Direct Methane Conversion to Acetic Acid: From Homogeneous Catalysis to Heterogeneous Catalysis

Abstract Direct methane conversion to acetic acid (DMCAA) offers a promising approach for transforming the abundant CH 4 resources to value‐added chemicals, eliminating the multi‐step processes involving syngas generation and methanol carbonylation in traditional industrial routes. However, this reaction still faces great challenges, which primarily due to the stable C−H bond of methane and the difficulty in avoiding the over‐oxidation of products. Extensive researches have been conducted on the DMCAA process using different catalytic systems. This review summarizes the progress made in this field over the past decades and categorizes the research achievements according to homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, encompassing the investigations on catalytic mechanisms. Furthermore, the challenges and potential solutions in this field are discussed, which could provide valuable guidance for developing prospective catalysts towards DMCAA.