Synthesis of Ethyl Methyl Ether Over Solid Acid Catalysts

The alkylation of methanol by triethylamine to form ethyl methyl ether was studied in the temperature range 310-330°C using γ-alumina and silica-aluminas differing in their silica content. The effect of treating γ-alumina with hydrochloric and boric acid on the reaction rate was also investigated. The results obtained for ether formation over γ-alumina show that the reaction is first order for methanol and zero orde for triethylamine. Alumina-H₃BO₃ was found to be the most active catalyst whereas alumina-HCl is the least active towards ether formation. The activity of silica-alumina is proportional to its silica contents.     

Formation and phase transition of cobalt molybdate in cobalt oxide-molybdenum trioxide-alumina system

In the cobalt oxide-molybdenum trioxide-alumina system with a molar ratio of 1:1:1, the amounts of the high-temperature modification (a) of CoMoO₄ formed during heating from 500 to 800°C and the low-temperature modification (b) formed by phase transition during the subsequent cooling to room temperature are influenced by the kinds of alumina used, such as α-, γ- and calcined γ-aluminas. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that in an α-alumina system formation of a-CoMoO₄ is most favorable at a calcination temperature of 500°C and phase transition from a- to b-CoMoO₄ during cooling is enhanced by higher calcination temperatures. In the γ-alumina system, formation of a-CoMoO₄ is slight at 500°C but increases with increase in the calcination temperature, as does slightly the degree of phase transition from a- to b-CoMoO₄ upon cooling. In a system containing calcined γ-alumina, formation of a-CoMoO₄ similar to α- and γ-alumina systems was observed to occur at 500°C and 800°C, respectively, together with phase transition to b-CoMoO₄ during cooling. The degree of dispersion in the CoOMoO₃ coexistent system is affected by the particle size of aluminas, such as coarse α-, fine amorphous γ- and calcined γ-alumina consisting of both sizes, as observed with electron microscopy. Presence of finer γ-alumina is considered to suppress or retard the solid state reaction and phase transition.     

Hydrogenation of styrene oxide in the presence of supported platinum catalysts to produce 2-phenylethanol

Gas-phase hydrogenation of styrene oxide was investigated using platinum catalysts deposited on magnesia, γ-alumina and activated carbon (AC), at atmospheric pressure and within a wide range of temperature (348–398 K). In order to correlate the chemical and textural properties with the catalytic activity, all catalysts were characterized by several techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), H₂-temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) N₂ physisorption and H₂ chemisorption. Obtained results indicate that the catalytic activity and the selectivity were affected by the nature of the support. In the presence of MgO or activated carbon, as supports, the main product was 2-phenylethanol (2-PEA). However, when the support was γ-alumina, the main product was phenylacetaldehyde (PAD). The basic character of the support led to the formation of the less substituted alcohol (2-PEA). This was obtained at high conversion (85%) with practically total selectivity (around 99%). However, more acid support such as γ-alumina led to the formation of the more substituted alcohol 1-phenylethanol (1-PEA) and phenylacetaldehyde, mainly due to the isomerisation of the epoxide. Consequently, the acid–base character of the support plays an important role in the selectivity of this reaction.     

Influence of different templates on the morphology of mesoporous aluminas

Mesoporous alumina has many environmental applications as catalysts support and adsorption or separation material. We studied the synthesis conditions for the mesoporous alumina formation from aluminum isopropoxide in the presence of anionic (lauric and stearic acid), cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) and non-ionic (triblock poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-polyethyleneoxide, P123) templates. The X-ray diffraction data show that the alumina mesophases obtained at 550°C in the presence of fatty acids or P123 have amorphous walls, whereas the samples prepared at 500°C by using CTAB, in alkaline medium are crystalline with a γ-alumina structure. The solvothermal treatment caused the alumina mesophase with crystalline walls to be obtained at 550°C. The samples were investigated by nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy. The obtained alumina mesophases have specific surface areas in the range of 300–450 m² g⁻¹, narrow pore size distribution, and different morphology depending on the template used in the synthesis.      

