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Sodium silicate from rice husk ash (RHA) was transformed to functionalized silica with 3-(mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) or 3- (aminopropyl)

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A one-pot method was employed to immobilize sulfonic acid onto silica obtained from rice husk ash using 3-(mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane to form a solid catalyst denoted as RHASO3H. BET measurements of the catalyst showed the surface area to be 340 m2 g−1 with the average pore volume of 0.24 mL g−1 and the pore diameter of 2.9 nm. Acidity test of cation exchange capacity and pyridine adsorption studies revealed the presence of Brønsted acid sites on the catalyst surface. The catalyst was used in the acetalization reaction of glycerol with benzaldehyde. Under optimized conditions, the reaction showed the maximum conversion of 78 % after 8 h with 67 % selectivity towards the five membered ring isomer. Variation in the glycerol concentration had a significant effect on the reactants conversion. A single crystal X-ray study of one of the products proved the existence of a unique trimer formed by hydrogen bonding by the six-membered cis-isomer. The catalyst was several times recycled without any loss of its catalytic activity.