Friedel-Crafts reactions using Nafion

Olah et al. (1999) have been able to realize selective cyclisation of o-benzoyl benzoic acid to anthraquinone using dichlorobenzene as a solvent and Nafion-H as a catalyst. This may lead to avoidance of the Friedel-Crafts reaction using a stoichiometric amount of aluminium chloride and resulting in a lot of wa,ste. Many other examples of similar reactions have been reported. 

An impressive number of papers and books has been published and numerous patents have been registered on the aq lation of aromatic compounds over solid catalysts. Recently Sartori and Maggi [1] have written an excellent review with 267 references on the use of solid catalysts in Friedel-Crafts acylation. In one section of this review, namely acylation of aromatic ethers or thioethers, the authors report work on acylation by solid catalysts such as zeolites, clays, metal oxides, acid-treated metal oxides, heteropolyacids or Nafion. When examining in details these results, it appeared very difficult for us to build upon these experimental results as the reaction conditions differ drastically from one paper to the next. This prompted us to reinvestigate the scope and limitations of the Friedel-Crafts acylation using heterogeneous solids as catalysts, trying as much as we could to rationalize the observed effects. 

Nafions in their acid forms are super-acidic, i.e., stronger than sulfuric add and so have high catalytic power. Nafion powders in acid form have therefore been used as catalysts in many types of reactions, snch as esterification and Friedel-Crafts reactions at low temperatures. 

In homogeneous solutions, fluorosulphonic acid combined with antimony pentafluoride is used as a superacid having some useful catalytic properties in organic chemistry. In its protonated form, perfluorosulphonic Nafion powders are used as the catalyst for a variety of organic syntheses. The catalytic power is higher than that of other solid phase superacid catalysts. It enables lower temperatures and pressures to be used and its specificity is higher. Nafion is used as the solid superacid catalyst for the gas phase alkalination of aromatic hydrocarbons and liquid phase esterification or Friedel-Craft reactions ... 

As catalysts Lewis acids such as AICI3, TiCU, SbFs, BF3, ZnCh or FeCl3 are used. Protic acids such as FI2SO4 or FIF are also used, especially for reaction with alkenes or alcohols. Recent developments include the use of acidic polymer resins, e.g. Nafion-Fl, as catalysts for Friedel-Crafts alkylations and the use of asymmetric catalysts. ... 

Solid Catalysts. Nafion-H is an active catalyst for acylation with aroyl halides and anhydrides.60,61 The reaction is carried out at the boiling point of the aromatic hydrocarbons. Yields with benzoyl chloride using 10-30% Nafion-H for benzene, toluene, and p-xylene are 14%, 85% and 82%, respectively. Attempted acylation with acetyl chloride, however, led to HC1 evolution and ketene formation. Nation resin-silica nanocomposite materials containing a dispersed form of the resin within silica exhibits significantly enhanced activity in Friedel-Crafts acylations.62,63... 

Nafion is another choice of polymer support for Sc-based Lewis acids. Nafion-Sc catalyst is readily prepared by treatment of Nafion with ScCb 6H2O in acetonitrile under reflux [116]. Nafion-Sc catalyst has been found to be effective in several synthetic reactions including allylation of carbonyl compounds with tetraallyltin, Diels-Alder reaction, Friedel-Crafts acylation, and imino Diels-Alder reactions. The use of Nafion-Sc in flow systems has also been tested. 

Polymeric catalysts. A very useful modification of the catalyst is obtained by ligand exchange with a (polyallyl)triflamide, forming polymer-bound scandium triflamide bistriflate. The catalyst has been used in the combinatorial synthesis of a tetrahydroquinoline library from anilines, aldehydes, and alkenes. A related catalyst prepared from ScClj-bHjO and Nafion is effective in several useful synthetic reactions, including allylation, Diels-Alder reaction, and Friedel-Crafts acylation. ... 

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