Patent ID: 7132582

Claim:
A catalytic process for the preparation of isolongifolene comprising: (i) hydrolyzing zirconium alkoxide and sulfating with sulfuric acid to obtain sulfated zirconia; (ii) drying the sulfated zirconia followed by calcining the dried sulfated zirconia to obtain nano-crystalline sulfated zirconia catalyst; (iii) activating the dried and sulfated zirconia catalyst obtained in step (ii) above; (iv) reacting longifolene with the activated catalyst obtained in step (iii) in a solvent free medium, while maintaining the reactant to catalyst ratio in the range of 2–10 weight percent to obtain an isomerised product; (v) separating the isomerised product iso longifolene from the reaction mixture; (vi) washing the catalyst to remove adhering materials and (vii) drying the catalyst at 110° C. for 2–4 hours followed by air calcination at 550° C. for a period between 4–8 hours.