Evidence for an initiation of the methanol-to-olefin process by reactive surface methoxy groups on acidic zeolite catalysts

Recent progress reveals that, in the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process on acidic zeolites, the conversion of an equilibrium mixture of methanol and DME is dominated by a "hydrocarbon pool" mechanism. However, the initial C-C bond formation, that is, the chemistry during the kinetic "induction period" leading to the reactive hydrocarbon pool, still remains unclear. With the application of a stopped-flow protocol, in the present work, pure surface methoxy groups [SiO(CH(3))Al] were prepared on various acidic zeolite catalysts (H-Y, H-ZSM-5, H-SAPO-34) at temperatures lower than 473 K, and the further reaction of these methoxy species was investigated by in situ (13)C MAS NMR spectroscopy. By using toluene and cyclohexane as probe molecules which are possibly involved in the MTO process, we show the high reactivity of surface methoxy species. Most importantly, the formation of hydrocarbons from pure methoxy species alone is demonstrated for the first time. It was found that (i) surface methoxy species react at room temperature with water to methanol, indicating the occurrence of a chemical equilibrium between these species at low temperatures. In the presence of aromatics and alkanes, (ii) the reactivity of surface methoxy groups allows a methylation of these organic compounds at reaction temperatures of ca. 433 and 493 K, respectively. In the absence of water and other organic species, that is, under flow conditions and on partially methylated catalysts, (iii) a conversion of pure methoxy groups alone to hydrocarbons was observed at temperatures of T >/= 523 K. This finding indicates a possible formation of the first hydrocarbons during the kinetic induction period of the MTO process via the conversion of pure surface methoxy species (case iii). After the first hydrocarbons are formed, or in the presence of a small amount of organic impurities, surface methoxy groups contribute to a further methylation of these organic compounds (case ii), leading to the formation of a reactive hydrocarbon pool which eventually plays an active role in the steady state of the MTO process at reaction temperatures of T >/= 573 K.     

Reactivity of C1 surface species formed in methane activation on Zn-modified H-ZSM-5 zeolite

Solid-state (13)C magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy investigations identified zinc methyl species, formate species, and methoxy species as C(1) surface species formed in methane activation on the zeolite Zn/H-ZSM-5 catalyst at T≤573 K. These C(1) surface species, which are possible intermediates in further transformations of methane, were prepared separately by adsorption of (13)C-enriched methane, carbon monoxide, and methanol onto zinc-containing catalysts, respectively. Successful isolation of each surface species allowed convenient investigations into their chemical nature on the working catalyst by solid-state (13)C MAS NMR spectroscopy. The reactivity of zinc methyl species with diverse probe molecules (i.e., water, methanol, hydrochloride, oxygen, or carbon dioxide) is correlated with that of organozinc compounds in organometallic chemistry. Moreover, surface formate and surface methoxy species possess distinct reactivity towards water, hydrochloride, ammonia, or hydrogen as probe molecules. To explain these and other observations, we propose that the C(1) surface species interconvert on zeolite Zn/H-ZSM-5. As implied by the reactivity information, potential applications of methane co-conversion on zinc-containing zeolites might, therefore, be possible by further transformation of these C(1) surface species with rationally designed co-reactants (i.e., probe molecules) under optimized reaction conditions.     

Room‐Temperature Alkane Reactivity in Zeolites: An H/D Exchange Study

As evidenced by H/D exchange with acidic zeolites, isoalkanes react readily at room temperature whereas linear alkanes do not. The observed regioselectivity of the exchange process demonstrates that the main factor controlling the reaction is not the accessibility to the acid sites, but the intrinsic reactivity of the alkane. The mechanism is best rationalized by classic organic chemistry involving carbocationic intermediates including the Markovnikov rule.     

