Tailoring Lewis/Brønsted acid properties of MOF nodes via hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis: simple approach with exceptional catalytic implications

The Lewis/Brønsted catalytic properties of the Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) nodes can be tuned by simply controlling the solvent employed in the synthetic procedure. In this work, we demonstrate that Hf-MOF-808 can be prepared from a material with a higher amount of Brønsted acid sites, via modulated hydrothermal synthesis, to a material with a higher proportion of unsaturated Hf Lewis acid sites, via modulated solvothermal synthesis. The Lewis/Brønsted acid properties of the resultant metallic clusters have been studied by different characterization techniques, including XAS, FTIR and NMR spectroscopies, combined with a DFT study. The different nature of the Hf-MOF-808 materials allows their application as selective catalysts in different target reactions requiring Lewis, Brønsted or Lewis–Brønsted acid pairs.

The Brønsted/Lewis acid properties of Hf-MOF-808 can be tuned by simply controlling the solvent employed in its synthesis, with direct catalytic implications on the activity and selectivity of organic reactions sensitive to the active site nature.     

Dynamics of sorption of cyclopropane in various H- and Na-zeolites

The frequency response (FR) method has been applied to study the dynamics of cyclopropane adsorption in faujasite, mordenite, beta and ZSM-5 zeolites containing Brönsted or Lewis acid sites in the concentration range of 0.586-0.772 meq/g.     

High-resolution 27Al NMR study of the states of aluminum atoms in modified natural mordenite

High-resolution ²⁷Al NMR has been applied to the states of aluminum in modified natural mordenite. Acid treatment of the natural mordenite and heat treatment of the ammonium form alter the coordination state of 6–8% of the aluminum atoms from tetrahedral (in the framework) to octahecral (at the inner surfaces of the zeolite cavities). In that state, the aluminum can exchange with Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, and other cations. This change in coordination state should have a considerable effect on the catalytic parameters of zeolites.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, No. 2, pp. 241–244, March–April, 1987.     

N<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CO as probe molecules for determining the properties of acid sites on the surface of zeolites

The applicability of molecular nitrogen as a probe for the Brønsted and Lewis acid sites of HNaY and HZSM-5 zeolites was studied by Fourier transform IR spectroscopy. The integrated absorption coefficients of bands due to N—N vibrations in complexes with Brønsted and Lewis acid sites were determined. The correlation between the integrated absorption coefficients and the positions of bands due to N—N vibrations in nitrogen interacting with the acid sites of test samples is discussed. We propose using the low-temperature adsorption of nitrogen for express determination of the concentrations of strong Lewis and Brønsted acid sites in zeolites.Translated from Kinetika i Kataliz, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2005, pp. 108–114.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Malyshev, Paukshtis, Malysheva, Toktarev, Vostrikova.     

Three-coordinate aluminum in zeolites observed with in situ x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy at the Al K-edge: flexibility of aluminum coordinations in zeolites

Application of in situ X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) at the Al K-edge provides unique insight into the flexibilty of the aluminum coordinations in zeolites as a function of treatment or during true reaction conditions. A unique, previously not observed, pre-edge feature is detected in zeolites H-Mordenite and steamed and unsteamed H-Beta at temperatures above 675 K. Spectra simulations using the full multiple scattering code Feff8 identify the unique pre-edge feature as three-coordinate aluminum. The amount of three-fold coordinated aluminum is a function of temperature and pretreatment of a zeolite: a steamed zeolite Beta contains more three-coordinate aluminum than an unsteamed sample. No clear differences between zeolites H-Mordenite and H-Beta were observed. Octahedrally coordinated aluminum forms in zeolites H-Mordenite and H-Beta at room temperature in a stream of wet helium. This octahedrally coordinated aluminum is unstable at temperatures higher than 395 K, where it quantitatively reverts to the tetrahedral coordination.     

Effect of temperature on aluminum coordination in zeolites H-Y and H-USY and amorphous silica-alumina: an in situ Al K edge XANES study

In situ Al K edge XANES spectroscopy shows that the fraction of octahedrally coordinated aluminum in amorphous silica-alumina (ASA) and ultrastable Y zeolite (USY) decreases with increasing temperature under vacuum. In H-USY, about 10% of the aluminum remains octahedrally coordinated at 673 K, while, in ASA, virtually all the octahedrally coordinated aluminum is converted to tetrahedral coordination. In crystalline nonsteamed protonic zeolites, the fraction of octahedrally coordinated aluminum decreased to zero at 300 K. This is ascribed to the greater flexibility of the amorphous silica-alumina network in hosting water molecules and to the high concentration of silanol groups, which stabilize the hydrogen bonds. A large fraction of the nonframework aluminum in USY is amorphous silica-alumina.     

A new method for characterizing solid surface acidity - an infrared spectroscopic method using probe molecules such as N2 and rare gases

A new infrared-spectroscopic method to characterize acid sites of zeolites using small and weakly basic molecules such as diatomic and monoatomic molecules is reviewed. It has been revealed that N2 is an effective probe molecule to characterize both Brønsted acidity and Lewis acidity of H-form zeolites. The characteristics of the N 2 probe are discussed in detail in comparison with the CO probe. O2 and rare gases have also been applied to monitor the strong acid sites in the H-form zeolites. Further, the studies of the adsorption of water on H-form zeolites are shortly reviewed: a recent IR study of the H₂ ¹⁸O adsorption on H-ZSM-5 has given direct experimental evidence that the main feature of the observed IR bands is due to the hydrogen-bonded adsorption of water on the Brønsted acid sites.     

Acidic Properties of Sulfated Zirconia

IR spectroscopy of adsorbed probe molecules (CO, pyridine) is used to characterize the acidic properties of sulfated zirconia derived from zirconium oxide and hydroxide. Their acidic properties are found to be similar. The strength of the Lewis and Brönsted site measured by the frequency shift of adsorbed CO is lower than that in zeolites. It is concluded that sulfated zirconia have no superacid Brönsted and Lewis sites. Brönsted sites capable of protonating pyridine vanish when calcining the catalysts at temperature above 773 K, but the strength and concentration of the Lewis acid sites (LAS) do not change.     

Evidence for Lewis and Brønsted Acid Sites on MgO Obtained by Sol-Gel

Traditionally, magnesium oxide has been considered a typical basic catalyst, catalyst carrier and/or adsorbent. In this study MgO was prepared using Mg-ethoxide dissolved in ethanol and hydrolyzed with various aqueous inorganic acids and bases. We have found that it is possible to induce Brønsted and Lewis acid sites depending on the method of preparation and, more specifically, on the type of inorganic acids used in the hydrolysis stage. In the FTIR spectra of adsorbed pyridine on MgO obtained using aqueous HCl (pH = 3), the bands corresponding to Lewis (1603, 1496 and 1444 cm–1) and Brønsted (1550 cm–1) acid sites are observed. The fact that upon vacuum and high temperature treatment, i.e., at 773 K, the above mentioned bands are clearly distinguishable indicated that the acid sites are very strong. On the other hand, the MgO materials obtained using aqueous acetic acid as a hydrolysis catalyst (pH = 5), and that without any catalyst (pH = 7) showed only Lewis acid sites which decreased markedly upon higher temperature treatment. When aqueous NH4OH (pH = 9) was used as the hydrolysis catalyst, the MgO obtained showed only Lewis acid sites. In all cases the number of Lewis acid sites was greater than that of Brønsted sites.     

Brønsted acid catalysis of photosensitized cycloadditions

Catalysis is central to contemporary synthetic chemistry. There has been a recent recognition that the rates of photochemical reactions can be profoundly impacted by the use of Lewis acid catalysts and co-catalysts. Herein, we show that Brønsted acids can also modulate the reactivity of excited-state organic reactions. Brønsted acids dramatically increase the rate of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-sensitized [2 + 2] photocycloadditions between C-cinnamoyl imidazoles and a range of electron-rich alkene reaction partners. A combination of experimental and computational studies supports a mechanism in which the Brønsted acid co-catalyst accelerates triplet energy transfer from the excited-state [Ru*(bpy)₃]²⁺ chromophore to the Brønsted acid activated C-cinnamoyl imidazole. Computational evidence further suggests the importance of driving force as well as geometrical reorganization, in which the protonation of the imidazole decreases the reorganization penalty during the energy transfer event.

Brønsted acids can catalyze triplet energy transfer reactions, and DFT computations suggest the unexpected importance of reorganization energy for catalysis.     

