Toluene side-chain alkylation

Figure 15.5 Mechanism for toluene side-chain alkylation by formaldehyde [61].

EF material free, alkali exchanged zeolites are used as quite mild basic catalysts. Light alkali and alkaline earth metal zeolites, such as Na-X, Na-Y [165], alkali-MOR, Na-A and Ca-A [166], have a mild Lewis acid behavior and do not appear to have strong basic character. The same occurs for Na-silica-alumina [167]. However, heavy alkali metal zeolites such as Cs-Y actually act as base catalysts, or rather as acid-base catalysts, for example for toluene side-chain alkylation. Stronger basic character arises from impregnation of alkali zeolites with alkali salts, later... 

Let us take another and rather unusual example X type zeolite may be modified by Cs yielding a good catalyst for toluene side chain alkylation by methanol giving styrene and ethyl benzene. Cs" " element has been introduced in cationic exchange position and as tiny CS2O particles. A mechanistic study (66) has shown that such reaction follows a bifunctional mechanism and necessitates Cs both in cationic sites and in cesium oxides. A MAS-NMR study of 2 Si and 27ai has shown that Cs incorporation did not modify the material. 

Thus, overall toluene side chain alkylation is a very special probe reaction, which should only be used for probing a typical environment for this reaction as outlined in the papers mentioned. It is not recommended to be used for a more general characterization of the basic properties of the material. 

Solid super bases, prepared by successive treatment of y-alumina with alkali metal hydroxide and alkali metal, are highly active catalysts for reactions involving reactive carbanions, and have been commercialised by Sumitomo (Suzukamo et al, 1997). For example, t.vobutylbenzene, the. starting material for ibuprofen (see earlier) is produced by side-chain alkylation of toluene with propylene over a K/KOH/AI2O3 catalyst (Eqn. (14)). 

A number of papers have appeared on the use of layered double hydroxides (e.g. Mg and Al containing oxides). A meixnerite-like catalyst has been reported to give 100% selectivity for diacetone alcohol from acetone at 0 C at close to thermodynamic equilibrium conversion of 23% (Tichit and Fajula, 1999). The side-chain alkylation of toluene with propylene to give isobutyl benzene (for ibuprofen) is a well-known example where Na/K alloy on Na2C03/K2C03 is used as the catalyst. 

No commercial process is offered at this time for side chain alkylation of toluene with methanol for styrene and ethylbenzene production. In the literature the reaction is typically carried out at toluene to methanol molar ratios from 1.0 7.5 to 5 1 from 350 to 450 °C at atmospheric pressures. In some cases inert gas is introduced to assist vaporizing the liquid feed. In other cases H2 is co-fed to improve activity, selectivity and stability. Exelus recently claimed 80% yields in their ExSyM process at full methanol conversion using a 9 4 toluene methanol feed ratio at 400-425 °C and latm (101 kPa) in a bench-scale operation. This performance appears to be... 

Itoh, H., Miyamoto, A., and Murakami, Y. (1980) Mechanism of the side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol. 

Wieland, W.S., Davis, R.J., and Garces, J.M. (1996) Solid base catalysts for side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol. Catal Today, 28, 443-450. 

Palomares, A.E., Eder-Mirth, G., Rep, M., and Lercher, J.A. (1998) Alkylation of toluene over basis catalysts-key requirements for side chain alkylation. f Catal, 180, 56-65. 

Borgna, A., Magni, S., Speulveda, )., Padro, C.L., and Apesteguia, A.R. (2005) side chain alkylation of toluene with methanol on Cs-exchanged Na-Y zeolite effect of Cs loading. Catal. 

Fig. 25. Proposed mechanism of the side-chain alkylation of toluene by methanol on basic zeolites (a) and the surface species formed during the decomposition of methanol on basic zeolites (b).

