Catalytic Hydration of Aromatic Alkynes to Ketones over H-MFI Zeolites

The hydration of alkyne represents the most straightforward and simplest route toward the synthesis of ketone. Herein, Brønsted acidic zeolites are explored as potential catalysts for the liquid-phase phenylacetylene hydration. The topology structure and Si/Al ratio are disclosed to be key factors controlling the catalytic activity of zeolites. Typically, H-MFI zeolite with a Si/Al molar ratio of 13 exhibits the highest catalytic activity, with turnover frequency of 6.0 h^-1 at 363 K. Besides, H-MFI zeolite shows good catalytic stability and recyclability in the reaction of phenylacetylene hydration, and the substrate scope can be simply extended to other soluble aromatic alkynes. The reaction mechanism of phenylacetylene hydration is investigated by means of kinetic and spectroscopic analyses. The Markovnikov electrophilic addition of phenylacetylene by hydrated protons is established as the rate-determining step, followed by deprotonation and enol isomerization to derive acetophenone product.