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Abstract:
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The catalyst compositions of the Zn1−xCOxFe2O4 (x= 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0) spiel series possessing ‘x’ values, x less than or equal to 0.5, are
unique for selective N-monomethylation of aniline using methanol as the alkylating agent. Since dimethyl carbonate (DMC)
is another potential non-toxic alkylating agent, alkylation of aniline was investigated over various Zn–Co ferrites using DMC
as the alkylating agent. The merits and demerits of the two alkylating agents are compared. Catalytic activity followed a
similar trend with respect to the composition of the ferrospinel systems. DMC is active at comparatively low temperature,
where methanol shows only mild activity. However, on the selectivity basis, DMC as an alkylating agent could not compete
with methanol, since the former gave appreciable amounts of N,N-dimethylaniline (NNDMA) even at low temperature where
methanol gave nearly 99% N-methylaniline (NMA) selectivity. As in the case of methanol, DMC also did not give any
C-alkylated products. |