Dehydrocyclization intermediate

Increasing the octane number of a low-octane naphtha fraction is achieved by changing the molecular structure of the low octane number components. Many reactions are responsible for this change, such as the dehydrogenation of naphthenes and the dehydrocyclization of paraffins to aromatics. Catalytic reforming is considered the key process for obtaining benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX). These aromatics are important intermediates for the production of many chemicals. 

Aromatization of paraffins can occur through a dehydrocyclization reaction. Olefinic compounds formed by the beta scission can form a carbocation intermediate with the configuration conducive to cyclization. For example, if a carbocation such as that shown below is formed (by any of the methods mentioned earlier), cyclization is likely to occur. 

We have explored rare earth oxide-modified amorphous silica-aluminas as "permanent" intermediate strength acids used as supports for bifunctional catalysts. The addition of well dispersed weakly basic rare earth oxides "titrates" the stronger acid sites of amorphous silica-alumina and lowers the acid strength to the level shown by halided aluminas. Physical and chemical probes, as well as model olefin and paraffin isomerization reactions show that acid strength can be adjusted close to that of chlorided and fluorided aluminas. Metal activity is inhibited relative to halided alumina catalysts, which limits the direct metal-catalyzed dehydrocyclization reactions during paraffin reforming but does not interfere with hydroisomerization reactions. 

The focus of the next four chapters (Chapters 14-17) is mainly on the theoretical/computational aspects. Chapter 14 by T. S. Sorensen and E. C. F. Yang examines the involvement of p-hydrido cation intermediates in the context of the industrially important heptane to toluene dehydrocyclization process. Chapter 15 by P. M. Esteves et al. is devoted to theoretical studies of carbonium ions. Chapter 16 by G. L. Borosky and K. K. Laali presents a computational study on aza-PAH carbocations as models for the oxidized metabolites of Aza-PAHs. Chapter 17 by S. C. Ammal and H. Yamataka examines the borderline Beckmann rearrangement-fragmentation mechanism and explores the influence of carbocation stability on the reaction mechanism. 

MO Calculations Involving p-Hydrido Cation Intermediates Relevant to the Heptane to Toluene Dehydrocyclization Reaction... 

This introduction brings us back to the structural analogy shown earlier between the cation 1 dehydrocyclization reaction and the plausible connection between this reaction and that for a 2-octyl cation intermediate 3 (and which could include many other linear alkane carbocation systems with at least six contiguous carbons). Our initial aim therefore was to study computationally the dehydrocyclization of the cyclodecyl cation 1, to see if one could satisfactorily model this known reaction. 

So far, we have not discussed the overall reactant-product thermodynamics for these dehydrocyclization reactions (based on carbocation intermediates), and these are shown in Table III and Figure 9. 

In our calculations we will first discuss our results starting with both the 2-and 3- octyl cations (the 4- octyl cation cannot form a 1,6-p-H-structure). The n-octane conversion to aromatics, as described by Davis (8), is a good test of our proposed mechanisms, for several reasons (1) his experimental observation would require the formation of approximately equal amounts of 1,2-dimethylcyclohexane (o-xylene) and ethylcyclohexane (ethylbenzene), even though in our mechanism the structure of the needed 1,6-p-H cation intermediates are quite different, and (2) the formation of to- and p-xylene requires a prior isomerization of n-octane to 2- and 3- methylheptane, and this must be a faster reaction than the dehydrocyclization (or at least competitive with it). If our mechanisms are valid, we should be able to reproduce some aspects of the above results. 

As previously mentioned, Davis (8) has shown that in model dehydrocyclization reactions with a dual function catalyst and an n-octane feedstock, isomerization of the hydrocarbon to 2-and 3-methylheptane is faster than the dehydrocyclization reaction. Although competitive isomerization of an alkane feedstock is commonly observed in model studies using monofunctional (Pt) catalysts, some of the alkanes produced can be rationalized as products of the hydrogenolysis of substituted cyclopentanes, which in turn can be formed on platinum surfaces via free radical-like mechanisms. However, the 2- and 3-methylheptane isomers (out of a total of 18 possible C8Hi8 isomers) observed with dual function catalysts are those expected from the rearrangement of n-octane via carbocation intermediates. Such acid-catalyzed isomerizations are widely acknowledged to occur via a protonated cyclopropane structure (25, 28), in this case one derived from the 2-octyl cation, which can then be the precursor... 

In contrast to this mechanism, the one proposed in our work operates direct from the oxidation state of the alkane feedstock. The same alkyl cation intermediate can lead to both alkane isomerization (an alkyl cation is widely accepted as the reactive intermediate in these reactions) and we have shown in this paper that a mechanistically viable dehydrocyclization route is feasible starting with the identical cation. Furthermore, the relative calculated barrier for each of the above processes is in accord with the experimental finding of Davis, i.e. that isomerization of a pure alkane feedstock, n-octane, with a dual function catalyst (carbocation intermediate) leads to an equilibration with isooctanes at a faster rate than the dehydrocyclization reaction of these octane isomers (8). 

Pines and Csicsery reported on the formation of diolefins in chromia catalyzed dehydrocyclization of Cj-Cg hydrocarbons 49). The kinetic behavior of heptadienes and heptatrienes in chromia and molybdena catalyzed aromatization of unsaturated n-Cj hydrocarbons 22, 49a) indicated that they were intermediates of the reaction. 

