Catalytic friedel-crafts acylation reactions

Used in the production of a wide number of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction represents a synthetic process of great interest to organic chemists of academia and industry. This chapter focuses on how to make this reaction more economically and environmentally friendly by using green acylating conditions, thus minimizing the formation of waste and decreasing production costs. Catalytic homogeneous acylations, catalytic heterogeneous acylations, and phenol acylations are considered emphasizing the role played by the catalyst in the activation of reagents as well as the major industrial applications, providing a critical assessment of the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.