Highly active aluminosilicates with a hierarchical porous structure for acetalization of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde

We report the synthesis of highly active mesoporous aluminosilicate for the acetalization of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde with propylene glycol. The existing synthesis methods for aluminosilicate and ZSM-5 were modified to produce aluminosilicate material with hierarchical porous structure. A combination of two structure directing agents, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), produced a highly active aluminosilicate framework that provides a wide access for bulky reactants and strong acid sites to catalyse the reaction. The pore structure and the strength of the acid sites were crucial for high conversion of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde.