Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals

Zinc chloride acts as a catalyst in the production of pharmaceuticals and chemicals.

• Acetylation of olefins with acetic anhydride in the presence of Zinc chloride as a catalyst gives unsaturated methyl ketones.
• Zinc dichloride acts as a catalyst in the reaction of hydrogen chloride with methyl alcohol to produce monochloromethane or methyl chloride.
• Esterification of n-butanol with hydrogen chloride or hydrochloric acid at 100 ◦C, utilizing the accelerating effect of Zinc dichloride, gives 1-Chlorobutane.
• 2-propanol reacted with hydrogen chloride in the presence of a Zinc (II) chloride catalyst to produce 2-Chloropropane.
• Acylation of furan leads to high yields of the 2-acyl derivative with Zinc (II) chloride as a suitable catalyst.
• Urea is heated in the presence of Zinc butter, sulfuryl chloride, or chlorosulfuric acid to produce cyanuric acid.
• Phthalic anhydride and phenol in the presence of Butter of Zinc and toluenesulfonyl chloride produce phenolphthalein.
• Diazotization of pararosaniline followed by a reduction in the presence of Zinc dichloride produces tris(4-hydrazinophenyl) methylium chloride.
• Oxidation of a mixture of aniline and toluidines with nitrobenzene, nitrotoluene, or atmospheric oxygen in the presence of Zinc (II) chloride or Iron (II) chloride produces Fuchsin.
• Michler’s ketone and ammonium chloride in the presence of Zinc butter give Auramine O.
• Cyclo condensation of 3-diethylaminophenol with ethyl acetoacetate in the presence of Zinc chloride produces 7-diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin.
• Ketene and formaldehyde in the presence of Zinc dichloride at low temperatures produce β-Propiolactone.
• Trioxane is heated in nonaqueous systems in the presence of Butter of Zinc, and it is converted to high molecular mass oxymethylene homopolymers or oxymethylene copolymers, respectively.
• Acetylation of carbromal with acetic anhydride in the presence of Zinc (II) chloride gives acecarbromal.
• Diels– Alder reaction of myrcenol and acrolein in the presence of Zinc butter gives 4-(4-Hydroxy-4-methylpentyl)-3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde.