More Like this

1. Sulfurous zeosils for dehydra-decyclization of tetrahydrofuran to renewable butadiene

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D3GC03090C  

   Andeme_Ela, Raisa Carmen; Barroso, Jorge; Kumar, Gaurav; Gawande, Kaivalya; Brauer, Sophie A; Shetty, