Identification of fluorine sites at the surface of fluorinated gamma-alumina by two-dimensional MAS NMR

By means of 27Al triple quantum Magic-Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (3QMAS NMR) and 27Al19F] WISE MAS NMR, we were able to detect three different Al-F sites on the surface of fluorinated gamma-alumina. Three 19F resonances at 9, 20, and 33 ppm (from C6F6) correlated to 27Al resonances in the octahedral range. While the positions of the maxima in the 27Al dimension were ill-defined due to the inherently low efficiency of the 27Al19F] CPMAS process, the center of gravity of the lines shifted significantly upfield in that dimension with increasing wt.% F. Tentatively, these three resonances were assigned to (VI)Al(O(6-n)Fn) (n = 1, 2, 3) environments on the F/gamma-Al2O3 surface. At F contents above levels corresponding to the full fluorination of the gamma-Al2O3 surface, neoformation of an AlF3 x 3H2O phase was also evidenced with an 19F resonance at -8 ppm and with an 27Al resonance at -17 ppm.