As an important chemical raw material

the synthetic routes of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) have been developed toward the simple

nontoxic and nonpollution methods. It is proposed that onestep synthesis of DMC from carbon dioxide

especially from carbon dioxide and methanol

has the most significance in the fields of synthetic chemistry

utilization of carbon resources as well as environmental protection. Recent progress in the synthesis of DMC from carbon dioxide and methanol is reviewed with special focus on the design principle

reaction mechanism

technology and catalytic properties of different catalyst systems. Due to the unfavorable thermodynamics of the reaction and the ineffectively activation of reactants in the synthesis of DMC from carbon dioxide and methanol

the current catalysts generally result in low yield and selectivity of DMC

which in turn lead to the most big hurdle for the industrializing feasibility of this technology. In this connection

it is the most important to look for even highly active catalysts together with corresponding carriers for the direct synthesis of DMC from carbon dioxide and methanol.