Methanol is vaporized and reacted at 220°C and atmospheric pressure on a copper-based composite catalyst (1 wt% relative to methanol) to catalytically dehydrogenate methyl formate, which then undergoes amination with dimethylamine to obtain crude N,N-dimethylformamide and methanol. The crude product is then purified to obtain high-purity N,N-dimethylformamide.
DMF is mainly used in the synthetic industries of polyvinyl chloride and polyacrylonitrile (PVC) as a washing and curing agent, in the dry spinning production of acrylic fibers, as a pharmaceutical synthesis intermediate, in pesticides, as a dye solvent, and in the electronics industry for quenching tin-plated components and cleaning circuit boards. Other applications include its use as a carrier of hazardous gases, as a stationary phase in gas-liquid chromatography, as a solvent for pharmaceutical crystallization, and as an adhesive.
