Fries rearrangement over zeolitic catalysts Original Research Article

The Fries rearrangement of phenyl acetate, p-tolyl acetate and phenyl benzoate was investigated using the H-form of various zeolites as catalysts. Experiments were carried out in batch reactors at 453 K and for phenyl acetate at several temperatures both in liquid phase and in gas phase in a continuous reactor. Product distribution and catalyst deactivation were strongly dependent on zeolite structure. Deactivation of external acidic sites enhanced the yield of para products and improved the selectivity of catalysts based on ZSM-5 and ZSM-12.