Synthesis and kinetic modeling of functionalized oxymethylene ethers (f-OMEs) based on allyl alcohol as building blocks for the chemical industry

In the context of a circular economy, the production of chemicals and materials from renewable resources becomes increasingly relevant. One possible approach to reduce the dependence on fossil-based materials is the use of catalyzed acetalization reactions to produce useful building blocks in the chemical sector. Here, aldehydes and alcohols react to form acetals, which are commonly known for their good degradability and non-toxicity. This work focused on the solvent-free synthesis of acetals denominated functionalized oxymethylene ethers (f-OMEs) that are based on allyl alcohol and on formaldehyde, an important C1 feedstock which can be produced from green methanol. Such f-OMEs with unsaturated end groups are employed as useful organic compounds for the production of reactive diluents, cross-linked polymers and epoxides and can therefore be implemented as useful green building blocks in the chemical sector. A catalyst screening and variation of relevant reaction conditions were performed in a batch reactor. The different reactivity of the tested solid acid catalysts is discussed. With zeolite Beta(25), conversion based on allyl alcohol reached values up to 80% and selectivity to f-OMEs up to 90%, depending on reaction conditions. ... mehrBased on the proposed reaction network, a kinetic model to forecast product distributions was developed, with educt conversion and product yield prediction being mostly within a relative deviation of ±30%.