ABSTRACT
Abstract The gas-phase 0-alkylation of catechol (1,2-dihydroxybenzene) with methanol over B/P/0 catalysts, both bulk and supported on a-alumina, was studied with the aim of fmding relationships between the acid properties of the catalysts and catalytic performance, in terms of activity and selectivity. Different catechol conversions and guaiacol ( 1-methoxyphenol, the product of mono-alkylation) selectivities were observed as functions of the B/P atomic ratio for the bulk samples. In some cases the initial activity however declined in a few hours, and the reason for deactivation was different depending on the catalyst B/P ratio. Supported catalysts gave more stable catalytic performance; moreover the latter was rather unaffected by the B/P ratio.
