Br0nsted acid sites

Figure C2.12.2. Fonnation of Br0nsted acid sites in zeolites. Aqueous exchange of cation M witli an ammonium salt yields tlie ammonium fonn of tlie zeolite. Upon tliennal decomposition ammonia is released and tire proton remains as charge-balancing species. Direct ion-exchange of M witli acidic solutions is feasible for high-silica zeolites.

In two recent papers [8,10], we have initiated studies aimed at understanding the catalytic behavior of WZ and PtWZ. Our observations, which motivated the present study, can be summarized as follows, a) Water of reduction results in the formation of Br0nsted acid sites, as monitored by pulsed addition of pyridine to a DRIFTS chamber at room temperature [8,10]. In this paper, we have complemented those results with similar pyridine adsorption experiments at... 

Lewis acid site Br0nsted acid site ... 

Two-Dimensional correlation analysis to study Br0nsted acid sites in zeolites... 

For zirconia, the species in Scheme 11.4 have been proposed [67], accounting for both Br0nsted and Lewis acidity. These Br0nsted acid sites are proposed to be present only if sulfates, and possibly poly(sulfates), are also present on the top terminations of Zr02 crystallites [66]. 

According to Limtrakul and colleagues the mechanism of the Beckmann rearrangement of the oxime molecule on the Br0nsted acid site of a zeolite proceeds according to the following steps outlined in equation 73. 

Rare-earth exchanged [Ce ", La ", Sm"" and RE (RE = La/Ce/Pr/Nd)] Na-Y zeolites, K-10 montmorillonite clay and amorphous silica-alumina have also been employed as solid acid catalysts for the vapour-phase Beckmann rearrangement of salicylaldoxime 245 to benzoxazole 248 (equation 74) and of cinnamaldoxime to isoquinoline . Under appropriate reaction conditions on zeolites, salicyl aldoxime 245 undergoes E-Z isomerization followed by Beckmann rearrangement and leads to the formation of benzoxazole 248 as the major product. Fragmentation product 247 and primary amide 246 are formed as minor compounds. When catalysts with both Br0nsted and Lewis acidity were used, a correlation between the amount of Br0nsted acid sites and benzoxazole 248 yields was observed. 

In this review, we focus on cluster models of Br0nsted acid sites, bridging hydroxyl groups that result from the incorporation of trivalent aluminum atoms into the siliceous framework during synthesis. These sites are by no means the only active sites within zeolites, but they are among the best characterized. 

Experimental investigations of the interaction of methanol with a Br0nsted acid site have failed to provide unambiguous evidence as to the... 

Fig. 35. Models showing the interaction of NH3 with zeolite Br0nsted acidic sites (a) bidentate-coordinated NHJ and (b) tridentate-coordination of NHJ. (Reprinted with permission from Teunissen et al. (168). Copyright 1993 American Chemical Society.)...

In acylation with acidic ammonium and cesium salts of phosphotungstic acid, direct correlation was found between activity and the number of accessable Br0nsted acid sites.69,70 Moreover, cesium salts were found to be more active, than HY and H-Beta zeolites.70... 

The observed effects of structure on rate and on orientation, confirmed by the Brown selectivity relationship, show that there is no basic difference between heterogeneous catalytic alkylation of aromatic compounds and homogeneous electrophilic aromatic substitution, cf. nitration, sul-phonation etc. This agreement allows the formulation of the alkylation mechanism as an electrophilic attack by carbonium ion-like species formed on the surface from the alkene on Br0nsted acidic sites. The state of the aromatic compound attacked is not clear it may react directly from the gas phase (Rideal mechanism ) [348] or be adsorbed weakly on the surface [359]. 

Lewis acid sites can coordinate with a given indicator molecule to produce an adsorption band identical in position with that produced through proton addition. Even if the indicators used are responsive only to Brpn-sted acids, most basic reagents used to titrate surface acidity (e.g., n-butylamine, pyridine) are strongly adsorbed on surface sites other than Br0nsted acid sites. In this connection, a recent study indicates that adsorption equilibrium is not fully established during titration of silica-alumina with n-butylamine because of the irreversible attachment of amine molecules by adsorption sites at which they first arrive (31). 

In summary, the preceding considerations make it evident that amine titrations generally give acidity values higher than the number of strong Br0nsted acid sites that constitute the primary seat of catalytic activity. 

Br0nsted acid sites depends on the structure of the amine. Chemisorption data for amorphous oxides (54) show that 2,6-dimethylpyridine (which contains methyl groups that hinder coordination of the nitrogen atom with Lewis acids) is a more selective reagent for the determination of Br0nsted acidity than an unhindered amine such as pyridine. Jacobs and Heylen (44) arrived at a similar conclusion on the basis of an infrared study of amines chemisorbed on Y zeolite. They also found that the poisoning effectiveness of 2,6-dimethylpyridine is much greater than that of pyridine for the catalytic titration of Y zeolite. 

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