Ketonization of carboxylic acids over CeO2-based composite oxides

Two symmetric ketones and one asymmetric ketone are formed in a reaction of an equimolar mixture of two carboxylic acids over a CeO2-based catalyst. In the reaction of propanoic acid with a linear acid such as butanoic acid, the composition ratio of 3-pentanone, 3-hexanone and 4-heptanone is ca. 1:2:1, which is a binomial distribution. Branched carboxylic acids are less reactive for the ketonization than linear ones. In the reaction of propanoic acid with 2-methylpropanoic acid, 3-pentanone, 2-methyl-3-pentanone and 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone are formed with the composition ratio of ca. 1:1:0.1.