Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether over zeolites beta, mordenite and Y

The Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether (APE) to o-allylphenol was investigated over zeolites beta (BEA), mordenite (MOR) and Y (FAU) with different Si/Al ratios. Over the zeolite catalysts, the allylphenol cyclized to produce 2,3-dihydro-2-methyl benzofuran. Larger catalyst loading, higher reaction temperatures and longer run duration favored the formation of the ring compound. Conversion was small over MOR and FAU although they possessed higher acidity (as measured by the temperature programmed desorption of ammonia) compared to BEA. Studies using BEA revealed that the nature of the solvent influenced the reaction rate. The order of reactivity in the solvents was, benzene > EDC (1,2-dichloroethane) > toluene > TCE (1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane) ≫ ACN (acetonitrile). The intermediate allylphenol reacted with the aromatic solvents to produce byproducts when benzene and toluene were used as solvents. A kinetic analysis assuming first order series and parallel reactions is presented.