Naphthalene electrophilic acetylation

BEA zeolites show good activity also in the electrophilic acetylation of naphthalene with AAISP and BC. The BEA(75) zeolite with channel diameter 7.6 x 6.4 A exhibits the highest activity in naphthalene acetylation with AAN (24% naphthalene conversion) (Scheme 4.14) in comparison with Y(6) with channel diameter 7.4 A (3% naphthalene conversion), and MOR(20) with channel diameter 6.7 x 7.0 A (3% naphthalene conversion). Reactions are performed at 137°C for 2.5 h. Despite the significant differences in naphfhalene conversion observed for MOR(20) and BEA(75), practically fhe same selectivity to 1- and 2-acetylnaphthalene is observed (about 25% and 75%, respectively). In contrast, a lower selectivity to 2-acetylnaphthalene is observed for Y(6), which possesses large cavities in its structure that enable the formation of 1-isomer. 

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