Ethanol steam reforming on Ni/Al2O3 catalysts: effect of the addition of Zn and Pt

Ni-based catalysts supported on Zn-modified alumina were investigated in the ethanol steam reforming reaction. A commercial γ-alumina was impregnated with different amounts of zinc nitrate (0, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20 wt.% on Zn basis), calcined, and then impregnated with nickel nitrate aqueous solutions. The samples were characterized by a number of techniques: N(2) adsorption at 77 K, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). Their catalytic behavior in the ethanol steam reforming reaction was studied at 873 K, with a H(2)O/ethanol ratio of 5:1. Two effects of the presence of Zn were detected. On the one hand, zinc modifies the surface structure and the surface chemistry of the catalysts by formation of zinc aluminates, and on the other hand, zinc oxide can be reduced to metallic zinc under reaction conditions, thus modifying the catalytic properties of the active phase. The presence of Zn increases the ethanol conversion to gaseous compounds as compared with the catalyst supported on the Zn-free commercial alumina. The addition of a small amount of Pt (1 wt.%) causes a beneficial effect in the reaction. When Ni catalysts were used without a previous reduction treatment, ethylene was formed in high amounts; however, the Pt-Ni catalysts need no reduction pre-treatment to achieve high H(2) yields (close to 70%) and showed a high stability versus time on stream because of the control of the production of ethylene, a coke precursor.     

x-氧化铝的添加对纯的和修饰的y-氧化铝上H_2S氧化反应性能的影响（英文）

考察了y-Al_2O_3,(y+x)-Al_2O_3和α-Al_2O_3的结构性质和酸性对其催化H_2S直接氧化反应性能(活性、选择性和稳定性)的影响.采用红外光谱(FTIR)与氨-程序升温脱附(NH3-TPD)方法对氧化铝作用下H_2S转化为S的反应性能与其酸性进行了比较.结果显示,H_2S吸附主要发生在弱Lewis酸位.含有x相和/或Mg~(2+)修饰的y-Al_2O_3样品具有更高浓度的弱Lewis酸位,并表现出更高的催化活性.当氧化铝样品用硫酸溶液处理后,表现出强Lewis酸位性质,且Lewis酸位点数量显著下降.而当用HCl对氧化铝进行修饰时,其对Lewis酸位强度的影响很小,保持着弱Lewis酸位的性质,且其Lewis酸位数量与未修饰的样品相比增加了二倍,但处理过的样品中含有Al–Cl键.用硫酸盐和氯离子修饰过的氧化铝样品在H_2S氧化反应中的催化性能均较低.     

Hybrid silica-organic material with immobilized amino groups: surface probing and use for electrochemical determination of nitrite ions

A sol–gel based hybrid process was developed by manipulating different techniques in sol–gel process to synthesize γ-alumina and (CuO, CuO + ZnO) doped γ-alumina spherical particles. Catalysts having spherical geometry have an important advantage over powders or pellets which are impervious to fluids, when packed in a reactor. Boehmite sol was used as alumina precursor for synthesizing porous γ-alumina and doped materials. γ-alumina particles having 5 wt% CuO, 4 wt% CuO + 1 wt% ZnO, 3 wt% CuO + 2 wt% ZnO and 2 wt% CuO + 3 wt% ZnO were prepared by adding required amounts of Cu(NO₃)₂ and Zn(NO₃)₂ solutions prior to gelation of the sol. Methanol dehydration studies were carried out by employing these synthesized catalysts. Hundred percent conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether was observed with (4 wt% CuO + 1 wt% ZnO)-γ-alumina and (5 wt% CuO)-γ-alumina microspheres at 325 and 350 °C, respectively.     

Iron Oxide Supported on Al2O3 Catalyst for Methane Decomposition Reaction: Effect of MgO Additive and Calcination Temperature

Production of hydrogen is a challenging task and have significant impact in the recent scenario. The alumina supported iron oxide nanoparticle synthesized using non‐ionic surfactant Triton‐X was found very effective for steady production of hydrogen through methane decomposition reaction. The high surface area, easily reducible catalyst calcined at 500 °C and 800 °C temperature showed steady activity towards methane decomposition reaction. At a higher reaction temperature there was catalyst deactivation. The doping of MgO facilitated particle growth rendering the poor catalytic activity. The TPR study showed that reducibility of TPR was difficult in presence of MgO additive. The formation of Fe? Mg? Al solid solution confirmed by XRD study was found mainly responsible for the lower catalytic activity. The bamboo‐shaped carbon nanotube formed from 20 % Fe/Al₂O₃ catalyst which is mainly because of the poor wetting property of quasi‐liquid metal and carbon nanotube.     

