Abstract
Silica-12-tungstophosphoric acid core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel method followed by steaming. The catalytic activity of fresh and steamed catalysts was studied in Fries rearrangement of phenyl acetate. The reaction parameters, such as catalyst loading and reaction temperature, were optimized. The structural properties of the prepared catalysts were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The nature and strength of acid sites in the catalysts were analyzed by pyridine adsorption followed by infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. The XRD and TEM analyses confirm the formation of silica-12-tungstophosphoric acid core-shell nanoparticles during steaming process. Acidity measurement indicates that both fresh and steamed catalyst samples carry weak acid sites and Brøsted acid sites. In addition, the steaming of heteropoly acid contained silica enhances the strength of Brøsted acid sites. The catalytic activity of fresh as well as steamed catalysts in liquid-phase Fries rearrangement showed that the steam treated sample exhibits higher conversion and selectivity to the desired product compared to the fresh catalyst sample. The higher activity of steam treated catalysts has been explained in terms of surface acidity of the catalysts. Reusability of the steamed catalyst shows that there is no appreciable change either in the conversion rate or product selectivity.