Abstract
Friedel-Craft acylation of veratrole using homogeneous acid catalysts such as AlCl3, FeCl3, ZnCl2, and HF etc. produces acetoveratrone, (3',4'-dimethoxyacetophenone), which is the intermediate for synthesis of papavarine alkaloids. The problems
associated with these homogeneous catalysts can be overcome by using heterogeneous solid catalysts. Since acetoveratrone is a larger molecule, large pore Beta zeolites with smaller particle sizes are beneficial for the liquid-phase acylation of veratrole, for easy diffusion of reactants and
products. The present study aims in the acylation of veratrole with acetic anhydride using nanocrystalline Beta Zeolite catalyst. A systematic investigation of the effects of various reaction parameters was done. The catalysts were characterized for their structural features by using XRD,
TEM and DLS analyses. The catalytic activity of nanocrystalline Beta zeolite was compared with commercial Beta zeolite for the acylation and was found that nanocrystalline Beta zeolite possessed superior activity.