Synthesis and characterization of Fe doped mesoporous Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> by sol–gel method and its use in trichloroethylene combustion

Two mesoporous alumina samples were synthesized using the sol–gel method, and these samples were tested as catalysts in trichloroethylene combustion reaction. One alumina sample was doped with Fe to study the influence of a small amount of this agent on the characteristics and properties of alumina as a catalyst. Both catalysts (pure alumina and alumina doped with Fe) were thoroughly characterized by different techniques, such as DTA/TGA, FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TEM, and the porous characterization was conducted using a N₂ physisorption technique. The doping agent presented a particular influence on the morphology and textural porosity in the alumina catalyst and therefore, it exhibited different catalytic behavior than the pure alumina catalyst. For both catalysts, the crystalline phase of γ-alumina was reported using XRD technique, and the crystallite size ranged from 7.8 to 12.8 nm. Using TEM images, the alumina catalyst doped with Fe revealed to contain a mixture of three types of iron oxide (maghemite, magnetite and hematite), mainly as roughly spherical nanoparticles. For both alumina catalysts, trichloroethylene catalytic combustion was conducted on a packed bed reactor in air at a temperature range of 50 to 600 °C. The alumina catalyst doped with Fe showed a higher catalytic activity than pure alumina, mainly due to the presence of micropores and grain morphology of flat faces.     

Heterogeneous strong base catalysis in supercritical carbon dioxide by mesoporous alumina and sulfated mesoporous alumina

The development of solid strong base catalysts utilizable in green but acidic medium of scCO₂ is reviewed. The strong base sites on mesoporous alumina and sulfated mesoporous alumina that had been generated by severe treatment at 773 K under vacuum (10^?4 Torr) were not neutralized by the compressed Lewis acidic molecules of CO₂, promoting a representative strong base-catalyzed reaction of the Tishchenko reaction as well as a typical base-catalyzed reaction of the Knoevenagel reaction in scCO₂. Infrared spectroscopy of the adsorbed pyrrole, temperature-programmed desorption of CO₂, and the poisoning by a very weak Brönsted acid of methanol have revealed that the average strengths of the base sites on mesoporous alumina and sulfated mesoporous alumina are weaker than that on conventional γ-alumina like JRC-ALO-4, but that they have a small number of strong base sites which function even in scCO₂ medium. It was found that the addition of a slight amount of THF cosolvent into scCO₂ remarkably accelerates the Tishchenko reaction over sulfated mesoporous alumina; the reaction rate in the scCO₂–THF medium was 1.5-fold and 2-fold faster than those in ordinary organic solvents such as benzene and THF and that in pure scCO₂, respectively. The unique structures of mesoporous alumina and sulfated mesoporous alumina have been fully characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements and XRD analyses.     

The reaction of ethylene sulfide with isothiocyanates

Ethylene sulfide reacts with isothlocyanates in the presence of triethylamine catalyst at 20°C, to give low-molecular copolymerization products having the general formula [-C(NR)-S-CH₂-CH₂-S-]n. Their hydrolysis gives a salt of the amine and [-C(O)-S-CH₂CH₂S-]_n. Vacuum-heating the latter gives ethylenedithiocarbonate, and hydrogen peroxide oxidation in formic acid gives ethane disulfonic acid. Treatment of the copolymer from phenyl isothiocyanate and ethylene sulfide with liquid ammonia, amines, or aqueous alkali results in splitting and formation of 2-phenylimino-1,3-dithiolane, while its reaction with ethylene oxide in the presence of triethylamine gives 3-phenyloxazolid-2-one.

