Sulfonic acid-functionalized ordered nanoporous Na+ -montmorillonite as an efficient, eco-benign, and water-tolerant nanoreactor for chemoselective oxathioacetalization of aldehydes

Sulfonic acid-functionalized ordered nanoporous sodium montmorillonite has been found to be a mild and efficient solid acid catalyst for the chemoselective protection of a variety of carbonyl compounds as oxathiolanes in good to excellent yields. The present method offers several advantages such as short reaction times, high yields, simple procedure and mild conditions. Also, the catalyst could be recycled and reused at least for five times without noticeably decreasing the catalytic activity.