Acylation of aromatic compounds by acid anhydrides using solid acid catalysts

摘要

Acylatable aromatic hydrocarbons may be acylated with a broad variety of carboxylic acid anhydrides in the presence of solid acid catalysts which replace conventional Friedel-Crafts catalysts to afford aromatic ketones in good yield and with high selectivity. Both aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acid anhydrides may be used as the acylating agent, and solid acid catalysts such as the sulfated oxides of zirconia, pillared clays, and rare earth-exchanged pillared clays are found to be quite effective in the practice of this invention. The process may be practiced in a continuous mode, especially where excess aromatic compound is used as a reactant and is recycled from the product effluent to the reaction zone containing a bed of catalyst.