     

Surface reactions of dimethyl ether on γ-Al2O3: 1. Adsorption and thermal effects

Reactions of dimethyl ether (DME) over γ-Al₂O₃ at 250°C have been investigated in a flow catalytic reactor. The main products of the interaction between DME and alumina are methanol and water. Heat evolution is observed as DME is passed over alumina, and replacing DME with nitrogen gives way to heat absorption. Calcination of alumina before the reaction considerably strengthens the exotherm, which is due to DME adsorption, while the endotherm is due to the desorption of weakly bound DME. The role of the hydroxyl groups of γ-Al₂O₃ in methanol and water formation has been elucidated. Treating alumina with water vapor after bringing it into contact with DME completely restores the hydroxyl cover and replaces strongly adsorbed DME with hydroxyl groups.     

Performance of the ρ- Al2O3 based Ag promoted Pd/ Al2O3 catalyst during Acetylene hydrogenation with an ideal feed

Catalytic hydrogenation of acetylene was studied with an ideal feed with a catalyst prepared from different alumina support and with varying quantities of promoter addition. Silver promoted palladium alumina catalysts were prepared on the transition alumina, ρ-alumina and the catalyst performance was compared with the traditional palladium alumina catalyst based on α-alumina. The catalyst supports were prepared using the granulation technique and sequential impregnation method was used for the catalyst preparation. The silver metal loading was varied in the catalysts and the impact of varied promoter quantity was also studied. The supports were characterized for the acidity, alumina phase, and catalyst characterization was done using TEM, TPR, and BET method to understand the difference between catalysts prepared on different types of alumina support. A fixed bed catalyst reaction was used for the performance evaluation and an ideal gas with acetylene and nitrogen was used as the feed. The catalyst evaluation gives the comparative performance of the catalysts at different temperature conditions. Acetylene conversion and ethylene selectivity in the product were evaluated. The spent catalyst analysis was done using TGA and CHN analysis was performed to understand the carbon deposition and by-product formation during the reaction with different types of catalysts.     

Modification of ceramic membranes by alcohol adsorption

This study aims at modifying ceramic membranes by means of alcohol chemisorption. Composite ceramic membranes with a skin layer of γ-alumina were used. First, the adsorption of several alcohol on powdered γ-alumina was investigated emphasising the thermal stability of the adsorbed compounds. Later, a commercial γ-alumina membrane was modified by alcohol adsorption. The permeability of water and several organic compounds was obtained for both the non-modified and modified ceramic membrane. Also, its isoelectric point was determined. The results prove that all the alcohol were readily adsorbed on powdered γ-alumina not only physically but also chemically forming an alkoxide. The chemisorbed alcohol was stable up to 200°C. Beyond this temperature, the alkoxide breaks up releasing the alcohol although the alkoxide also can react yielding an olefin or ether. The ceramic membrane was also successfully modified by alcohol adsorption. The layer of chemisorbed alcohol imparts hydrophobic characteristics to the membrane surface, so water permeability decreases significantly. This cannot be merely explained by pore size reduction due to the adsorbed layer. Thermal treatment at 250°C recovered original permeability with only minor damage to the membrane.     

Effect of porosity of α-alumina on non-thermal plasma decomposition of ethylene in a dielectric-packed bed reactor

The performances of the porous and nonporous α-alumina (α-Al₂O₃) for the decomposition of ethylene in a dielectric-packed bed plasma reactor were comparatively examined with respect to the decomposition efficiency and the formation of byproducts. The decomposition was mainly controlled by discharge power, oxygen content, and properties of the alumina, such as porosity and surface area. The addition of a small quantity of oxygen led to an increase in the generation of oxidative species which eventually increased the ethylene decomposition efficiency. In the presence of 5 % oxygen, ethylene at an initial concentration of 1,898 ppm was completely oxidized into CO or CO₂ when using the porous α-alumina. On the other hand, the nonporous α-alumina resulted in an incomplete oxidation, producing several carbon-containing byproducts other than CO and CO₂. Moreover, with the other conditions kept constant, the decomposition efficiency obtained with the porous α-alumina was higher than that with the nonporous one, suggesting the adsorption capability of the packing material plays an important role in the decomposition process.     

