Kinetic Requirements for Inter- and Intra-Molecular C=C Bond Formation during Alkanal Reactions on Brønsted Acid Catalysts

We report the mechanistic details for alkanal reactions on solid H⁺ sites that form alkenes, alkenals, and aromatics. Trends of reactivity and selectivity across the alkanal family are functions of reactant chain length and the extent of H⁺ site confinement. These findings are useful for tuning the reaction specificity.