Effect of structure of the redox molecular sieve TS-1 on the oxidation of phenol, crotyl alcohol and norbornylene

A range of crystalline TS-1 samples with different morphologies as well as the corresponding TS-1 precursor structures have been synthesised using hydrothermal crystallisation. The materials have been characterised using powder X-ray diffraction, IR and Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The materials were used as catalysts for the oxidation of crotyl alcohol, phenol and norbornylene and, in particular, the reactivity of the precursor structures was contrasted with crystalline TS-1. The oxidation of crotyl alcohol, selected as a relatively non-reactive substituted alkene, did not require the TS-1 structure for reactivity and TS-1 precursor structures are active, although crystalline TS-1 was found to be more reactive than the precursor structures. In contrast, phenol hydroxylation is only catalysed by crystalline TS-1. The reaction of phenol is observed to occur only on the exterior surface of large TS-1 crystallites. With smaller crystallites of TS-1, i.e. the size range of interest for catalysis, the rapid subsequent reaction of hydroquinone makes it difficult to determine whether reaction occurs solely on the exterior of the crystallites or at sites within the porous structure. Hence it is suggested that this reaction has limited scope as a probe reaction for the reactivity of sites within the crystallites. It is, however, feasible that phenol hydroxylation is a viable probe reaction for TS-1 type structural units. Norbornylene was studied as an example of a reactant too large to enter the internal pore structure of TS-1 and hence only reaction at pore mouths and external surface sites was possible. Larger TS-1 crystallites were more active for this substrate than suggested by surface area considerations. The results are discussed in terms of the selection of model reactions for the study of TS-1 catalysts.