Stepwise Ce dehydrocyclization was observed over potassia-chromia-alumina as well as potassia-molybdena-alumina catalysts (9, 10). Higher operating temperatures (450°-500°C) of these catalysts facilitate the appearance of unsaturated intermediates in the gas phase. Radiotracer studies indicate a predominant Ce ring closure of C-labeled n-heptane over pure chromia (132,132a). 

Recent data on other alloys confirm the overall classification presented above, but at the same time lead to some refinement of the picture. For example, the most diluted Pt-Au alloys revealed isomerization, identified as running via 3C intermediates. This evidence was obtained (248) by establishing the fact that pentane isomerizes on most diluted Pt-Au alloys with 100% selectivity, whereas this molecule can only isomerize via the 3C complexes. This conclusion has been confirmed by the isotopic labeling method (269). It is therefore reasonable to assume that this isomerization can also proceed on isolated Pt sites, as can a part of dehydrocyclization and the dehydrogenation. We must conclude on the basis of this information that on metals like Pt, the fast multisite and the slow one-site mechanisms of hydrocarbon reactions may operate in parallel with each other. 

In the first step 61 is dehydrocyclized to 67. This intermediate rearranges to 68, that yields 66 by nitrogen elimination. Further oxidation dehydrogenates 67 to 69, which decomposes to 63 and 64. Benzil (65) is produced by hydrolysis, 59 by oxidative cleavage of 61. 

Additional evidence to this scheme was reported applying temporal analysis of products. This technique allows the direct determination of the reaction mechanism over each catalyst. Aromatization of n-hexane was studied on Pt, Pt—Re, and Pd catalysts on various nonacidic supports, and a monofunctional aromatization pathway was established.312 Specifically, linear hydrocarbons undergo rapid dehydrogenation to unsaturated species, that is, alkenes and dienes, which is then followed by a slow 1,6-cyclization step. Cyclohexane was excluded as possible intermediate in the dehydrocyclization network. 

Platinum catalyzes at least two types of C6- dehydrocyclization, one of which involves olefinic intermediates (13, 28, 29). In the case of paraffins, this latter reaction involves the ring-closure of hexatrienes (30, 31). In the C6-dehydrocyclization of n-butylbenzene and n-pentylbenzene, phenyl-butadiene and phenylpentadiene could correspond to these triene intermediates (13, 14). The second C6-dehydrocyclization mechanism is similar to C5-dehydrocyclization, and may not involve olefinic intermediates. 

Apparently, nonacidic chromia-alumina catalyzes C5-dehydrocyclization only when the new bond is formed between a primary carbon atom and the aromatic ring. We know that the isomerization of alkylbenzenes over nonacidic chromia-alumina involves free-radical intermediates and proceeds by phenyl or vinyl migration (41, 42). One can speculate that dehydrocycli-zation also has a free-radical mechanism here. 

Kinetic studies at short residence times first suggested the following reaction sequence ethylnaphthalene dehydrogenates to vinylnaphthalene vinylnaphthalene dehydrocyclizes to acenaphthylene and finally acenaphthylene is hydrogenated to acenaphthene. However, further work by Isagulyants and co-workers, using 14C-labeled 1-vinylnaphthylene, shows that over platinum on alumina at 470°C, acenaphthene and acenaphthylene are formed from both 1-ethylnaphthalene and 1-vinylnaphthalene. Vinylnaphthalene dehydrocyclizes about three times faster than ethylnaphthalene. The vinylnaphthalene intermediate remains adsorbed on the catalyst surface during the reaction (48). 

There are at least two C6-dehydrocyclization mechanisms one of these proceeds through arylalkene intermediates and corresponds to the hexatriene-type C6-dehydrocyclization of paraffins. The other pathway is direct ring closure. It is probably related to C5-dehydrocyclization. 2-Butylnaphthalene may differentiate between the two mechanisms phenanthrene is probably formed by the first reaction, anthracene by the second. 

FIG. 13. Common intermediate for dehydrocyclization and isomerization of n-hexane and hydrogenolysis of methylcyclopentane (61). 

In his 1940 review Plate subjected the experimental material on dehydrocyclization of paraffins published to that time to a critical analysis (304) and concluded that aromatization of paraffins at the temperatures employed will depend upon the selection of proper catalysts in order to suppress the competing reactions, that the multiplet theory satisfactorily explains the mechanism of cyclization, and that intermediate formation of olefins is conceivable on oxide catalysts but can hardly occur on platinum. 

More recent work of Kazanskff and Liberman (150,151) amends the view of the Zelinskil school that gem-substituted cyclohexanes are inert under dehydrogenation conditions over platinum. They established the conversion of 3,3-dimethylhexane into 1,1-dimethylcyclohexane under dehydrocyclization conditions as an intermediate step in the formation of aromatics (toluene and m-xylene) from that paraffin. Furthermore 1,1-dimethylcyclohexane was directly converted to aromatics, although at a lower rate than cyclohexanes with substituents attached to different carbon atoms. The mechanism of aromatization of paraffins on platinum was thus shown to involve the intermediate formation of a cyclohexane. 

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