Alkylation of isopropanol with ethanol over heterogeneous catalysts

The importance of synthesis of carbon-carbon bonds is reflected by the fact that Nobel Prizes in Chemistry have been given to this area: The Grignard reaction (1912), the Diels-Alder reaction (1950), the Witting reaction (1979), the olefin metathesis Y. Chauvin, R.H. Grubbs and R.R. Schrock (2005), the palladiumcatalyzed cross-coupling reactions to R. F. Heck, A. Suzuki, E. Negishi (2010). For the first time ever alkylation of isopropanol with ethanol was carried out over heterogeneous 0.2-1 wt.% Au and/or 0.02-0.3 wt. %Ni - containing catalysts without any sacrificial agents and/or presence of acidic/base additives. The catalyst containing 0.2 wt.% Au and 0.18 wt.% Ni supported on γ-Al2O3 was found to be the most selective in the cross-coupling route. Total selectivity of coupling products reached up to 70 %, conversion of the both initial alcohols was 50 %. Structural investigations of the Au, Ni - containing catalysts permitted to determine probable active sites peculiarities that provide effective one-pot alkylation of isopropanol with ethanol.