Molybdenum catalyzed deoxydehydration of aliphatic glycols under microwave irradiation

Abstract

The effectiveness of microwave irradiation in promoting the deoxydehydration of aliphatic diols using dioxomolybdenum catalysts has been evaluated. The commercially available molybdenum precursor MoO2(acac)2 was found to be a superior catalyst as compared to dioxomolybdenum complexes stabilized by aminebisphenol ligands under these conditions. Octane-1,2-diol and decane-1,2-diol were converted to the corresponding olefins in 40−53% yields in 40 mins at 220−230 οC; this is a significant reduction in reaction time and higher activity when compared to reactions performed using conventional heating. More importantly, a similar yield (48%) of 1-decene could be achieved within 10 mins from a reaction carried out at 250 οC.