Catalytic conversion of vanillic acid to catechol by palladium acetate/bis(aminomethyl)- nido -dicarba-undecaborane (11) system

The vanillic acid was converted to catechol using a catalyst system of PdAc2/[Na]+[7,8-bis(aminomethyl)-nido-C2B9H10]. The 90.3% yield of catechol was achieved from vanillic acid in 4 h using the system at 240 °C. The reaction was also compared using catalyst system of PdAc2/TMEDA (N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine), PdAc2/dppe (1,2-bis(diphenylphosphine)ethane) and Pd/AC (activated carbon) under the same conditions. The product, catechol, was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectra and its yield was determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).