Enzyme-like specificity in zeolites: a unique site position in mordenite for selective carbonylation of methanol and dimethyl ether with CO

The mechanism of methanol carbonylation at different positions of zeolite MOR is investigated by quantum-chemical methods in order to discover which are the active sites that can selectively catalyze the desired reaction. It is shown that when methanol carbonylation competes with hydrocarbon formation, the first reaction occurs preferentially within 8MR channels. However, the unique selectivity for the carbonylation of methanol and dimethyl ether in mordenite is not only due to the size of the 8MR channel: neither process occurs equally at the two T3-O31 and T3-O33 positions. We show that only the T3-O33 positions are selective and that this selectivity is due to the unusual orientation of the methoxy group in relation to the 8MR channel (parallel to the cylinder axis). Only in this situation does the transition state for the attack of CO fit perfectly in the 8MR channel, while the reaction with methanol or DME is sterically impeded. This result explains why T3-O31, while also located in the 8MR channel of mordenite, is not as selective as the T3-O33 position and why ferrierite, although it contains 8MR channels, is less selective than mordenite. The competing effect of water is explained at the molecular level, and the molecular microkinetic reaction model has been established.