Phosphotungstic acid on silica with modified acid sites as a solid catalyst for selective cleavage of tert-butyldimethylsilyl ethers

The strength and nature of acid sites of bulk phosphotungstic acid could be modified after dispersing it on silica support which was characterized by XRD, ammonia TPD and 31P MAS NMR techniques. This solid acid catalyst was found to be highly selective for the cleavage of tert-butyldimethylsilyl ethers at room temperature. The catalyst was easily recovered by filtration and could be reused for several times without loss of any activity giving a TON of 9.5 × 105.