Mechanism of Aniline Methylation on Zeolite Catalysts Investigated by In Situ 13C NMR Spectroscopy

The alkylation reaction of aniline with methanol on zeolites HY and CsOH/CsNaY was studied by in situ ¹³C NMR spectroscopy under flow and batch conditions. Attention was focused on the identification of intermediates and on the determination of the formation mechanisms of N-methylaniline, N,N-dimethylaniline, and toluidines. To refine the main steps of the reaction, the transformations of the following individual compounds and intermediates, which were detected in the course of alkylation, were studied: dimethyl ether, surface methoxy groups, methylanilinium ions, formaldehyde, and N-methyleneaniline. It was found that N-methylaniline and N,N-dimethylaniline were formed as a result of aniline methylation by methanol dehydration products (methoxy groups or dimethyl ether) on acidic zeolites or as a result of alkylation by formaldehyde or methoxy groups on basic zeolites. Toluidines were formed by the isomerization ofN-methylanilinium ions, which were produced only on acidic zeolites, rather than by the direct alkylation of aniline.     

Extra‐Framework Aluminum‐Assisted Initial C−C Bond Formation in Methanol‐to‐Olefins Conversion on Zeolite H‐ZSM‐5

Surface methoxy species bound to an extra‐framework Al (SMS‐EFAL) was unambiguously identified by advanced ¹³C‐{²⁷Al} double‐resonance solid‐state NMR technique in the methanol‐to‐olefins reaction on H‐ZSM‐5 zeolite. The high reactivity of the SMS‐EFAL leads to the formation of surface ethoxy species and ethanol as the key intermediates for ethene generation in the early reaction stage. A direct route for the initial C?C bond formation in ethene was proposed and corroborated by density functional theory calculations.     

Surface organometallic chemistry on zeolites: A tool for modifying the sorption properties of zeolites

The shape selective properties of zeolites can be modified by reaction of their surface functional groups with hydride, alkyl or alkoxy complexes of main group elements. The different methods are reviewed and their effects analyzed.     

In-situ FTIR studies of dimethyl ether adsorption on H-ZSM-5 zeolites

In situ infrared spectra of dimethyl ether adsorbed on two H-ZSM-5 zeolites are reported which are different in both lattice and extraframework aluminium contents. A number of dissociatively adsorbed dimethyl ether species associated respectively with the Bronsted acid sites, the external silanol groups and extraframework aluminium species at different temperatures are identified. In particular, dimethyl ether reacts with non acidic hydroxyl species associated with extraframework aluminium to form the third methoxy species. The distributions of hydrocarbons desorbed from a single pulse of dimethyl ether (1.0 mL) onto these zeolite samples are presented. Propene is the major product, and the yield of hydrocarbons correlates with the concentration of Bronsted acid bound methoxy groups.     

分子筛上糖类催化转化的核磁共振研究

葡萄糖、 果糖和木糖等糖类是一类重要的绿色生物质资源, 其高效利用是生物质转化的重要研究方向. 具有Lewis酸性的分子筛在糖类催化转化中表现出优异的性能, 对其活性中心结构、 性质以及反应机理的认识是糖类高效转化研究中亟待解决的关键科学问题. 核磁共振是分子筛上活性中心表征和反应机理研究的重要手段. 本文讨论了先进核磁共振技术与方法在分子筛上糖类转化反应中的应用, 包括催化剂活性中心表征、 催化转化反应机理研究和催化反应产物分析3个方面, 总结了核磁共振在糖类转化反应研究中所取得的新进展并对其未来发展方向进行了展望.     

