3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilyl functionalized Na-Al-MCM-41 solid base catalyst for selective preparation of 2-phenylpropionitrile from phenylacetonitrile

摘要

Various solid base catalysts have been prepared by ion exchange of zeolites and Na-Al-MCM-41 and by organosilane grafting over mesoporous materials.Base catalysts thus synthesized were studied in the selective monomethylation of phenylacetonitrile(PAN)to 2-phenylpropionitrile(2-PPN)using dimethylcarbonate(DMC)as an alkylating agent in a Parr autoclave at a temperature ranging between 443 and 473 K and at autogenously developed pressure.NH_2-Na-Al-MCM-41(30)showed a high activity,and the optimum loading of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilyl(3-APTES)was found to be 1.35 mmol g~(-1),being consistent with the structural characterization.Co-condensation of 3-APTES,tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS)and sodiumaluminate in the presence of surfactant provides a material with uniformly distributed basic sites responsible for high activity in the selective monomethylation of phenylacetonitrile.