Beta zeolite toluene acylation

Botella, R, Corma, A., Lopez-Nieto, J. M., Valencia, S., and Jacquot, R. 2000. Acylation of toluene with acetic anhydride over Beta zeolites influence of reaction conditions and physicochemical properties of the catalyst. /. Catal. 195 161-168. 

Cs" salts catalyse the acylation of toluene, p-xylene and m-xylene with crotonic acid. Some alkylation of aromatic compounds with crotonic acid also takes place. Heteropoly acid was found to be more active than zeolites HY and H-Beta in the acylation. 

Reaction conditions ( )-1-Phenylethanol (0.122g, 1 mmol), acyl donors (1.5 mmol), zeolite beta with Si/AI = 150 (50mg), Novozym 435 (30 mg) and toluene (5 ml) at 60 °C. 

In contrast to anisole, the acylation of toluene with HPA is far less efficient than that with H-Beta. These results can be explained by the well-known strong affinity of bulk HPA towards polar oxygenates, which would lead to the preferential adsorption of acetic anhydride on HPA, blocking access for toluene to the catalyst surface. It appears that the hydrophobic zeolites with high Si/Al ratios less strongly differentiate the adsorption than the hydrophilic HPA and, therefore, are more suitable catalysts for the acylation of nonpolar aromatics like toluene. 

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