负载铂催化剂中沸石载体酸性对甲烷两步转化的影响

考察了具有相同金属分散度的Pt/NaY、Pt/HNaY、 Pt/HY、Pt/NaBeta和Pt/HBeta催化剂中沸石载体的酸性对在低温下（≤250 ℃）甲烷两步等温转化反应以及由甲烷解离吸附产生的表面碳物种分布的影响。由甲烷等温两步转化生成的C2+烃类产物的总量随着载体酸性的增加而明显增加;C2～C6产物的分布也发生了变化。由表面碳物种的程序升温加氢结果表明,在各种催化剂上碳物种的形式是相似的,其总量和具有活性的Cα物种的量均因载体酸性增加而增加,反应性也增大。这种因沸石载体酸性变化而引起的载体效应是由金属和载体的相互作用造成负载在酸性载体上铂粒子的贫电子性而引起,即由金属粒子电子性质的变化而引起的催化性质的变化。     

Insight into Three‐Coordinate Aluminum Species on Ethanol‐to‐Olefin Conversion over ZSM‐5 Zeolites

Commercial bioethanol can be readily converted into ethylene by a dehydration process using solid acids, such as Brønsted acidic H‐ZSM‐5 zeolites, and thus, it is an ideal candidate to replace petroleum and coal for the sustainable production of ethylene. Now, strong Lewis acidic extra‐framework three‐coordinate Al³⁺ species were introduced into H‐ZSM‐5 zeolites to improve their catalytic activity. Remarkably, Al³⁺ species working with Brønsted acid sites can accelerate ethanol dehydration at a much lower reaction temperature and shorten the unsteady‐state period within 1–2 h, compared to >9 h for those without Al³⁺ species, which can significantly enhance the ethanol dehydration efficiency and reduce the cost. The reaction mechanism, studied by solid‐state NMR, shows that strong Lewis acidic EFAl‐Al³⁺ species can collaborate with Brønsted acid sites and promote ethanol dehydration either directly or indirectly via an aromatics‐based cycle to produce ethylene.     

A Low-Frequency Infrared Study of the Reaction of Methoxymethylsilanes with Silica

A thin film infrared technique is used to observe bands due to hydrogen-bonded and chemisorbed methoxymethylsilanes on fumed silica in the low-frequency region below 1300 cm(-1). The low-frequency region contains the characteristic bands due to Si-O-Si, Si-O, Si-C, Si-CH(3), and SiO-C modes. Band assignments are aided by ab initio calculations and comparison to thin film experiments of adsorbed chloromethylsilanes. The spectral interpretation was expected to be more complicated than that of the corresponding chlorosilanes because the strong SiO-C alkoxy bands lie in the same region as the Si-O-Si bands. However, the SiO-C bands are weak in intensity when participating in hydrogen-bonding interactions enabling easy detection of the Si-O-Si bands due to chemisorbed species. By combining the low-frequency data with the spectral information for the hydroxyl region, a clearer picture of the nature of the bonding to the surface is obtained. When adsorbed at room temperature, all methoxy groups participate in hydrogen bonding with the surface hydroxyl groups. When the reaction is performed at 150 degrees C, the silanes are chemisorbed via a Si-O-Si bond and the remaining methoxy groups of the chemisorbed species are hydrogen bonded to the surface hydroxyl groups. At reaction temperature of 400 degrees C there is no evidence of hydrogen bonding but the spectra are complicated by the reaction of methanol with the surface. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Adsorption, Migration and Reactions of Hydrocarbons on Zeolites Observed by Ftir Spectroscopy

The adsorption, migration and reactions of hydrocarbons on zeolites studied by FTIR spectroscopy are briefly reviewed. At low temperatures, alkyl-BAS (Brønsted acid sites) and -BAS complexes were first formed before protonation of olefins. For 1-butene, it underwent double bond migration (DBM) to form cis- and trans-2-butenes. With increasing temperature, oligomerization occurred and resulted in highly branched dimer, e.g., 3,4-dimethyl-3-hexene. Compared with 1-butene, isobutene can oligomerize at much lower temperature and formed dimerized alkoxy species, even on isolated silanols of zeolites. Upon adsorption of cyclic olefins such as 1-methylcyclopentene, alkenyl carbenium ions were formed at temperatures as low as 150 K. The adsorption of butenes on ferrierite indicates the existence of energy barriers for their intercalation into the pores. The H/D isotope exchange reaction of alkanes with acidic hydroxyl groups of zeolites will also be discussed.     

