NMR Studies of Solid Acidity Using Probe Molecules

NMR Studies of Solid Acidity Using Probe Molecules 

For the purposes of this review, we include probe molecules that can be either directly adsorbed or formed in situ. Examples of the latter case are carbenium ions and related electrophilic species. We will also consider several important heteroatom-substituted carbenium ions and heteroatom analogs of carbenium ions. Acylium ions are the intermediates in Friedel-Crafts acylation reactions (96). The most simple, stable acylium ion is the acetylium ion, 1, and others are formally derived by replacing the methyl group with other R groups. Oxonium ions, formed by alkylation of an ether, resemble carbenium ions but are in fact onium ions in terms of their structures. Their stabilization requires strongly acidic media, and like carbenium ions, oxonium ions have been proposed as intermediates in a 

As examples of probe molecules directly introduced onto solid acids, we consider ketones and aldehydes, amines and other nitrogen-containing compounds, phosphines, and molecules that form multiple hydrogen bonds. 

In 1987, Zardkoohi, Haw, and Lunsford (97) reported 13C MAS NMR spectra of zeolite HY treated with propene-2-13C at room temperature. A 

Propene on HY was, therefore, selected for the first in situ variable-temperature study using the CAVERN method. These experiments were carried out in early 1988 and published in 1989 (93). The central features of the CAVERN experiments were that the propene was introduced into the zeolite at cryogenic temperature and the sample was manipulated so that spectral acquisition could commence with an unreacted sample. Additional spectra were then acquired as the sample was slowly raised to room temperature. Detailed experiments of this sort were carried out for propene-2-l3C and propene-7-13C and less extensive experiments were performed for propene-3-13C. These experiments showed, among other things, that the 250 ppm peak was formed coincident with a second peak at ca. 156 ppm and the relative intensities of these peaks were 2 1. A careful study of the literature of carbenium ion chemistry in sulfuric acid and superacid solution media suggested the assignment of these resonances (250 and 156 ppm) to alkyl-substituted cyclopentenyl cations similar to 4. 

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V. NMR Studies of Solid Acidity Using Probe Molecules... 

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