Adsorption and catalytic properties of sulfated aluminum oxide modified with cobalt ions

The adsorption properties of sulfated aluminum oxide (9% SO ₄ ^2- /γ-Al₂O₃) and a cobalt-containing composite (0.5%Сo/SO ₄ ^2- /γ-Al₂O₃) based on it are studied via dynamic sorption. The adsorption isotherms of such test adsorbates as n-hydrocarbons (C₆–C₈), benzene, ethylbenzene, chloroform, and diethyl ether are measured, and their isosteric heats of adsorption are calculated. It is shown that the surface sulfation of aluminum oxide substantially improves its electron-accepting properties, and so the catalytic activity of SO ₄ ^2- /γ-Al₂O₃ in the liquid-phase alkylation of benzene with octene-1 at temperatures of 25–120°C is one order of magnitude higher than for the initial aluminum oxide. It is established that additional modification of sulfated aluminum oxide with cobalt ions increases the activity of this catalyst by 2–4 times. It is shown that adsorption sites capable of strong specific adsorption with both donating (aromatics, diethyl ether chemosorption) and accepting molecules (chloroform) form on the surface of sulfated γ-Al₂O₃ promoted by cobalt salt.