Acetylation of alcohol, phenols, thiols and amine promoted by succinimidinium hydrogensulfate ([H-Suc]HSO4) in the absence of solvent

Succinimidinium hydrogensulfate ([H-Suc]HSO4), as a new and stable derivative of succinimide, is easily prepared by the reaction of succinimide with neat sulfuric acid. This ionic liquid can be used as an efficient catalyst for the acetylation of alcohols, phenols, thiols and amines at room temperature under mild and solvent free conditions. All the products are separated and identified using different types of methods including FT-IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. This new method consistently has the advantages of chemoselectivity, excellent yields of the products and short reaction times. Further, the catalyst can be reused and recovered for several times without any variations in the yield of the product.