Brønsted/Lewis acid synergy in dealuminated HY zeolite: a combined solid-state NMR and theoretical calculation study

The Br?nsted/Lewis acid synergy in dealuminated HY zeolite has been studied using solid-state NMR and density function theory (DFT) calculation. The 1H double quantum magic-angle spinning (DQ-MAS) NMR results have revealed, for the first time, the detailed spatial proximities of Lewis and Br?nsted acid sites. The results from 13C NMR of adsorbed acetone as well as DFT calculation demonstrated that the Br?nsted/Lewis acid synergy considerably enhanced the Br?nsted acid strength of dealuminated HY zeolite. Two types of Br?nsted acid sites (with enhanced acidity) in close proximity to extra-framework aluminum (EFAL) species were identified in the dealuminated HY zeolite. The NMR and DFT calculation results further revealed the detailed structures of EFAL species and the mechanism of Br?nsted/Lewis acid synergy. Extra-framework Al(OH)3 and Al(OH)2+ species in the supercage cage and Al(OH)2+ species in the sodalite cage are the preferred Lewis acid sites. Moreover, it is the coordination of the EFAL species to the oxygen atom nearest the framework aluminum that leads to the enhanced acidity of dealuminated HY zeolite though there is no direct interaction (such as the hydrogen-bonding) between the EFAL species and the Br?nsted acid sites. All these findings are expected to be important in understanding the roles of Lewis acid and its synergy with the Br?nsted acid in numerous zeolite-mediated hydrocarbon reactions.     

应用原位漫反射红外-质谱技术研究CuO/Al2O3催化剂表面酸性及其反应性能

应用原位漫反射红外-质谱联用、程序升温和暂态响应技术研究了CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂表面酸性及其反应性能. 实验结果表明, CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂表面呈Lewis酸性, 硫化不仅可增强CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂的Lewis酸性, 而且可产生新的Brønsted酸性位; 吸附于Lewis酸性位的NH₃具有选择性催化还原(SCR)活性. 而在硫化样Cu8(400S)中Lewis和Brønsted酸性位同时存在的情况下, 吸附于Lewis和Brønsted酸性位的氨均具有SCR活性, 且后者较前者弱; CuO/Al₂O₃催化剂上的SCR反应遵循Eley-Rideal机理, 即SCR反应发生于吸附态NH₃与气相NO之间.     

Acid properties of semicrystalline zeolitic mesoporous UL-ZSM-5 materials

UL-ZSM-5 materials have been prepared by templated solid-state crystallization of zeolites starting from the amorphous mesostructured aluminosilicate Al-Meso. Microcalorimetry and FTIR have been employed to characterize their surface acidity. In good agreement with ²⁷Al MAS NMR data, UL-ZSM-5 displayed an improved density and strength of Brönsted acid sites, as compared to Al-Meso, owing to the incorporation of aluminium in a tetrahedral environment similar to that of zeolite ZSM-5. Moreover, they showed an enhanced Brönsted/Lewis relative acid ratio. However, Al-Meso showed the highest concentration of strong Lewis acid sites due to its largest amount of aluminium in extraframework positions.     

An in situ Al K-edge XAS investigation of the local environment of H+- and Cu+-exchanged USY and ZSM-5 zeolites

Aluminum coordination in the framework of USY and ZSM-5 zeolites containing charge-compensating cations (NH4+, H+, or Cu+) was investigated by Al K-edge EXAFS and XANES. This work was performed using a newly developed in-situ cell designed especially for acquiring soft X-ray absorption data. Both tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Al were observed for hydrated H-USY and H-ZSM-5, in good agreement with 27Al NMR analyses. Upon dehydration, water desorbed from the zeolite, and octahedrally coordinated Al was converted progressively to tetrahedrally coordinated Al. These observations confirmed the hypothesis that the interaction of water with Br?nsted acid protons can lead to octahedral coordination of Al without loss of Al from the zeolite lattice. When H+ is replaced with NH4+ or Cu+, charge compensating species that absorb less water, less octahedrally coordinated Al was observed. Analysis of Al K-edge EXAFS data indicates that the Al-O bond distance for tetrahedrally coordinated Al in dehydrated USY and ZSM-5 is 1.67 angstroms. Simulation of k3chi(k) for Cu+ exchanged ZSM-5 leads to an estimated distance between Cu+ and framework Al atoms of 2.79 angstroms.     

催化裂化条件下噻吩与改性Y分子筛的作用机制

以HY、NiY和稀土离子改性的Y分子筛(REY)为研究对象,采用固定床装置评价噻吩模拟油催化裂化性能;运用气相色谱-氢火焰离子发光检测器(GC-FID)、气相色谱-硫化学发光检测器(GC-SCD)和原位红外光谱技术分析产物,关联分子筛的酸性,研究催化裂化条件下噻吩与改性Y分子筛的作用机制。实验结果表明,催化裂化条件下,噻吩与分子筛的作用机制差异主要取决于与B酸或L酸相关的非骨架铝物种或金属离子物种的存在形式。其中,NiY分子筛中,噻吩主要是吸附在与NiOH⁺物种相关的L酸中心,而Ni₄AlO₄³⁺等物种减弱B酸性中心从而降低其裂化性能。对HY来说,噻吩易在与AlO⁺等物种相邻的B酸中心上聚合形成三联噻吩,并发生一定的氢转移和裂化反应;而对REY而言,分子筛中与RE物种相关的L酸位会促进噻吩在与非骨架铝羟基等物种(如Al(OH)₂⁺、Al(OH)²⁺等)相邻的B酸中心形成的二联噻吩发生氢转移和裂化反应。     

