Solid-Acid Catalysed Rearrangement of Cyclic α,β-Epoxy Ketones

Abstract

Various cyclic α,β-epoxy ketones rearranged to α-formyl ketones and/or vic-diones in the presence of catalytic amounts of zeolites and montmorillonite K10. This provides an excellent alternative to conventional homogeneous systems with respect to yields and workup. Differences in product distribution and type of products in the rearrangement of pulegone oxide could be reasonably explained by invoking different pathways for homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.