Green and Simple method for the synthesis of Phenolic esters and their catalytic de-protection

Phenolic Esters have been prepared by using different phenols and acetic anhydride without using any acidic/basic catalyst. This Esters preparation has been achieved by monitoring the temperature under solvent-free conditions. The synthesized esters are monitored by TLC and characterized by IR and NMR. The resultant phenolic esters are deprotected by greener method using metal catalyst loaded on MMT K-10. The metal catalysts supported on MMT-K10 (Fe-K10, Zn-K10) were synthesized using a simple wet impregnation method. These catalysts were characterized using various physicochemical techniques like PXRD, FTIR, BET-surface area. Among the synthesized catalysts, the 10% Zn-K10 exhibited high conversion up to 100% and high selectivity up to 100% towards phenolic ester at 100 °C in 3 hours. Further, the catalyst was used for the deprotection of several important esters to study the substrate scope. Metal supported Montmorillonite K10-catalyzed reactions of various substituted phenyl acetate are monitored by LCMS, IR, NMR, and product(s) are isolated, purified, and analyzed (IR, NMR). However, the catalyst is recyclable for three cycles without loss in catalytic activity.