Acid activated montmorillonite and vermiculite clays as dehydration and cracking catalysts

Treatment of montmorillonite and vermiculite with hydrochloric acid results in an overall increase in acidity and acidic sites. IR and DSC studies of base adsorbed catalysts have revealed the heterogeneity of surface acidity on the activated catalysts. Clay catalysts have been found to dehydrate 1-butanol to 1-butene, which directly isomerizes tocis- andtrans-2-butenes, confirming the presence of Lewis and Brönsted acid sites. Cumene cracking studies using the clay catalyst also confirm the presence of Brönsted acid sites. The temperature and concentration of acid have been found to have a significant influence on the catalytic activity.     

Efficient use of bifunctional acid-base properties for alkylammonium formation in amine-substituted zeolites

The formation of alkylammonium groups in amine-doped zeolites is studied using density functional theory on small clusters representing the chemically active site. The presence of both strong Lewis base and Br?nsted acid sites leads to a significant lowering of reaction barriers as opposed to alkoxide formation in full-oxygen zeolites. Furthermore, amine-substituted zeolites suggest novel reaction pathways that are not solely centralized around the aluminum substitution but in which two tetrahedral sites are involved, maximizing use of the zeolitic acid site and its surroundings. An investigation of the proton mobility in these yet to be synthesized materials demonstrates the need for minimizing the amount of Al-NH-Si bridges, as to prevent protonation of the amine group.     

Interactions of phosphorous molecules with the acid sites of H-Beta zeolite: Insights from solid-state NMR techniques and theoretical calculations

The local structures of various Brønsted and Lewis acid sites in H-Beta zeolite were resolved with the combined ³¹P MAS NMR, ³¹P–²⁷Al TRAPDOR NMR experiments and theoretical calculations at different levels. In addition, the interacting mechanisms of these acid sites with probe molecules such as trimethylphosphine (TMP) and trimethylphosphine oxide (TMPO) were clarified, which greatly aids the understanding of acid catalysis. Owing to the narrow chemical shift range and close Brønsted acid strengths, only an average resonance at −4.5 ppm was observed in TMP adsorbed H-Beta zeolite, consistent with the calculated data of acidities (substitution energies and proton affinities), geometries, adsorption energies as well as ³¹P chemical shifts. However, two types of Brønsted acids were distinguished by TMPO, and the HF/DZVP2 (MP2/DZVP2) chemical shifts were calculated at 68.1 (69.5) and 69.7–72.1 (71.7–74.9) ppm, respectively. Two types of Lewis acids were identified at −32.0 and −47.0 ppm with the latter exhibiting strong ³¹P–²⁷Al TRAPDOR effects. With theoretical calculations, these two peaks were attributed to the extra-lattice oxo-AlOH²⁺ species and the three-fold coordinated lattice-Al, extra-framework Al(OH)₃, oxo-AlO⁺ species, respectively. The peak at −60.0 ppm was conventionally assigned to the TMP physisorption, but the calculations indicated that the EFAL monovalent Al(OH)₂⁺ species coordinating with two lattice-O atoms near the framework Al atom can contribute to it as well.     

On the Role of Protonic Acid Sites in Cu Loaded FAU31 Zeolite as a Catalyst for the Catalytic Transformation of Furfural to Furan

The aim of the present paper is to study the speciation and the role of different active site types (copper species and Brønsted acid sites) in the direct synthesis of furan from furfural catalyzed by copper-exchanged FAU31 zeolite. Four series of samples were prepared by using different conditions of post-synthesis treatment, which exhibit none, one or two types of active sites. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, low-temperature sorption of nitrogen, SEM, H₂-TPR, NMR and by means of IR spectroscopy with ammonia and CO sorption as probe molecules to assess the types of active sites. All catalyst underwent catalytic tests. The performed experiments allowed to propose the relation between the kind of active centers (Cu or Brønsted acid sites) and the type of detected products (2-metylfuran and furan) obtained in the studied reaction. It was found that the production of 2-methylfuran (in trace amounts) is determined by the presence of the redox-type centers, while the protonic acid sites are mainly responsible for the furan production and catalytic activity in the whole temperature range. All studied catalysts revealed very high susceptibility to coking due to polymerization of furfural.