A bifunctional cerium phosphate catalyst for chemoselective acetalization.

Acid-base solid catalysts synthesized with structurally controlled uniform active sites can lead to unique catalysis. In this study, a CePO catalyst was synthesized using a hydrothermal method and found to exhibit high catalytic performance for the chemoselective acetalization of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural with alcohols, in sharp contrast to other homogeneous and heterogeneous acid and/or base catalysts. In the presence of CePO, various combinations of carbonyl compounds and alcohols are efficiently converted into the corresponding acetal derivatives in good to excellent yields.