Acetylation of alcohols and phenols by zinc zirconium phosphate as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst under solvent-free conditions

An efficient method for the acetylation of a wide range of alcohols as well as phenols with acetic anhydride in good to excellent yields under solvent-free conditions, using zinc zirconium phosphate as the catalyst was investigated. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, inductivity coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope. Products are easily isolated and the protocol is mild and green, compared to the existing methods.