Catalytic Dehydrative Transformations Mediated by Moisture-Tolerant Zirconocene Triflate.

Keywords: Lewis acids; homogeneous catalysis; water-tolerant; kinetic analysis; zirconium; amides; esters; ethers EN Lewis acids homogeneous catalysis water-tolerant kinetic analysis zirconium amides esters ethers 1678 1684 7 08/18/23 20230901 NES 230901 Graph Lewis acidic reagents and catalysts are highly versatile in synthetic chemistry as they promote a wide range of organic reactions. The zirconocene triflate catalyst was assessed in the model reaction using benzoic acid and 2-phenylethanol in an equimolar ratio (0.5 M), which proceeded reliably in aromatic solvents to form the ester product in ca. 70% yield after 24 hours at 80 °C. In addition, up to 50 equivalents of water to catalyst could be added to the reaction mixture without negatively affecting the reaction rate, whereas the addition of molecular sieves reduced the activity of the zirconocene catalyst. Lewis acids, homogeneous catalysis, water-tolerant, kinetic analysis, zirconium, amides, esters, ethers. [Extracted from the article]