Nano sulfated titania as solid acid catalyst in direct synthesis of fatty acid amides.

Nanosized sulfated titania was prepared by a sol-gel hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron, and scanning electron micrographs (TEM and SEM), FT-IR specific surface area, and BET N(2) adsorption were employed to characterize the properties of the synthesized sulfated TiO(2). The results indicate that both anatase and rutile TiO(2) are obtainable. This prepared sulfated titania showed high catalytic activity in direct amidation of fatty acids as well as benzoic acids with various amines under solvent-free conditions.