Carbonylation of Dimethyl Ether on Ag/ Cs1.5H1.5PW12O40: In-Situ FTIR Spectroscopy Study of the Ag-Carbonyls

Abstract Halide-free carbonylation of dimethyl ether (DME) to methyl acetate over heterogeneous catalysts offers a potentially green route to the production of important industrial chemicals. Previously we have shown that the addition of 1% of silver to Cs1.5H1.5PW12O40 led to an increase in activity by a factor of two. Formation of silver carbonyl clusters on the surface of the catalyst was demonstrated by in situ FTIR spectroscopy. The v(CO) of silver carbonyl was observed at 2188 cm-1 and may be explained by the formation of cationic silver carbonyl Ag(CO)+ on the surface of the acidic cesium salt of 12-tungstophosphoric acid. In view of the increased efficiency, the novel bifunctional catalyst Ag/ Cs1.5H1.5PW12O40 is expected to hold significant promise for practical use in new processes of basic organic chemistry.