Preparation of carbamates

Claim 1

In a process for the preparation of at least one of carbamates and their derivatives by reacting at a temperature from about 75° C. to about 300° C. an organic compound containing at least one hydroxyl group with carbon monoxide and at least one organic nitrogeneous compound containing at least one non-cyclic group in which a nitrogen atom is attached: (1) directly to a single carbon atom, or (2) through a double bond to an oxygen or a nitrogen atom, in the presence of a catalytic system consisting essentially of palladium and/or a palladium compound and a Group VA ligand, the improvement which comprises utilizing a ligand according to the general formula: ##STR3## wherein each L which may be the same or different, represents a nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic or antimony moiety; R, R 1 , R 2 and R 3 which may be the same or different, each represent an alkyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl group which may be substituted by one or more inert substituents or R and R 1 and/or R 2 and R 3 may form a ring structure together with the atom L to which they are attached; R 4 and R 5 which may be the same or different, each represent a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group and may form a ring structure together with the atom L and R, R 1 , R 2 and/or R 3 and n=2, 3 or 4, and utilizing an organic acid promoter wherein the amount of acid present in the reaction mixture lies between 0.01 and 150 equivalents per gram of palladium.