Base catalysis using zeolites

While zeolites are mostly used in acid catalysts, there are various procedures to introduce basic sites with variable strength into these materials. Depending on the nature of the active site, one is able to selectively catalyze reactions with different basicity requirements, and this is probably the main virtue of base catalysis with zeolites. For instance, in a classical Knoevenagel condensation, the reaction selectivity can be decreased by a consecutive Michael reaction, since the Knoevenagel product can serve itself as a Michael receptor -. 

Catalysis by zeolites is a rapidly expanding field. Beside their use in acid catalyzed conversions, several additional areas can be identified today which give rise to new catalytic applications of zeolites. Pertinent examples are oxidation and base catalysis on zeolites and related molecular sieves, the use of zeolites for the immobilization of catalytically active guests (i.e., ship-in-the-bottle complexes, chiral guests, enzymes), applications in environmental protection and the development of catalytic zeolite membranes. Selected examples to illustrate these interesting developments are presented and discussed in the paper. 

Complementing this contribution, Haw and Xu present a detailed assessment of the nature of acidic surface sites (most in zeolites) and their interactions with probe molecules, as assessed in NMR experiments. Their comprehensive approach sheds light on a number of timely issues in acid-base catalysis and demonstrates how successfully NMR spectroscopy has been used recently to understand surface and catalytic phenomena. 

In microporous supports or zeolites, catalyst immobilization is possible by steric inclusion or entrapment of the active transition metal complex. As catalyst retention requires the encapsulation of a relatively large complex into cages only accessible through windows of molecular dimensions, the term ship-in-a-bottle has been coined for this methodology. Intrinsically, the size of the window not only determines the retention of the complex, but also limits the substrate size that can be used. The sensitivity to diffusion limitations of zeolite-based catalysis remains unchanged with the ship-in-a-bottle approach. In many cases, complex deformation upon heterogenization may occur. 

To the author s knowledge, there are at present no major industrial processes which could be strictly defined as nonacid catalysis that make use of zeolite-based catalysts. This is in contrast to acid catalysis where zeolites continue to make an impact. Technically, a number of zeolite-based catalysts for reactions, such as Wacker chemistry and olefin or diolefin oligomerization reactions, appear to be quite attractive, and it is almost certainly economic factors that have limited further development. 

The early use and success of molecular sieve catalysis was spurred by the dramatic improvement in activity selectivity for catalytic cracking of vacuum gas oil achieved by using the faujasite based catalysts in comparison to the previously used amorphous SiOj/AUOj. These catalysts had a factor of about 10 -10 higher catalytic activity than the amorphous SiOj/AfrOj catalysts [42]. Paraffin, C4 to C8 isomerization [43] was one of the first successful non-petroleum processing applications using zeolite catalysts. The complexity of tailoring zeolite catalysts, however, is well illustrated by the fact that is only four years back that Shell has developed the first zeolite based process for isomerization of n-butene to isobutene [44]. 

To conclude this review, I highlight three topics within heterogeneous catalysis for which DFT-based calculations appear poised to allow rapid progress in the near future, the development of catalysts for use in reversible hydrogen storage, electrocatalysis for fuel cell applications, and catalysis in zeolites. 

With respect to applications, there will certainly be more and more investigations where ordered mesoporous materials are used as catalysts or catalyst supports. However, the more skeptical note of the section on catalysis shall be repeated here In many cases, much cheaper and simpler alternatives exist, and the properties of ordered mesoporous materials are not so much superior to justify the higher effort of their synthesis. On a longer time scale, non-siliceous compositions will probably be used more frequently in catalysis. If one analyzes the catalytic processes implemented today, the majority is not based on silica as catalyst or support, and the single most important area of aluminumsilicates, acid catalysis by zeolites, seems to be less attractive for ordered mesoporous aluminumsilicates, unless a crystallization of the walls to zeolitic structures or the assembly of such materials from colloidal zeolites to enhance the acid strenght becomes possible. 

P-13 - Heterogeneous base catalysis characterization of zeolites and mixed oxides using nitromethane as a NMR probe molecule and activity in the Michael condensation of nitromethane and cyclohex-2-en-l-one... 

The use of nitromethane as a probe of basicity of zeolites (NaX, CsX, CsX 9Cs) and mixed oxides, Mg(Al)0, is discussed. Various species (physisorbed nitromethane, aci-anion nitromethane, and methazonate salt analogue) formed upon nitromethane adsorption were characterized by C MAS NMR spectroscopy. Heterogeneous base catalysis of the Michael addition of nitromethane on cyclohex-2-en-1-one was also studied. Low rates were obtained for catalysts showing only nitromethane physisorption. Formation of aci-anion nitromethane was observed for solids of medium efficiency correlation of the chemical shift with the initial rate was established. Finally, the decrease of Lewis acidity and concomitant increase of basicity led to methazonate formation and to the more efficient catalysts. 

Fig. 11. Study of acidity and basicity with adsorbed probe molecules. Left column N Is lines of pyridine chemisorbed on Al-ZSM-22 (A),Fe-ZSM-22 (B),Al-ZSM-5 (C),Fe-ZSM-5 (D),B-ZSM-5 ( ) right column N Is lines of pyrrole chemisorbed on alkali-exchanged X. Taken from Borade RB, Huang M, Adnot A, Sayari A, Kaliaguine S (1993) Acid-base properties of zeolites an XPS approach using pyridine and pyrrole probe molecule. In New frontiers in catalysis, Proc 10th Int Congr Catal, Budapest, Hungary 1992, p 1625, with kind permission from Elsevier Science NL, Sara Burgerhartstraat 25,1055 KV Amsterdam, The Netiierlands...

Typical base-catalysed reactions that occur over alkali metal-exchanged zeolites include dehydrogenations, double bond isomerisations, side-chain alkylation of aromatics, conversion of methyl halides and a range of condensations. The reaction of alcohols over zeolites can be used to determine whether acid or base catalysis predominates. Whereas acid forms of zeolites catalyse dehydrations, leading to alkenes and the products of their subsequent reactions, basic sites catalyse dehydrogenations, leading to aldehydes and ketones. 

Anotlier important modification metliod is tire passivation of tire external crystallite surface, which may improve perfonnance in shape selective catalysis (see C2.12.7). Treatment of zeolites witli alkoxysilanes, SiCl or silane, and subsequent hydrolysis or poisoning witli bulky bases, organophosphoms compounds and arylsilanes have been used for tliis purjDose [39]. In some cases, tire improved perfonnance was, however, not related to tire masking of unselective active sites on tire outer surface but ratlier to a narrowing of tire pore diameters due to silica deposits. 

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