Chemical Papers, cilt.68, sa.5, ss.584-590, 2014 (SCI-Expanded)
This study presents a rapid, economical and "green" N-formylation of anilines with formic acid (FA) using Fe(III)-exchanged sepiolite (IES) as a catalyst. The IES exhibited excellent catalytic properties and the reactions were complete within 20-90 min to afford products with high yields. The adsorption mechanism of FA on the IES sample was studied by infrared (IR) spectroscopy at a temperature range of 120-400°C. The thermal desorption of pyridine was detected by the IR technique to estimate the acidity of IES. Lewis acid-bound pyridine bands at 1618-1631 cm-1 and 1443-1445 cm -1 were observed even after the IES sample was heated above 400°C. © 2013 Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences.