Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2015, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (9): 1606-1613.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(15)60910-X

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Silica-supported policresulen as a solid acid catalyst for organic reactions

Kexing Zenga, Zhipeng Huanga, Jie Yanga, Yanlong Gua,b   

  1. a Key Laboratory for Large-Format Battery, Materials and System, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, Chinab;
    b State Key Laboratory for Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China
  • Received:2015-04-25 Revised:2015-05-22 Online:2015-08-28 Published:2015-09-26
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21173089, 21373093), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (2014ZZGH019), and the Cooperative Innovation Center of Hubei Province.

Abstract:

A new type of solid catalyst was prepared by coating a thin layer of policresulen, an inexpensive polymer prepared via condensation of 2-hydroxy-4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid and formaldehyde that has been used as commercially available drug, onto the surface of silica. The policresulen component is insoluble in many organic solvents and can be adsorbed on silica with the aid of hydrogen bonding. The obtained silica/policresulen composite showed remarkable catalytic activity for various organic reactions. In model reactions, the catalyst can be recycled several times without significant loss of activity. The salient features of using this acid catalyst in organic reactions include cost-effectiveness, simple and time-efficient preparation, and the convenience of controlling the acid loading on the solid.

Key words: Acid catalysis, Solid acid, Policresulen, Covalent bond-free immobilization, oxa-Pictet-Spengler reaction