Catalyst guest molecules

Recently, Mecking et al. reported the synthesis of inverse micelles based on a hy-perbranched polyglycerol polymer. Terminal -OH groups were modified with palmi-toyl chloride and gave a polymeric catalyst soluble in organic solvents with hydrophilic core to immobilize water-soluble guest molecules such as PdCl2 or Pd(OAc)2. 

The Mn(III) complex 31b was tested as a catalyst for the epoxidation of various alkenes using sodium hypochlorite or iodosylbenzene as oxidants. Although oxidation took place, no selectivity was observed. For example, allylresorcinol was not epoxidized with rates higher than that of allylbenzene. Presumably, the substrate is not bound in the cleft of 31b because the latter is occluded by methoxy groups. It is possible that the reaction occurs on the outside of the metalloclip, which cannot discriminate between guest molecules. 

Recent work by Rabo et al. (57) opens new possibilities for controlling the activity and selectivity of zeolite catalysts. Occlusion of various guest molecules into the sodalite cavities of Y zeolites can significantly change the catalytic properties of the zeolites for carbonium-type reactions. Anions of occluded salts are located close to the center of the sodalite cavity and strongly influence the arrangement of cations in the faujasite lattice and hence the catalytic activity. 

Relaxation times T, and T2 depend on the motion of molecules which contain the nuclei (236) and their measurement often leads to the various kinetic parameters for the adsorbed molecules, the knowledge of which is essential for the understanding of the mechanism of many zeolite-mediated processes. The diffusion coefficient of the reactants and products in a catalytic reaction, which can be determined from NMR, is often rate limiting. Relaxation studies can also determine surface coverage by the sorbed species and provide information about the distribution of adsorption energy between the different sites on the surface of a catalyst. For these reasons a great deal of NMR work has been done with adsorbed species in zeolites in the course of the last twenty years. From the applied viewpoint the emphasis is on water and hydrocarbons as guest molecules from the fundamental viewpoint species such as Xe, SF6, H2, CH4, and NH3 are of special interest. 

Cation exchanged zeolites are successfully applied as catalysts or selective sorbents in separation technologies. " For both catalytic and sorption processes a concerted action of polarizing cations and basic oxygen atoms is important. In addition, transition metal cation embedded in zeolites exhibit peculiar redox properties because of the lower coordination in zeolite cavities compared to other supports." " Therefore, it is important to establish the strength and properties of active centers and their positions in the zeolite structure. Various experimental methods and simulation techniques have been applied to study the positions of cations in the zeolite framework and the interaction of the cations with guest molecules.Here, some of the most recent theoretical studies of cation exchanged zeolites are summarized. 

For ferromagnetic cobalt particles in zeolite X, spin-echo ferromagnetic resonance has been used to obtain unique structural information (S6). In addition, study of the catalytic signature of metal/zeolite catalysts has been used by the groups of Jacobs (87), Lunsford (88), and Sachtler (47,73,89). Brpnsted acid protons are identified by their O—H vibration (90,91) in FTIR or indirectly, by using guest molecules such as pyridine or trimethylphosphine (92,93). An ingenious method to characterize acid sites in zeolites was introduced by Kazansky et al., who showed by diffuse reflection IR spectroscopy that physisorbed H2 clearly discerns different types of acid sites (94). Also, the weak adsorption of CO on Brpnsted and Lewis acid sites has been used for their identification by FTIR (95). The characterization of the acid sites was achieved also by proton NMR (96). 

Analyzing the self-diffusion behavior of guest molecules in a microporous catalyst by the combined application of pulsed-field gradient NMR selfdiffusion techniques reveals the spatial distribution of transport resistances over the catalyst particles. In the case of coke deposits on ZSM-5, the distribution of carbonaceous residues over the crystal was found to be a function of the crystal morphology, the time onstream, and the chemical nature of the coke-producing reactant. In the case of ZSM-5 modified by H3PO4, the spatial distribution of the P compounds over the ZSM-5 crystals can be determined by self-diffusion measurements. Location of transport hindrances in a zeolite framework is based on self-diffusion measurements, in... 

New analytical techniques for internal catalyst properties The unique collaborative team of J. Caro et al. describes developments of NMR techniques for the study of the motions of guest molecules in zeolites. 

If the cations are hydrogen ions (see Section 3.2.4.), guest molecules may add to them to give, for example, hydronium, ammonium, oxonium, or carbenium cations. The latter two may rearrange, and then decompose or dissociate to give product(s) which can leave the zeolite. Oxonium ions in particular are central to the most economically important processes of petrochemical industry. In simpler words, hydrogen zeolites are very important catalysts. 

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