Bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst: A sustainable route for cyclic acetals synthesis through tandem hydroformylation-acetalization reaction

A novel sustainable approach for the synthesis of 2 -ethyl 1,3 dioxolane and various short to long -chain or aromatic cyclic acetals through a tandem hydroformylation-acetalization reaction using Rh oxide nanoparticle supported on zirconium phosphate has been established. The Rh oxide nanoparticle supported on zirconium phosphate was synthesized and characterized by various physicochemical methods. The SEM and TEM analysis revealed the average particle size of rhodium oxide was found to be similar to 7.56 nm in 2%Rh@ZrP catalyst. Furthermore, the synthesized catalyst was employed to carry out a tandem hydroformylation reaction in a green solvent (ethylene glycol). Experimental results demonstrated that 2 wt.% of Rhodium on zirconium phosphate efficiently activated olefins, leading to the selective formation of cyclic acetals (60-99%) at 80 degrees C for 6 h. In this cascade reaction, significant selectivity towards the desired product, linear cyclic acetals was observed for styrenes. This can be attributed to highly dispersed Rh oxide nanoparticles and plentiful acidic sites on the zirconium phosphate supports, which played a crucial role in tandem hydroformylation and acetalization reactions. The catalyst exhibited the ability to be reused three times without losing significant catalytic activity or selectivity. This is the first report on the synthesis of a fuel additive and other cyclic acetals via a tandem hydroformylation-acetalization reaction using heterogeneous catalysts.