Side-Chain Alkylation. There is continued interest in the alkylation of toluene with methanol because of the potential of the process in practical application to produce styrene.430 Basic catalysts, specifically, alkali cation-exchanged zeolites, were tested in the transformation. The alkali cation acts as weak Lewis acid site, and the basic sites are the framework oxygen atoms. The base strength and catalytic activity of these materials can be significantly increased by incorporating alkali metal or alkali metal oxide clusters in the zeolite supercages. Results up to 1995 are summarized in a review.430... 

A comparative study with various types of zeolite showed that Cs-exchanged X and Y zeolites were active for toluene alkylation but primarily catalyzed the decomposition of methanol to CO.431 L and Beta zeolites, in turn, were less active and required higher reaction temperature but were much more selective, providing only very little CO. Adding boron to Cs-exchanged zeolites promotes the alkylation reaction 432 It appears that boron reduces the decomposition of methanol to CO without inhibiting active sites for side-chain alkylation. 

Alkenes may also be used as reagents in side-chain alkylation. Zeolites with occluded alkali metal and alkali metal oxide clusters were tested in alkylation of toluene with ethylene439 440 Alkali metal clusters created by decomposing Na or... 

A further possibility for side-chain alkylation of toluene is oxidative methylation with methane. Catalysts with occluded alkali metal oxides, prepared by impregnating zeolites with alkali metal hydroxides followed by calcination, usually exhibit better performance.441 Further enhancement was achieved by impregnating ion-exchanged zeolites 442 Significant improvements in stability and the yields of Cg hydrocarbons were also observed when NaX was impregnated with 13% MgO which was found to increase the amounts of active sites.443... 

Gas products from the alkylation of acetonitrile were regularly analysed using the same column as used for the side-chain alkylation of toluene. Liquid products were also collected every 30 minutes in an acetone-ice bath, but were analysed using a Porapak Q column at 150-180 °C with a helium carrier gas flow rate of 30 ml/min. To investigate the effect of carbonated catalysts, especially that with the excess cesium cation "clusters", carbon dioxide was introduced to the fresh CsNaX-CsOH at the reaction temperature, 350 °C, for 30 minutes before the alkylation of acetonitrile was carried out in a flow of helium. The cesium clusters of treated catalysts were presumed to be fully carbonated (CS2CO3) clusters and the activity of this catalyst was compared with the untreated CsNaX-CsOH. 

Figure I. Conversion of toluene and methanol with the intervention of carbon dioxide in the side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol over CsNaX-CsOH...

Alkali metals supported by nanoporous carbons were proposed by Stevens et al. as non-pyrophoric solid-base catalysts with high activity in 1-butene isomerization and side-chain alkylation of toluene with propene [32, 33]. 

A material such as Na°/NaY catalyzes the aldol condensation of acetone, to form mesityl oxide and eventually isophorone. Another strong base catalyzed reaction is the side chain alkylation of toluene with ethylene. In contrast with acid catalysis, side chain reaction is strongly preferred over ring alkylation. With a Na°/NaX in the gas phase at 473 K, toluene reacts to give n-propylbenzene (66%) and the dialkylated product, 3-phenylpentane (32%) (41). 

Scheme 16. Side chain alkylation of toluene with methanol over basic zeolites.

The industrial alkylation of aromatics with olefins is one of the major examples of development of environmentally friendly processes with solid acid catalysts [221, 222]. The principal products obtained are ethylbenzene (EB), cumene (CUM), p-diethylbenzene, p-diisopropylbenzene, Cio-Ci4linear alkylbenzenes (LAB) and cymene. Figure 2.28 summarizes several aromatic alkylations industrially applied for the preparation of important chemical intermediates [222]. These reactions include the most important aromatic substrates, benzene, toluene and xylene, and different olefins. They also include two different kinds of alkylation electrophilic alkylation on the aromatic ring catalyzed by acids and side-chain alkylation catalyzed by bases. In terms of production volume, add-catalyzed alkylations are by far the most... 

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