Catalytic Synthesis of Acetic Acid from Methanol Using Formic Acid as a Renewable CO Source

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide A fully “defossilized” synthetic pathway using green methanol and CO 2 -based CO was developed for the production of acetic acid. A catalytic system consisting of [Rh(acac)(CO) 2 ], PPh 3, and CHI 3 enables integrated formic acid decarbonylation and in situ methanol carbonylation without significant formation of methane. Optimization of the individual components of the catalytic system and their interplay with reaction conditions by design of experiments using a factorial approach resulted in an acetate yield of 78 ± 0.5% in the liquid phase (TON = 960, TOF av = 60 h –1 ) while maintaining a high CO selectivity of 85 ± 3% in the gas phase.