Effect of pore size on the catalytic activities of K-10 clay and H-zeolites for the acetalization of ketones with methanol Original Research Article

One-pot acetalizations of cyclohexanone, acetophenone and benzophenone were carried out using methanol over H-montmorillonite clay (a mesoporous material), silica, alumina, and different zeolites such as HFAU-Y, HBeta, H-ZSM-5, and H-mordenite. In all the cases, a single product—the corresponding dimethylacetal—was obtained in high yields. Hemiacetal formation was not observed with any catalyst. A comparison of catalytic activity indicated that montmorillonite K-10 is the most active catalyst for the reaction. As evidenced by the reaction time studies, the catalyst decay is greater over the zeolite catalyst than over the clay.