Synthesis of Cinnamaldehyde with Tetrabutyl Ammonium Bromide as Catalyst

Cinnamaldehyde is synthesized from the reaction of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde with tetrabutyl ammonium bromide as the catalyst in aqueous sodium hydroxide.The factors affecting the quality and recovery of cinnamaldehyde are confirmed.The optimum conditions are:the volume of aqueous sodium hydroxide is 3.5%,the reacting temperature is 28℃,the reacting time is 3 h,the weight of tetrabutyl ammonium bromize is 5 mL,and the molar ratio of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde is 1∶1.4.The yield is above 70.4% under the optimal conditions.