Several metal oxides were used for synthesis of ethylene carbonate from urea and ethylene glycol. ZnO showed high activity towards the reaction. TPD. FTIR and reaction test indicated that the catalysts with appropriate acid and base properties were favorable to the synthesis of cyclic carbonate. Furthermore, the reaction of urea with various diols revealed that the selectivity of five-membered cyclic carbonates was higher than that of six-membered cyclic carbonates. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.