Jointly published by React.Kinet.Catal.Lett. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest Vol. 78, No. 1, 129-133 and Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (2003) 0133-1736/2003/US$ 20.00. © Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. All rights reserved. RKCL4100 NATURAL MICROPHOSPHATE AS A CATALYST FOR KNOEVENAGEL CONDENSATION: SPECIFIC SURFACE EFFECT Mohamed Zahouily a* , Bouchaïb Bahlaouan a , Abderahim Solhy b , Mohamed Ouammou a and Saïd Sebti b a UFR de Chimie Appliquée, Laboratoire de Synthèse Organique et Traitement de l’Information, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Hassan II, Mohammadia B. P. 146, 20650 Maroc b Laboratoire de Chimie Organique Appliquée et Catalyse (LCOAC), Faculté des Sciences, Ben M'Sik B. P. 7955, Casablanca, Maroc Received March 18, 2002 In revised form August 12, 2002 Accepted August 29, 2002 Abstract The effect of specific surface of natural phosphate on Knoevenagel condensations involving aldehydes and activated methylene is studied. The best catalytic activities were observed with catalyst micronised (NPm). Keywords: Knoevenagel, natural microphosphate, heterogeneous catalysis INTRODUCTION The Knoevenagel condensation is one of the most important methods in the synthesis of functionalised alkenes [1]. It consist of condensation between carbonyl compound and active methylene group. This reaction may be carried out in homogeneous [2,3] or heterogeneous [4-5] phase. Many solid catalysts have been found useful in heterogeneous media, including silica [6], aluminium oxide [7], montmorillonite [8], resins [9], mineral salts or oxides [10], zeolite [11], natural phosphate [12], trisodium phosphate [12], fluorapatite [13] and other catalysts with more or less success [14-18]. _________________________________________ * Corresponding author: *E-mail: zahouily@voila.fr; Fax: +212 23 31 53 53