PRODUCTION OF DIARYL CARBONATE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a diaryl carbonate useful as a raw material for producing polycarbonate in good yield by heating a diaryl oxalate in the presence of a specific catalyst in decarbonylation reaction of the diaryl oxalate. SOLUTION: A lead compound, a tin metal or a tin compound is used as a catalyst in decarbonylation reaction and a diaryl carbonate is heated normally at 100-450 deg.C, especially 180-350 deg.C in the presence of the catalyst. A halide, an inorganic acid salt, an alcoholate, an organic acid salt, etc., is preferably used as the lead compound. A halide, an inorganic acid salt, an alcoholate, an organic acid salt, etc., of tin is used as the tin compound. An cyanate or an organic acid salt of lead, a tin metal or an organic acid salt of tin is preferably used among these compounds. The lead or tin compound may be supported on a support such as alumina and the supported amount of the compound is preferably about 0.1-50wt.% based on the support. The catalyst is used in an amount of about 0.001-50mol% as the metal, based on diaryl oxide.