Zirconium isopropoxide isopropanolate

Relatively few structures of alkoxo zirconium compounds have been reported. Although a dimeric structme [Zr2(/z-OlV)2(OlV)6(l OH)2] had been proposed for the crystalhne zirconium isopropoxide isopropanolate many years ago the edge-shared bi-octahedral structure was not properly determined by X-ray crystallography until 1990. An interesting feature of this structme is the location of the coordinated isopropanol molecules which are each linked by a hydrogen bond to the terminal... 

Zirconium support modification of alumina was performed by adding zirconium, in the form of zirconium isopropoxide, under an inert atmosphere to isopropanol. Alumina was added to this solution, and the mixture stirred at 60 "C for 1 hour. The solvent was removed under a vacuum of 3kPa (a) with a jacket temperature of 95 °C. The resultant modified support was subsequently calcined at 600 C for 2 hours to obtain a protected modified catalyst support. The amount of precursor was found to be 0.1 Zr atoms/nm fresh support. 

The differences in solubility of metal isopropoxides and their alcoholates have led to the crystallization of pure isopropoxide isopropanolates of some tetravalent elements. For example, zirconium tetraisopropoxide is a viscous supercooled liquid which dissolves in excess of isopropyl alcohol and crystallizes out in the form of pure white crystals which were characterized as Zr(OPr )4.Pr OH. Similarly tin tetraisopropoxide and cerium tetraisopropoxide have been obtained as crystalline alcoholates, Sn(OPr )4.Pr OH ° and Ce(OPP)4.Pr OH which were used as the starting materials for the synthesis of a number of new alkoxides. 

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