Catalyst silicalite-1 molecular sieves synthesis

In the present work the synthesis of highly dispersed niobium or titanium containing mesoporous molecular sieves catalyst by direct grafting of different niobium and titanium compounds is reported. Grafting is achieved by anchoring the desired compounds on the surface hydroxyl groups located on the inner and outer surface of siliceous MCM-41 and MCM-48 mesoporous molecular sieves. Catalytic activity was evaluated in the liquid phase epoxidation of a-pinene with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and the results are compared with widely studied titanium silicalites. The emphasis is directed mainly on catalytic applications of niobium or titanium anchored material to add a more detailed view on their structural physicochemical properties. 

The isomorphous substitution of T atoms by other elements produces novel hybrid atom molecular sieves with interesting properties. In the early 1980s, the synthesis of a zeolite material where titanium was included in the MFI framework of silicalite, that is, in the aluminum-free form of ZSM-5, was reported. The name given to the obtained material was titanium silicalite (TS-1) [27], This material was synthesized in a tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) system substantially free of metal cations. A material containing low levels (up to about 2.5 atom %) of titanium substituted into the tetrahedral positions of the MFI framework of silicalite was obtained [28], TS-1 has been shown to be a very good oxidation catalyst, mainly in combination with a peroxide, and is currently in commercial use. It is used in epoxidations and related reactions. TS-1, additionally an active and selective catalyst, is the first genuine Ti-containing microporous crystalline material. 

Up until the late seventies attempts to develop redox molecular sieves were mainly limited to the ion-exchange approach (see later). This situation changed dramatically with the discovery, by Enichem scientists in 1983 [6,7], of the unique activity of titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) as a catalyst for oxidations with 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide. Following the success of TS-1, interest in the development, and application in organic synthesis, of redox molecular sieves has increased exponentially and has been the subject of several recent reviews [8-11]. It has even provoked a revival of interest in another approach to producing redox molecular sieves the so-called ship-in-a-bottle method [12-15]. 

Another option that sometimes enables immobilization of isolated metal ions stable to leaching, and avoidance of the formation of oligomers, is the synthesis of zeolites or zeotypes containing isolated metal ions in framework positions. In these the oxidation properties of the metal atoms are associated with the main characteristics of zeolites which involve shape-selective effects and unique adsorption properties which can be tuned in terms of their hydrophobicity-hydrophi-licity, enabling selection of the proportions of reactants with different polarities that will be adsorbed in the pores. Researchers at ENI succeeded in introducing Ti into silicalite producing the TS-1 redox molecular sieve oxidation catalyst [64]. TS-1 has an MFI structure formed by a bidimensional system of channels with 0.53 nm X 0.56 nm and 0.51 nm X 0.51 nm pore dimensions. The incorporation of Ti into the framework has been demonstrated by use of several techniques-XRD, UV-visible spectrophotometry, EXAFS-XANES a good review has been published by Vayssilov [65]. 

Doubly substituted analogues of TS-1 have also been reported. Trong et al. (130) synthesized bifunctional molecular sieves with titanium and various trivalent ions, for example, Ti-MFI that also contained, Al, or Ga. Tin and vanadium have also been incorporated into the titanium silicalite structure (33,131) by a primary synthesis method. The incorporation of a second metal changes the redox properties of the materials as well as their morphology. Incorporation of tin into titanium silicalite improved the epoxidation selectivity of the catalyst compared with that of (mono-substituted) TS-1. 

A wealth of techniques can be applied at the nascence of a catalyst material. This will be illustrated using two showcases, namely the synthesis of molecular sieve silicalite-1, which possesses one of the most well-known microporous frameworks. 

Zeolites are crystalline aluminosiHcates. Their unit cells are quite complex, as they have intricate microporous structures. Currently, around 200 frameworks are known for zeolites [10], and they all have one specific characteristic chaimels and pores in the size range 2 A to 1 nm, incorporated into the framework structure. This characteristic makes them appropriate for use as, for example, molecular sieves, cation-exchange materials, supports for catalytic active phases, and catalysts themselves [11, 12]. Controlled synthesis of zeoHte materials is still a challenge, and in this regard only a few selected zeolites have been studied in detail [13]. Silicalite-1 (MFI framework) has a pure-silica stmcture, but does not have active sites. The incorporation of, for example, heteroatoms such as aluminum (ZSM-5) makes it catalytically active [14, 15]. Nevertheless, silicalite-1 can be seen as an archetype system, of which its preparation has been characterized in great detail. 

The subsequent Chapter 7 is devoted to the synthesis and characterization of molecular sieve materials containing transition metals in the framework. Authored by G. Perego, R. Millini and G. Bdlussi, this Chapter focuses on titanium-silicalite-1 which has recently been found to be a unique catalyst for selective oxidations with hydrogen peroxide. Also covered in this Chapter is the synthesis of vanadium- and iron-containing molecular sieves. 

The most efficient catalysts in liquid-phase oxidation of organic compoimds were crystalline mked oxides [1]. They are ionic mixed oxides or mixed oxides containing oxides supported on oxides. In the latter case, the catalytic activity of the oxide support is increased by adding one or more metal components or is obtained by immobilization of metal oxides on inactive oxide support. Metal ions were isomorphously substituted in framework positions of molecular sieves, for example, zeolites, silicalites, silica, aluminosilicate, aluminophosphates, silico-aluminophosphates, and so on, via hydrothermal synthesis or postsynthesis modification. Among these many mixed oxides with crystalline microporous or mesoporous structure, perovskites were also used as catalysts in liquid-phase oxidation. 

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