Solvent-Free Approaches for Preparing Dipentaerythritol from Pentaerythritol and 3,3-Bis(hydroxymethyl)oxetane

Solvent-free synthesis of dipentaerythritol (DPE) from pentaerythritol (PE) and 3,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)oxetane (BHMO) was studied. DPE is known to be an attractive raw material in lubricating and coating fields. Reactivity of PE with BHMO was considered under acidic and basic conditions. After optimization of the reaction parameters, best yields of DPE were obtained using a Lewis acid catalyst (aluminum triflate) (33%) and using a basic catalyst (potassium hydroxide) (31%).