Iron(III)-Modified Tungstophosphoric Acid Supported on Titania Catalyst: Synthesis, Characterization, and Friedel–Craft Acylation of m-Xylene

The Friedel–Craft acylation of m-xylene with benzoyl chloride over iron-modified tungstophosphoric acid supported on titania was investigated. It was found that FeTPA/TiO2 catalyst displayed excellent catalytic performance for this reaction. Furthermore, a series of catalysts were prepared and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, BET, NH3-TPD, and Py-IR. The results indicated that both the Lewis acidity and the textural properties presented significant influences on their catalytic performance. Moreover, the influence of catalyst calcination temperature to the above reaction was also studied. The reaction parameters, including reaction temperature, catalyst dose, and molar ratio of m-xylene to benzoyl chloride, were optimized, and a 95.1% yield of 2,4-dimethylbenzophenone was obtained under optimal conditions. Finally, the kinetics of the benzoylation of m-xylene over 30% FeTPA/TiO2 was established.