Calcined Mg-Al hydrotalcite as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of guaiacol

The use of calcined Mg-Al hydrotalcite as an efficient catalyst for the sel ective O-alkylation of catechol with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) to guaiacol i n a continuous fixed bed flow reactor is described. A maximum guaiacol yiel d of 80% is obtained at 573 K under optimized conditions with a stable cata lytic activity. A concerted mechanism involving acid-base pair sites in whi ch a nucleophilic attack at the methyl carbon atom of DMC by the oxygen ato m of the H-bonded phenolic compound or phenolate anion is proposed.