Synthesis of N-phenylphthalimide using vitamin B_1 as catalyst

N-phenylphthalimide was synthesized from aniline and phthalic anhydride in the presence of water solvent,with vitamin B1 as catalyst.Some key conditions of the synthesis of N-phenylphthalimide were investigated by the experiments of single factors level,such as the composition of reactants,catalyst amount,time of reaction and solvent amount.The results of experiments showed that the optimum reaction condition was that:the molar ratio of aniline to phthalic anhydride was 1.2∶1,the amount of water solvent was 10 mL,the time was 4 h and the amount of catalyst was 2% of mass of phthalic anhydride,the yield of product was up to 91.2%,and the stability of catalyst reused was excellent.