ortho-Selective ethylation of phenol with ethanol catalyzed by bimetallic mesoporous catalyst, CoAl-MCM-41

Ethylation of phenol with ethanol was studied in vapor-phase using CoAl-MCM-41 catalysts. The C-alkylation is dominant, and more than 90% of the products can be assigned the C-alkylated ethyl phenols under the selected condition. Preferential ortho-substitution occurred probably to the proximity effect between small ethyl cation and ortho-position of phenol on the catalyst surface.