Microwave assisted Friedel–Crafts acylation reactions of Amberlite XAD-4™ resin

This article reports the convenient synthesis of benzoyl resins which were produced by the acylation of a poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) commercial resin (Amberlite XAD-4™). Conventional and microwave (MW) assisted acylation reactions on the resin were compared. Acylation in nitrobenzene and solvent-free reactions have been developed under MW irradiation or employing a conventional heating, both in the presence of Lewis acid (AlCl3). The MW radiation effects and the time of exposure on the acylation extent were studied. The unmodified commercial and modified resins were characterized by apparent density, swelling degree, elemental analysis, infrared spectrometry (FTIR), optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The use of MW led to a great reduction in the reaction time and high benzoyl incorporations were reached.