Heterogeneous catalytic methylation of catechol

Abstract

Abstract It has been shown that, after a partial deactivation, γ‐alumina (γ‐Al 2 O 3 ) is a good catalyst for selective methylation of 1,2‐benzenediol in the temperature range of 260–310°C. The main products are the desired 3‐methyl‐1,2‐benzenediol and 2‐methoxyphenol, which may be converted in another step into 3‐methyl‐1,2‐benzenediol, giving an overall selectivity for the desired products of 80 to 90%. The catechol forms a strongly chemisorbed surface species on γ‐alumina and its steric adsorption model correlates with the kinetic data.