Microwave-assisted thioacetalization of carbonyl compounds using Al-MCM-41 as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst

In this project various types of carbonyl compounds were efficiently converted to their corresponding 1,3-oxathiolanes  with 2-mercaptoethanol in the presence of catalytic amount of Al-MCM-41 with microwave energy. The catalyst can be reused several times without loss of its catalytic activity. Very short reaction times, reusability of the catalyst, and easy workup are noteworthy advantages of this method.