Petroleum Chemistry, Vol.45, No.3, 209-215, 2005
Catalytic transformations of alkylthiophenes
The transformations of alkylthiophenes in the presence of amorphous aluminosilicate and decationated zeolite HNaY were studied. Substituted thiophenes with R = 2- and 3-Me, 2-Et, and 2-iso-Pr undergo dealkylation to thiophene with close rates, migration of the alkyl group from the alpha- to the beta-position of the thiophene ring (or in the opposite direction with an elevated rate), and decomposition with H2S elimination. The dealkylation rate of 2-substituted thiophenes with a branched-chain radical (R = iso-Pr, tert-Bu) is much higher and the elimination rate with this radical is lower than those for normal-chain radicals; the isomerization step is virtually absent. Di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted thiophenes with R = Et and iso-Pr undergo stepwise dealkylation, which is facilitated by an increase in the degree of substitution on the thiophene ring. Thiophene and its lower homologues can be obtained by the transformation of a mixture of high-molecular thiophenes.