Heterogeneous catalysis in esterification reactions: preparation of phenethyl acetate and cyclohexyl acetate by using a variety of solid acidic catalysts

Esterification is an important class of reactions in the preparation of perfumery and flavor chemicals, wherein homogeneous acid catalysts are normally used. The application of solid acidic and superacidic catalysts can prove to be very effective from the viewpoint of activity, selectivity, reusability, and economy in the manufacture of perfumery esters, and thus, this paper delineates such studies in the preparation of phenethyl acetate and cyclohexyl acetate with a variety of solid acids including a complete theoretical and experimental analysis. The list of catalysts employed for this study is Filtrol-24, Amberlyst-15, sulfated zirconia, heteropolyacids (supported on silica and carbon and also unsupported), and concentrated sulfuric acid