Alkane Activation over Acidic Zeolites: The First Step

The heterogeneous acid‐catalyzed activation step of alkanes leading to the reaction intermediates (carbocationic or alkoxy species) was up to now the matter of a longstanding controversy. Gas chromatography and online mass spectroscopy measurements show that H₂ and methane are formed over H‐zeolites, whereas HD and CH₃D are formed over D‐zeolites as the primary products in the reaction with isobutane. These results indicate that σ‐bond protolysis by strong acid sites is the first step for hydrocarbon activation on these catalysts at mild temperatures (473 K), in analogy to the activation path occurring in liquid superacid media.     

Expanding the Scope of the Cleavable N-(Methoxy)oxazolidine Linker for the Synthesis of Oligonucleotide Conjugates

Oligonucleotides modified by a 2′-deoxy-2′-(N-methoxyamino) ribonucleotide react readily with aldehydes in slightly acidic conditions to yield the corresponding N-(methoxy)oxazolidine-linked oligonucleotide-conjugates. The reaction is reversible and dynamic in slightly acidic conditions, while the products are virtually stable above pH 7, where the reaction is in a ‘‘switched off-state’’. Small molecular examinations have demonstrated that aldehyde constituents affect the cleavage rate of the N-(methoxy)oxazolidine-linkage. This can be utilized to adjust the stability of this pH-responsive cleavable linker for drug delivery applications. In the present study, Fmoc-β-Ala-H was immobilized to a serine-modified ChemMatrix resin and used for the automated assembly of two peptidealdehydes and one aldehyde-modified peptide nucleic acid (PNA). In addition, a triantennary N-acetyl-d-galactosamine-cluster with a β-Ala-H unit has been synthesized. These aldehydes were conjugated via N-(methoxy)oxazolidine-linkage to therapeutically relevant oligonucleotide phosphorothioates and one DNA-aptamer in 19–47% isolated yields. The cleavage rates of the conjugates were studied in slightly acidic conditions. In addition to the diverse set of conjugates synthesized, these experiments and a comparison to published data demonstrate that the simple conversion of Gly-H to β-Ala-H residue resulted in a faster cleavage of the N-(methoxy)oxazolidine-linker at pH 5, being comparable (T_0.5 ca 7 h) to hydrazone-based structures.     

Methanol Conversion into Dimethyl Ether on the Anatase TiO2(001) Surface

Exploring reactions of methanol on TiO₂ surfaces is of great importance in both C1 chemistry and photocatalysis. Reported herein is a combined experimental and theoretical calculation study of methanol adsorption and reaction on a mineral anatase TiO₂(001)‐(1×4) surface. The methanol‐to‐dimethyl ether (DME) reaction was unambiguously identified to occur by the dehydration coupling of methoxy species at the fourfold‐coordinated Ti⁴⁺ sites (Ti_4c), and for the first time confirms the predicted higher reactivity of this facet compared to other reported TiO₂ facets. Surface chemistry of methanol on the anatase TiO₂(001)‐(1×4) surface is seldom affected by co‐chemisorbed water. These results not only greatly deepen the fundamental understanding of elementary surface reactions of methanol on TiO₂ surfaces but also show that TiO₂ with a high density of Ti_4c sites is a potentially active and selective catalyst for the important methanol‐to‐DME reaction.     

酸催化及竞争吸附对CeY分子筛吸附脱硫性能的影响

采用液相离子交换(LPIE)法制备了CeY分子筛,并研究烯烃和芳烃对其吸附脱硫性能的影响. 利用固定床穿透曲线技术研究吸附剂的脱硫性能,结果表明：烯烃和芳烃的存在均导致吸附剂吸附硫容量减少,然而,烯烃的影响明显强于芳烃. 采用原位傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱技术研究噻吩、环己烯和苯的吸附行为,结果发现：烯烃和芳烃降低吸附剂脱硫性能的实质分别为吸附剂表面酸性导致的酸催化反应和π-络合吸附的芳烃分子与硫化物分子的竞争吸附. 另外,烯烃的影响取决于吸附剂的表面酸性,尤其是强B酸(Brönsted 酸)中心.这是由于B酸中心会导致烯烃和噻吩发生质子化反应,且质子化物种易于进一步发生低聚反应. 生成的低聚物覆盖吸附活性中心导致吸附剂对其它噻吩分子的吸附能力降低.     

