Green cyclic acetals production by glycerol etherification reaction with benzaldehyde using cationic acidic resin

Abstract

In this paper, we investigated the effect of temperature, glycerol etherification concentration with benzaldehyde, organic solvent and catalyst reuse effects using a cationic acidic resin as catalyst for production of green cyclic acetals of high commercial value. The best reaction conditions show a conversion above 93% of glycerol and yield to cyclic acetals above 61%. The highest selectivity elements observed were 2-phenyl-1,3-dioxan-5-ol, in cis and trans isomer forms reaching 80%. The temperature had a positive effect increasing on glycerol conversion, though it also favored the formation of undesired compounds. A high concentration of benzaldehyde reactant kept the selectivity values constant but increased glycerol conversion resulting in higher yields, mainly when organic solvents were used. Reuse of the catalyst resulted in a slight decrease in yield values, which demonstrated stability and durability of the catalyst used.

Keywords

• acidic resin
• benzaldehyde
• cyclic acetals
• etherification
• glycerol