丙酸甲酯作为一种关键有机化合物,在食品、化妆品、涂料等多个行业中有着广泛的应用,其市场需求随着工业应用领域的不断拓展而持续增长。传统的合成路径,诸如酯化法、氢化法、氧化法等,尽管可行,但往往面临经济性欠佳或环境污染的问题。相比之下,乙烯与一氧化碳的羰基化法符合原子经济性原则,能够有效减轻环境污染,顺应了当前社会对环境保护和绿色化学的迫切需求。因此,本文重点介绍该方法中使用的各类催化剂,包括过渡金属配合物、金属氧化物催化剂等,并对它们的催化活性、选择性以及反应机理进行分析。此外,本文还探讨了新型催化剂的设计原则,以及它们在提升产物收率和选择性方面所展现的潜力,旨在为丙酸甲酯的高效、环保生产研发提供参考。

This article reviews the research progress on the catalytic synthesis of methyl propionate, focusing on the various catalysts used in the vinylene and carbon monoxide carbonylation reactions. Methyl propionate is an important organic compound widely used in the food, cosmetics, and paint industries. With the continuous expansion of its industrial applications and the increasing market demand, systematically sorting out and summarizing its catalytic synthesis methods has become particularly important.Traditional synthesis routes included esterification, hydrogenation, and oxidation, but these methods often faced issues of poor economic efficiency or environmental pollution. In recent years, the carbonylation method using vinylene and carbon monoxide has become a research focus due to its compliance with the atomic economy, no by-product generation, and reduction of environmental pollution. This method not only meets the current societal demand for environmental protection and green initiatives but also holds significant theoretical and practical value. In terms of catalysts, most current studies use homogeneous coordination complex catalysts, especially phosphine palladium catalysts. These catalysts are widely favored due to their mild reaction conditions and low dosage advantages. To promote the industrial application of this technology, researchers suggest developing more efficient and stable phosphine palladium catalysts and exploring in depth their inactivation mechanisms as well as the development of new reactors that simplify the separation process of products from catalysts.Specifically, when the phosphine ligands had larger substituents on the P atom or exhibited larger P-Pd-P bite angles, such ligands could significantly enhance the activity of palladium complex catalysts and the selectivity of the target product MP. Additionally, the selection of acidic promoters also had an important impact on the reaction rate and stability of catalysts. For example, although boric acid salicylate acted as a promoter with lower catalytic activity, it could significantly slow down the alkylation rate of PPh and improve the stability of catalysts.In conclusion, by optimizing existing technologies and exploring new synthesis pathways, the carbonylation method for synthesizing methyl propionate is expected to achieve wider application in the future and provide an environmentally friendly and cost-effective new alternative route for the production of related chemical products.