Dimethyl sulfate is widely used, but industry development faces the threat of substitutes

Dimethyl sulfate, also known as methyl sulfate, has the chemical formula (CH3O)2SO2 and is an organic compound. Dimethyl sulfate appears as a colorless or light yellow transparent liquid with a pungent onion smell. It is soluble in acetone, ether and ethanol, and slightly soluble in water. Dimethyl sulfate will quickly decompose into methanol and sulfate when exposed to alkali, but will decompose slowly in cold water.

There are many synthesis methods for dimethyl sulfate, including the direct reaction method of methanol, the methyl hydrogen sulfate method, the synthesis method of dimethyl ether and sulfur trioxide, the direct reaction method of anhydrous sulfuric acid and methanol, the sodium salt method and the chlorosulfonic acid synthesis method. The synthesis method of dimethyl ether and sulfur trioxide uses methanol and sulfur trioxide as the main raw materials. Methanol is dehydrated to obtain dimethyl ether. Sulfur trioxide is heated to produce gas. The two products are then mixed to produce sulfuric acid through a synthesis reaction. dimethyl ester. The synthesis method of dimethyl ether and sulfur trioxide has the advantages of high raw material utilization, high product yield, and low energy consumption, and is suitable for industrial production.

Dimethyl sulfate is mainly used in pesticides, modified plastics, medicine, spices, dyes and other fields. In the field of pesticides, dimethyl sulfate can be used as the main raw material of acephate. my country is the world’s largest producer of acephate, which will provide impetus to the development of the dimethyl sulfate industry; in the pharmaceutical field, dimethyl sulfate As a methylating reagent, esters have the advantages of less by-products and fast reaction rates, and are mainly used in drug synthesis; in the field of spices, dimethyl sulfate and catechol can be mixed to produce guaiacol, which is pandan. Main raw materials.

According to the “2022-2027 China Dimethyl Sulfate Industry In-depth Research and Market Investment Risk Consulting Report released by the Industrial Research Center , dimethyl sulfate is widely used and the market demand is growing. In 2021, my country’s demand for dimethyl sulfate will reach 1.037 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.6%. The pharmaceutical field is the largest demand side for dimethyl sulfate, accounting for 45.6% of the demand. However, dimethyl sulfate is highly toxic and can easily cause environmental pollution and harm the human body. In recent years, dimethyl carbonate, as a substitute for dimethyl sulfate, has gained broad market prospects due to its low toxicity and other advantages, and has had a huge impact on the development of my country’s dimethyl sulfate industry.

Competition in my country’s dimethyl sulfate market is fierce, and production companies are mainly concentrated in Shandong. Shandong Chengze Chemical Co., Ltd., Shandong Lifuda Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., Shandong Xinghui Chemical Co., Ltd., and Shandong Shenghua New Materials Group Co., Ltd. are the leading dimethyl sulfate companies in my country.

Industry analysts said that dimethyl sulfate has a wide range of applications and strong market demand. There are many dimethyl sulfate manufacturers in my country with sufficient production capacity. However, in recent years, under the influence of factors such as the tightening of national environmental protection policies, low-toxicity methylated products such as dimethyl carbonate have been favored by many manufacturing companies as alternatives to dimethyl sulfate, which will bring great benefits to the development of the dimethyl sulfate industry. Come a huge challenge.