Etude de la stabilisation du polychlorure de vinyle avec des composes modeles—III. Action des stearates de zinc et de calcium

Esterification of chloro-4-hexene-2 with zinc stearate in tetrahydrofuran at 60° is a moderate reaction, strongly catalysed by zinc chloride. That catalyst is necessary in the case of calcium stearate. The synergistic effect between the two reactants cannot be explained first by the exchange reaction between zinc chloride and calcium stearate; that reaction is reversible and limited. A better explanation is based on the formation of complexes between both stearates, or both chlorides, or eventually between zinc chloride and calcium stearate. The catalytic activity of zinc chloride in these complexes is decreased or even inhibited. There is no true synergistic effect between aliphatic phosphites and zinc stearate at 60° in THF. There is only catalysis of allylic chlorine substitution by a phosphonate group by the zinc chloride produced in the reaction. In dichloroethane at 60°, each of the two stearates has a stabilizing effect, although by different mechanisms, zinc stearate being more active; the zinc chloride which is formed is a catalyst, in the presence of hydrochloric acid, for hexadiene oligomerization. Transposition of the previous results to the polymer has been carried out by using a Brabender plastograph. A direct correlation has been obtained concerning the efficiency of mixtures of the two stearates versus the dehydrochlorination and the crosslinking reactions.     

γ-Alumina-supported boron trifluoride: Catalysis, radiotracer studies and computations

The irreversible adsorption of boron trifluoride on calcined γ-alumina and amorphous chromia, in both cases at room temperature, has been studied using [¹⁸F]-labelled BF₃. Although the resulting γ-alumina surface has some catalytic activity for the room temperature fluorination by anhydrous HF of CH₃CCl₃ under static conditions, its activity is far lower than that of γ-alumina, which has been fluorinated with SF₄, nominally at room temperature. A possible explanation for the observed behaviour is given.     

Extraction and characterization of highly pure alumina (α, γ, and θ) polymorphs from waste beverage cans: A viable waste management approach

The recycling and recovery of important materials from inexpensive feedstock has now become an intriguing area and vital from commercial and environmental viewpoints. In the present work, extraction of different single phases of alumina (α, γ, θ-Al₂O₃) having high purity (>99.5 %) from locally available waste beverage cans (～95 % Al) through facile precipitation route calcined at distinct temperatures has been reported. The optimization of process technology was done by a variety of different synthesis parameters, and the production cost was estimated between 84.47-87.45 USD per kg of alumina powder. The as prepared alumina fine particles have been characterized using different sophisticated techniques viz. TG-DTA, WD-XRF, XRD, FT-IR, SEM, DLS-based particle size analysis (PSA) with zeta (ζ) potential measurement and UV–Visible Spectroscopy. X-ray diffractogram confirms the formation of γ-, θ-, and α-alumina at 500–700 °C, 900–1000 °C, and 1200 °C respectively and crystallite size, crystallinity, strain, dislocation density, and specific surface area were measured using major X-ray diffraction peaks which varies with temperature. The SEM studies showed that the as prepared alumina particles were agglomerated, irregular-shaped with particle size (0.23–0.38 µm), pore size, and porosity were calculated from SEM image. ζ-potentials at different pH values as well as isoelectric point (IEP) of α, γ, and θ alumina were calculated in an aqueous medium which changes with temperature. The direct band gap (E_g) energies were found between 4.09 and 5.19 eV of alumina obtained from different calcination temperatures. The synthesized materials can be used in sensors, ceramics, catalysis, and insulation applications.     

Activity and regenerability of dealuminated zeolite Y in liquid phase alkylation of benzene with 1-alkene

HY-zeolite and its deep-bed dealuminated and EFAL-extracted forms were tested in liquid phase alkylation of benzene with 1-hexadecene in a batch reactor at 120°C. Deep-bed dealumination of the HY-sample at 560 °C followed by careful selective extraction of extra-framework aluminium by hydrochloric acid increased the catalytic activity as well as oxidative regenerability of Y-zeolite.     

Synthesis of d-camphor based γ-amino acid (1S,3R)-3-amino-2,2,3-trimethylcyclopentane carboxylic acid

Synthesis of a γ-amino acid derived from (1R,3S)-camphoric acid is described. d-(+)-Camphoric anhydride, prepared from d-(+)-camphoric acid by treatment with methanesulfonyl chloride and triethylamine, was reacted with benzyl alcohol and catalytic DMAP, and subsequently reacted in a Curtius rearrangement to afford the corresponding carbamate derivative. This derivative was converted to the desired γ-amino acid through hydrogenolysis.