Effective Glycerol Carbonate Synthesis From Glycerol and Dimethyl Carbonate Over Rb‐Doped SrTiO ₃ Nanoparticles

The development of effective solid catalysts for adding high value to biomass‐derived compounds is crucial for the realization of a sustainable society. We investigated the transesterification of glycerol with dimethyl carbonate using alkali‐metal‐doped SrTiO 3 nanoparticles. Among the tested catalysts, Rb‐doped SrTiO 3 exhibited the highest catalytic performance under mild conditions (353 K), to give glycerol carbonate in 91% yield after 1 h. This catalyst could be reused without a substantial loss of catalytic performance and was applicable to a larger‐scale reaction of glycerol with dimethyl carbonate, in which 1.10 g of the analytically pure product was isolated. In the presence of Rb‐doped SrTiO 3 catalyst, various combinations of diols and alkyl carbonates gave the desired cyclic carbonates in high‐to‐excellent yields. Temperature‐programmed desorption and infrared spectroscopy measurements using various probe molecules, along with poisoning tests, revealed that the strong basic sites generated by Rb doping promoted the activation of both diols and alkyl carbonates, which led to the high activity of the catalyst.