Acetalization of carbonyl compounds catalyzed by GaCl3 immobilized on imidazolium-styrene copolymers

In this study, preparation of imidazolium-styrene copolymer-supported metal chloride catalysts and their use in acetalization reactions are described. By comparison with ionic liquid-modified silica gel, the imidazolium-styrene copolymers were demonstrated to be a more efficient solid support for immobilization of metal chlorides. GaCl3 immobilized on imidazolium-styrene copolymers can be used as an efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for acetalization of carbonyl compounds with methanol, offering a catalytic performance that is on par with its homogeneous counterpart.