PURPOSE: To obtain ethylene glycol in high selectivity without requiring a high pressure in hydrogenating an oxalic ester in the presence of a hydrogenating catalyst containing copper and chromium, by using a specific solvent, e.g. n- butyl alcohol, as a reaction solvent.
CONSTITUTION: An oxalic ester of formulaI(R and R' are alkyl, aralkyl, etc.) is hydrogenated in the liquid phase in the presence of a hydrogenating catalyst containing Cu and Cr essentially as a catalyst. In the process, at least one selected from (A) a 4W20C saturated aliphatic alcohol, e.g. tert-amyl alcohol, (B) a 4W20C alcohol containing oxygen, i.e. one or more oxygen atoms other than OH in the molecule, provided that the O atoms are linked to one another with two or more carbon chains, (C) an ether of formula II (R and R' are 1W4C alkyl; X and Y are H, etc.; n is an integer 1W10) and (D) a cyclic ether as a reaction solvent to give ethylene glycol.
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MASAI HIROSHI
SHIMOMURA TADASHI
UNO HIDEO
KOBAYASHI MAKOTO
