The preparation process of dimethyl malonate is continuously optimized, and pipemidic acid is the largest downstream application field.

Dimethyl malonate, also known as dimethyl malonate and dimethyl carrotate, has the chemical formula C5H8O4 and is an important raw material for organic synthesis. Dimethyl malonate appears as a colorless and transparent liquid with an aromatic odor. It is soluble in most organic solvents and slightly soluble in water. It will produce malonic acid after hydrolysis. Dimethyl malonate can participate in various types of chemical reactions and is widely used in the field of fine chemicals.

At present, the preparation processes for dimethyl malonate mainly include cyanide esterification method and catalytic carbonylation method. The cyanide esterification method refers to cyanating sodium cyanide solution and sodium chloroacetate solution under high temperature conditions, then adding concentrated hydrochloric acid for acidification reaction, and obtaining cyanoacetic acid through dehydration and other processes. Finally, the catalyst, methanol and cyanoacetic acid The phases are mixed to produce an esterification reaction, and finally dimethyl malonate is produced. The cyanide esterification method is a traditional process for preparing dimethyl malonate in my country, but it has the disadvantages of high production cost and low product yield. The catalytic carbonylation method is an advanced preparation process for dimethyl malonate developed by overseas developed countries, but this method has not yet achieved industrial production.

According to the “2022-2027 China Dimethyl Malonate Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center 》 shows that dimethyl malonate has a wide range of applications, including light stabilizers, dyes, medicines, antioxidants, synthetic fragrances, etc. The pharmaceutical field is the largest demand side for dimethyl malonate, accounting for 80.0% of the demand. Dimethyl malonate is mainly used to produce the quinolone antibacterial drug pipefenac, which can treat otitis media, urethritis, enteritis, cystitis and other diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacilli. In recent years, my country’s piperic acid production has shown a continuous growth trend. In the third quarter of 2021, my country’s pipeamic acid production reached 34.5 tons, a month-on-month increase of 19.7%. Benefiting from the rapid development of application fields, my country’s market demand for dimethyl malonate is increasingly strong.

The world’s main manufacturers of dimethyl malonate are concentrated in Europe and the United States, including Biosynth Carbosynth of the United Kingdom, SynQuest Laboratories of the United States, Sigma-Aldrich of the United States, Merck of Germany, etc. The malonate dimethyl ester produced by the above companies is Methyl ester is mainly used as raw material for the production of piperic acid by non-ethoxymethylene process. my country’s dimethyl malonate production companies include Shanghai Aladdin Biochemical Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Youpeng Chemical Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Runfeng Synthetic Technology Co., Ltd., etc. The dimethyl malonate produced by Chinese enterprises is mainly used to produce piperic acid and exported.
             
Industry analysts said that dimethyl malonate, as a pharmaceutical intermediate, is widely used in the production process of pipemidic acid. With the increasingly strong downstream demand, the development prospects of the dimethyl malonate industry will continue to improve. Compared with overseas developed countries, my country’s dimethyl malonate production technology is relatively backward. As local companies continue to improve their independent research and development capabilities, my country’s dimethyl malonate production and quality will be greatly improved.