Acyl chlorides, as acylating agents

As reported in the literature, the acylation of aromatic hydrocarbons can be carried out by using zeolites as catalysts and carboxylic acids or acyl chlorides as acylating agents. Thus toluene can be acylated by carboxylic acids in the liquid phase in the presence of cation exchanged Y-zeolites (ref. 1). The acylation of phenol or phenol derivatives is also reported. The acylation of anisole by carboxylic acids and acyl chlorides was obtained in the presence of various zeolites in the liquid phase (ref. 2). The acylation of phenol by acetic acid was also carried out with silicalite (ref. 3) or HZSM5 (ref. 4). The para isomer has been generally favoured except in the latter case in which ortho-hydroxyacetophenone was obtained preferentially. One possible explanation for the high ortho-selectivity in the case of the acylation of phenol by acetic acid is that phenylacetate could be an intermediate from which ortho-hydroxyacetophenone would be formed intramolecularly. 

Similar good synthetic results are achieved by using acyl chlorides as acylating agents (Table 4.21). In this case, too, the para-isomers 49 are obtained in higher yield and selectivity, the ortho-isomers 50 being obtained in lower amounts. 

The most prominent cellulose ester produced on the industrial scale is cellulose acetate. The reaction is usually performed with acetic anhydride and with sulfuric acid as a catalyst. To minimize heterogeneities, acetylation is allowed to run nearly to completion, and subsequently partial ester hydrolysis is initiated by the addition of water until a desirable solubility is achieved that corresponds to a DS of about 2.5. Such higher acyl homologues as propanoyl or butanoyl exhibit more thermoplastic properties. Many specialized esters such as chiral (-)-menthyloxyacetates, furan-2-carboxylates, or crown-ether-containing acylates have been prepared on the laboratory scale and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Various procedures have been applied, using anhydrides and acyl chlorides as acylating agents in combination with such bases as pyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), or iV,iV -carbonyldi-imidazole. The substitution pattern of cellulose acetates has also been modified by postchemical enzymatic deacetylation. Cellulose 6-tosylates have been used as activated intermediates for nucleophihc substitution to afford 6-amino-6-deoxy, 6-deoxy, or 6-deoxy-6-halo-celluloses. ... 

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