Supported 12-tungstophosphoricacid: A recoverable solid acid catalyst for liquid phase Friedel–Crafts alkylation of phenol

Friedel–Crafts alkylation reactions such as tert-butylation, iso-propylation and sec-butylation of phenol have been carried out over 12-tungstophosphoricacid supported onto neutral alumina under mild conditions by varying different parameters. The supported catalysts were characterized by various physicochemical techniques such as FT-IR, TGA, and XPS analysis. The catalyst shows significantly high conversion and selectivity towards the important products. The catalysts were efficiently regenerated followed by a simple workup.