Selective benzylation of toluene over tungsten promoted ceria catalysts prepared by a “pseudo-template” method

Summary High surface area ceria was prepared by a pseudo-template method and doped with tungsten and sulfate ions. The modified systems were found to catalyze the liquid phase Friedel-Crafts benzylation of toluene using benzyl chloride efficiently with high selectivity towards monoalkylated product. The catalyst systems were characterized by XRD, surface area and pore volume measurements. Acid structural properties were obtained from temperature programmed desorption of ammonia.