Abstract
The demand for selective catalysts with larger molecular dimensions led to the discovery of mesoporous catalytic materials. We report herein the development of an environmentally friendly process for C-methylation of phenol derivatives with methanol using mesoporous ceria modified with transition metals. Selective C-methylation of phenol, has been investigated over transition metals loaded mesoporous ceria. Catalyst reaction rates at various reaction parameters were also investigated. 98% selectivity for ortho-alkylated products (o-cresol and 2, 6-xylenol) was obtained. The reaction is proved to be first order with phenol conversion. The frequency factor A and the activation energy Ea were also evaluated with (CeFe10%) catalyst.
Highlights
Alkylation of aromatic substrates catalysed by solid acids such as zeolites and metal oxides constitutes a class of reactions important both academically and industrially
We report the development of an environmentally friendly process for C-methylation of phenol derivatives with methanol using mesoporous ceria modified with transition metals as solid acid catalysts
Preferential C-alkylation can be attributed to large number of weak and medium acid sites whereas preferential ortho-alkylation is due to perpendicular orientation of phenol aromatic ring on catalyst surface
Summary
Alkylation of aromatic substrates catalysed by solid acids such as zeolites and metal oxides constitutes a class of reactions important both academically and industrially. Producing a mixture of C- and O- alkylated products have been used for the alkylation of phenol [2] Both C- and O-alkylation of phenol is possible depending on reaction conditions such as temperature, source of reagent, and type of catalyst. We report the development of an environmentally friendly process for C-methylation of phenol derivatives with methanol using mesoporous ceria modified with transition metals as solid acid catalysts. These systems are highly efficient for alkylating phenol in the ortho position, leading to o-cresol as the major product. The values of Ea vary in the same range (30-130 kJ mo1-1) as reported recently by several authors for phenol conversion over different catalyst [3]
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