C1 Routes to Ethylene Glycol

This project will investigate new routes to the commodity petrochemical ethylene glycol via
C1 feedstocks, as opposed to the usual C2 routes via ethylene and ethylene oxide that are
typically employed industrially. We will focus on hydroformylation and reductive
hydroformylation of formaldehyde as a possible routes, starting with an appraisal of existing
literature catalysts and moving on to a wider ligand screen. The possibility of cooperative
catalysis in this chemistry will also be investigated.