Catalytic application of fluorous silica gel in Fries rearrangement

Commercially available fluorous silica gel (Fluoro Flash™) with no further post-modification was successfully investigated and applied merely as a catalyst in Fries rearrangement of various aryl esters under solvent free conditions in 4 h and optimized temperatures. In addition to good yields and recyclability of the catalyst, toxicity of reaction medium, by-products, and wastes were minimized. Also, low catalyst loading was another advantage of this methodology.