| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 148412 | Chemical Engineering Journal | 2013 | 11 Pages |
•Synergism between microwave irradiation and solid base catalysis.•Mono-transesterification of diethyl malonate with cyclohexanol Mg–Al calcined hydrotalcite.•Microwave irradiation showed more than threefold increase vis-a-vis conventional heating.•69% conversion with 98% selectivity for cyclohexyl ethyl malonate at 100 °C in 2 h.•Full catalyst characterization and theoretical analysis to develop kinetic model.
Selectivity engineering aspects of synergism between microwave irradiation and solid base catalysis is investigated for a highly selective mono-transesterification of diethyl malonate with cyclohexanol using Mg–Al calcined hydrotalcite as catalyst. Microwave irradiation showed threefold increase in cyclohexanol conversion vis-a-vis conventional heating and only the mono-transesterified product was obtained. The catalyst was characterised by XRD, FT-IR, CO2-TPD, surface area and pore size analysis. Hydrotalcite with Mg:Al composition as 3:1 gave the best results. Effect of various parameters was studied on conversion and selectivity. Under optimised reaction conditions, 69% conversion with 98% selectivity for cyclohexyl ethyl malonate was obtained for catalyst loading of at 100 °C in 2 h. The catalyst showed excellent reusability. Complete theoretical and experimental analysis has been done to develop a kinetic model for the reaction.
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