Acylation using molecular sieve ssz-71

A method for performing an acylation reaction on an aromatic substrate ArHn to form a product ArHn-1COR, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing the aromatic substrate,
• intimately mixing the substrate and an acylating agent, wherein the acylating agent is selected from the group consisting of a carboxylic acid derivative, a carboxylic acid, an acid anhydride, an ester, and an acyl halide, and exposing an intimate mixture thus formed to a catalyst comprising a molecular sieve produced by the method comprising:
• (1) preparing an as-synthesized molecular sieve having a composition, as synthesized and in the anhydrous state, in terms of mole ratios as follows:
• YO2/WOd
• 15-∞
• M2/n/YO2
• 0-0.03
• Q/YO2
• 0.02-0.05
• wherein Y is silicon, germanium or a mixture thereof;
• W is zinc, titanium or mixtures thereof;
• d is 1 or 2 (i.e., d is 1 when W is divalent or 2 when W is tetravalent);
• M is an alkali metal cation, alkaline earth metal cation or mixtures thereof;
• n is the valence of M (i.e., 1 or 2);
• and Q is a N-benzyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane cation, the as-synthesized molecular sieve having the X-ray diffraction lines of Table I;
• (2) thermally treating the as-synthesized molecular sieve at a temperature and for a time sufficient to remove the N-benzyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane cation from the molecular sieve;
• and
• (3) optionally, replacing at least part of the zinc and/or titanium with a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gallium, iron, boron, indium, vanadium and mixtures thereof.