Liquid-Phase Hydroxymethylation of 2-Methoxyphenol: Effect of Reaction Parameters on the Performance of Solid Acid Catalysts

The hydroxyalkylation of activated arenes (containing functional groups such as the hydroxy or methoxy groups) [1-4] with aldehydes and ketones is a reaction of

interest for the production of drugs, polymers, and food additives. For instance, the hydroxymethylation of 2-methoxyphenol (guaiacol) represents one-step in the multistep synthesis of the 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (vanillin), an environmentally friendly process for the production of this important food additive [5,6].