Synthesis of methyl glycolate by hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate with a P modified Co/SiO2 catalyst.

A P-modified Co/SiO2 catalyst was reported for the first time in the selective hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) to methyl glycolate (MG) reaction and the synthesized Co8P/SiO2 exhibited 94.6% conversion of DMO and 88.1% selectivity to MG during a 300 h continuous test. The doping element of P in the catalyst was indispensable and played an important role in improving the catalytic performance of the Co/SiO2 catalyst.