Acetonitrile (HPLC grade), water (HPLC grade), ammonium acetate (≥98%), and formic acid (For LC-MS 98–100%) were all purchased from Sigma-Aldrich for use in analytical equipment (LC).
Catalysts include montmorillonite K10 (H2Al2(SiO3)4−nH2O, surface area 220–270 m2/g), zinc oxide (nanopowder, ≤100 nm, 10–25 m2/g), and aluminium oxide (50–300 mesh, acid, 155 m2/g) purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and Bismuth(III) oxide (nanopowder 99.9%, 3.8–5.5 m2/g) was purchased from Fischer scientific. The catalysts were stored in an oven (110 °C) prior to experiments.