The reactions were carried out using an equal amount of catalytic sites in a capped tubular reactor. For example, the reaction mixture consisting ofheptanoic acid ( 49.8 mg, 0.383 mmol), benzyl alcohol ( 41.4 mg, 0.383 mmol) and catalysts (0.2 mo!%) in 1 ml ofheptanes was heated at 60° C. for 1.5 h. The catalysts were isolated by centrifuge and washed with 10 ml of heptane. 

Diphenyl ether ( ca. 100 mg), was added into the combined heptane solution as an internal standard. The reaction conver› sion and product yield were determined by gas chromatogra› phy using a HP-5 colunm. The oven temperature was initially set at 40° C. for 4 min, then increased to 250° C. with a ramp rate of 10° C./min, and kept at 250° C. for 5 min. 

The peaks corresponding to all reagents and products were separated, and their integrated intensities were calibrated using an internal standard. For the recyclability test, the reac› tion mixture of 3-phenylpropanoic acid (57.5 mg. 0.383 mmol), benzyl alcohol ( 41.4 mg, 0.383 mmol), and 0.4 mo!% of Cat Bin 1 ml of heptane was stirred at 70° C. for 2.5 h. The filtered catalyst was dried under vacuum for 24 h and recharged with the same amount of starting material for each run. 

The documents listed below are incorporated by reference herein as though fully set forth. 

[1] M. Bender, Bio resource Technol., 70, 80 (1999); M Diasa› kou et al., Fuel, 77, 1297 (1998); T. Ogoshi etal.,J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 62, 331 (1985) 

[2] G. J. Suppes et al., J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 78,839 (2001); G. Kildrian et al., op. cit., 73, 225 (1996); J. Encinar et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 38, 2927 (1999). 

[3] F. Ma et al., Ind. Eng. Chem., 37, 3768 (1998). 

[ 4] D. G. B. Boocock et al., J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 75, 1167 (1998). 

[5] H. N. Basu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,126). 

[6] S. Koona et al, European Patent No. 566087 (1993). 

[7] M. Alvaro et al., Chem. Commun., 956 (2004) 

[8] S. Angloher et al., Microporous Mesoporous Mater., 115, 629 (2008). 

[9] A. Carma et al., Chem. Rev., 103, 4307 (2003). 

[10] A. Kuschel et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 132, 6558 (2010). 45 

[11] S. Huh et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126, 1010 (2004); V. S.-Y. Lin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,688). 

[12] E. L. Margelefsky et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 129, 13691 (2007). 

[13] A. Schlossbauer et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130, 12558 50 (2008). 

[14] K. K. Sharma et al., Angew. Chem., 119, 2937 (2007); Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 46, 2879 (2007). 

[15] H. L. Ngo et al., Energy Fuels, 22, 626 (2008). 

[16] S. Huh et al., Angew. Chem., 117, 1860 (2005); Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 44, 1826 (2005). 

[17] M. W. McKittrick et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126, 3052 (2004). 

[18] S. Shyleshet al.,Angew. Chem., 122, 188 (2010);Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 49, 184 (2010). 

[19] E. L. Margelefsky et al., Chem. Soc. Rev., 37, 1118 (2008). 

[20] S. Shylesh et al., Chem.-Eur. J., 15, 7052 (2009). 

[21] D. J. Mihalcik et al., Angew. Chem., 120, 6325 (2008); Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 47, 6229 (2008). 

[22] Y. Huang et al., New J. Chem., 32, 1311 (2008). 

[23] A. Anan et al., J. Mal. Cata!. A. Chem., 288, 1 (2008). 

[24] I. Diaz et al., Stud. Sanf Sci. Cata!., 135, 1288 (2001). 

## Catalytic Esterification Reactions 

## Example 4 

## REFERENCES 

[25] J. A. Melero et al., J. Mater. Sci., 12, 1664 (2006). 

[26] W. D. Bossaert et al., J. Cata!., 182, 156 (1999); I. Diaz et al.,Appl. Cata!., 242, 161 (2003); I. Diaz et al.,J. Cata!., 193, 295 (2000); D. Magolese et al., Chem. Mater., 12, 2448 (2000). 

[27] K. Mao et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 132, 12452 (2010). 

[28] R. Kunin et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev., 1, 140 (1962). 

[29] P. F. Siril et al., J. Mal. Cata!. A: Chem., 279, 63 (2008); G. Gebel et al., Polymer, 34, 333 (1993). 

[30] I. Diaz et al., J. Cata!., 193, 295 (2000). 

[31] I. K. Mhara et al., J. Cata!., 229,365 (2005). 

[32] J.P. Daquin et al., Green Chem., 12, 1383 (2010). 

[33] The pKa values of triflic acid, protonated carboxylic acid, protonatedalcohol and DAT salt are -14 -6 to -7 -2 and 1, respectively. (M. B. Smith, J. Ma;ch, Mar~h’s Advanced Organic Chemistry, Sixth ed., Wiley-inter- science, 2007). The surface diphenylamine (DAS) group treated with triflic acid resulted in proton transfer to form the diphenylammonium (DAT) salt quantitatively. Thus, only limited amount of protons could have been transferred from DAT groups to acids and alcohols in the catalysts studied in this work. 

[34] K. Ishihara et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 4168 (2005). 

All publications, patents and patent applications cited hereinabove are incorporated herein by reference. While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purposes of illustration it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein may be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention. 

What is claimed is: 

1. A method for preparing an ester, comprising combining an organic acid, an alcohol, and an acidic mesoporous silicate under conditions wherein the mesoporous silicate catalyzes the formation of the ester of the acid and the alcohol and wherein the silicate comprises diarylammonium triflate groups and perfluoroaryl groups in the pores of said silicate, wherein said groups are linked to the silicate matrix by inert organic groups. 

2. A method for preparing a fatty acid (C$_{1 }$-C$_{3}$ ) alkyl ester from a fatty acid comprising combining a fatty acid, a (C$_{1 }$-C$_{3}$ ) alcohol, and an acidic mesoporous silicate under conditions wherein the mesoporous silicate catalyzes formation of the corresponding (C$_{1 }$-C$_{3}$ ) alkyl ester, and wherein the silicate comprises diarylammonium triflate groups and perfluoroaryl groups in the pores thereof, wherein said groups are linked to the silicate matrix by inert organic groups. 

3. A method for preparing fatty acid (C$_{1 }$-C$_{3}$ ) alkyl esters from a feedstock comprising one or more fatty acid glycerol esters and one or more fatty acids comprising combining the feedstock, a (C$_{1}$-C$_{3}$ ) alcohol, and an acidic mesoporous sili› cate under conditions wherein the mesoporous silicate cata› lyzes the formation of the corresponding fatty acid (C$_{1 }$-C$_{3}$ ) a)kyl es!ers, and wherein the silicate comprises diarylammo› mum tnflate groups and perfluoroaryl groups in the pores thereof, wherein said groups are linked to the silicate matrix by inert organic groups. 

4. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the said diary› lammonium triflate groups comprise 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl (phenyl) ammonium triflate moieties. 

5. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the perfluoroaryl groups are pentafluorophenyl groups. 

6. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the acidic meso› porous silicate is in the form of particles having a diameter of about 100-500 nm. 

7. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the pores have a diameter of about 1-5 nm. 

