Framework Effects on Activation and Functionalisation of Methane in Zinc-Exchanged Zeolites

The first selective oxidation of methane to methanol is reported herein for zinc-exchanged MOR (Zn/MOR). Under identical conditions, Zn/FER and Zn/ZSM-5 both form zinc formate and methanol. Selective methane activation to form Zn-CH₃]⁺ species was confirmed by ¹³C MAS NMR spectroscopy for all three frameworks. The percentage of active zinc sites, measured through quantitative NMR spectroscopy studies, varied with the zeolite framework and was found to be ZSM-5 (5.7 %), MOR (1.2 %) and FER (0.5 %). For Zn/MOR, two signals were observed in the ¹³C MAS NMR spectrum, resulting from two distinct Zn-CH₃]⁺ species present in the 12 MR and 8 MR side pockets, as supported by additional NMR experiments. The observed products of oxidation of the Zn-CH₃]⁺ species are shown to depend on the zeolite framework type and the oxidative conditions used. These results lay the foundation for developing structure–function correlations for methane conversion over zinc-exchanged zeolites.