Grafting SnCl4 catalyst as a novel solid acid for the synthesis of 3-methylbut-3-en-1-ol

Abstract Grafting SnCl 4 on inorganic support as a novel solid acid catalyst was used to catalyze the Prins condensation reaction of isobutene with formaldehyde to produce 3-methylbut-3-en-1-ol (MBOH). Three supports of SiO 2 , SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 and γ-Al 2 O 3 were used to prepare the catalysts, and the structure and acid property of the tin chloride species formed over different supports was investigated. It was found that the SnCl 4 grafted on SiO 2 exhibited high activity and selectivity at a low reaction temperature of 100 °C, with formaldehyde conversion of 55% and MBOH selectivity of 92%. The superior performance of SnCl x –SiO 2 catalyst was attributed to its low electron density of tin nucleus and strong Lewis acidity.