Monoalkylation of biphenyl over modified heteropoly acids: Novelty of cesium substituted dodecatungstophosphoric acid supported on hexagonal mesoporous silica

The current study reports the development of environmentally benign route for the alkylation of biphenyl with benzyl chloride for benzylbiphenyl synthesis. Cesium substituted dodecatungstophosphoric acid supported on hexagonal mesoporous silica (20% w/w Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40/HMS) was synthesized. This novel nanocatalyst was very active and stable without any deactivation. The catalyst is fully characterized. A systematic investigation of the effect of various operating parameters is done. Furthermore, a second order rate equation is developed to describe the reaction kinetics, which is validated with experimental results.