π-Interactions between Cyclic Carbocations and Aromatics Cause Zeolite Deactivation in Methanol-to-Hydrocarbon Conversion

The understanding of catalyst deactivation represents one of the major challenges for the methanol-to-hydrocarbon (MTH) reaction over acidic zeolites. Here we report the critical role of intermolecular π-interactions in catalyst deactivation in the MTH reaction on zeolites H-SSZ-13 and H-ZSM-5. π-interaction-induced spatial proximities between cyclopentenyl cations and aromatics in the confined channels and/or cages of zeolites are revealed by two-dimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The formation of naphtalene as a precursor to coke species is favored due to the reaction of aromatics with the nearby cyclopentenyl cations and correlates with both acid density and zeolite topology.     

Calorimetric evolution of the early pozzolanic reaction of natural zeolites

The pozzolanic reaction between natural zeolite tuffs, portlandite and water was investigated over the course of the early reaction period up to 3 days. Isothermal conduction calorimetry experiments supplemented by TG/DTG and XRD analyses assisted in the elucidation of the sequence of reaction processes taking place. The calorimetry experiments clearly showed the dependence of the pozzolanic reaction rate and associated heat release on the fineness of the zeolite tuff. Higher external surface areas of pozzolans yield higher total heat releases. Also the exchangeable cation content of the zeolites influences the reaction rate. Release of exchangeable alkalis into solution promotes the pozzolanic reaction by raising the pH and zeolite solubility. The appearance of an exotherm after approximately 3 h of reaction is more conspicuous when alkali-rich zeolites are reacted. This exotherm is conceived to be related to a transformation or rupture of initially formed reaction products covering the zeolite grains. The formation of substantial amounts of ‘stable’ calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) and calcium aluminate hydrate (C–A–H) reaction took place after an induction period of more than 6 h. The openness of the zeolite framework affects the proneness of the zeolite to dissolution and thus its reactivity. Open framework zeolites such as chabazite were observed to react much more rapidly than closed framework zeolites such as analcime.     

Surface reactivity of pulsed-plasma polymerized pentafluorophenyl methacrylate (PFM) toward amines and proteins in solution

Pulsed-plasma polymerization has been used to deposit ultrathin layers of pentafluorophenyl methacrylate by using low duty cycles and low power input. The monomer structure can be retained such that the chemical reactivity of the active ester group could be studied using the reaction with a simple amine. The film properties in aqueous phosphate buffer have been investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and real time surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The films react readily with diaminohexane and immunoglobulin (IgG), yet the reactivity shows a dependence on the extent of hydrolysis of the ester group.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel alkoxy nonionic biosurfactants

A series of novel alkoxy nonionic biosurfactants were synthesized by ring-opening reaction of methoxy poly(ethylene glycols) and alkylene oxide. The chemical structures of these biosurfactants were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ¹HNMR spectra. The surface tensions of these nonionic biosurfactants in the aqueous solutions were determined using a surface tensionmeter. The results showed that the critical micelle concentrations decreased with the increase of hydrophobic chain. However, due to the effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding, the critical surface tensions of these nonionic biosurfactants increased with increasing the hydrophobic chain and were lower than those of conventional nonionic biosurfactants. Meanwhile, the effects of electrolytes on surface tension of these nonionic biosurfactants were slight. Due to the excellent surface activity, these alkoxy nonionic biosurfactants could have great potential in cleansing, oil recovery, and drug delivery.