Alkylation of o-Cresol with Caryophyllene on Acidic Aluminosilicate Catalysts

Caryophyllene (I) is among the most wide-spread and accessible sesquiterpenes. Due to its structural features: a strained trans-substituted double bond in a nine-membered cycle and to a trans-annelated cyclononene and a cyclobutane fragment this substance is one of the most interesting for study polyenes with a medium-sized cycle. The rearrangements of sesquiterpene I and related compounds are extensively discussed. We did not find any publications (cf. [1]) on alkylation with compound I along Friedel3Crafts procedure. The use on an [organized medium] (clay, zeolites) as catalysts in fine organic synthesis may not only increase the yield of products and selectivity of a reaction but also strongly change the process direction to afford unusual products not available in homogeneous conditions [2].