Effect of ionic liquid on the oxidative esterification from methacrolein to methyl methacrylate

Ionic liquid(IL), [bmim]PF6, was used in the reaction of one-step oxidative esterification from methacrolein to methyl methacrylate. It was found that ionic liquid not only increased the selectivity of methyl methacrylate but also inhibited its polymerization. The selectivity of methyl methacrylate was increased from 45% to 100% with ionic liquid. The experiment results showed that the content of ionic liquid had no effects on the selectivity of methyl methacrylate in a certain range of IL concentration, which indicated that ionic liquid could be used as a potential inhibitor of polymerization.