Rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether over Al-MCM-41

Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether to o-allylphenol and a dihydrobenzofuran derivative was investigated over MCM-41 with different Si/Al ratios. Higher aluminum content, higher reaction temperatures, and longer run duration favor the formation of the ring compound 2,3-dihydro-2-methyl benzofuran. There is a close relationship between acidity and conversion, which suggests that the reaction occurs inside the large pores of MCM-41. The influence of temperature and catalyst Si/Al ratio on the reaction are examined by kinetic analysis, under the assumption of a first-order consecutive reaction.