Alkylation and acetal formation using supercritical alcohol without catalyst

The aromatic ring alkylation of phenols, N-alkylation of aniline, O-alkylation of phenols and acetal formation from acetaldehyde or acetone were examined using supercritical (SC) alcohol without any catalyst. Highly selective syntheses of monoalkylated compounds were achieved for the aromatic ring alkylation and N-alkylation. The O-alkylation proceeded more preferentially than the aromatic ring alkylation for phenols which have a deactivating group. The acetal formation went on in more than 96% selectivity.