Zeolites are naturally occurring minerals that have found various uses as catalysts via activation with Lewis and Bronsted acids. Zeolite H-� is a proton-activated zeolite that has found particular use in the catalysis of organic syntheses. Limonene, a common terpene that can be easily extracted from a variety of natural sources, has found use in the medical and cosmetic industries and is frequently used as a precursor in many organic syntheses. In this study, the use of zeolite H-� as an acid catalyst in the acetoxylation of limonene using acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid was explored. The effect of microwave irradiation, reaction temperature and time were studied in an attempt to optimize the yield and selectivity of the acetoxylation reaction. These results were compared to reactions carried out under traditional reflux methods.

Optimization of the acetoxlation of (+)-limonene in the presence of zeolite H-β

245th National Meeting (2013)

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