressures. We show that fullerene (exemplified by C-60) can act as an electron buffer for a copper-silica catalyst (Cu/SiO2). Hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate over a C-60-Cu/SiO2 catalyst at ambient pressure and temperatures of 180 degrees to 190 degrees C had an EG yield of up to 98 +/- 1%. In a kilogram-scale reaction, no deactivation of the catalyst was seen after 1000 hours. This mild route for the final step toward EG can be combined with the already-industrialized ambient reaction from syngas to the intermediate of dimethyl oxalate.