Acid-catalyzed reactions, transition states carbenium ions

Transition States in Acid-Cataiyzed Reactions on Zeolites. A considerable number of experimental attempts were carried out to elucidate the structure of intermediates in the acid-catalyzed reactions. This information may be used to deduce the nature of elusive transition states, which are present on the catalytic surface in concentrations far below detection limit. For example, adsorption of alcohols and unsaturated hydrocarbons on acidic zeolites gives rise to the MAS NMR signal attributed to alkoxy species (135). Transition of these surface complexes to the corresponding carbenium ions, an important step in their further transformations, was shown to have low activation energy. In the synthesis of methyl-tetrabuthyl ether on zeolite Beta, features due to secondary and tertiary carbon atoms in alkoxy species have been observed. This observation along... 

Transition states in proton-catalyzed reactions that occur in zeolites and other solid acids proceed through activated intermediates close to the carbenium or carbonium ions found in superacid solutions. A carbenium ion is a positively charged ion, that can be formed by the protonation of an alkene. The positive charge is localized on an sp -hybridized C atom. A carbonimn ion is a protonated saturated alkane, that forms non-classical valencies such as a protonated a C-C bond or a five-coordinated C atom. In zeolites, the positively charged intermediates are compensated for by the negatively charged zeolite framework... 

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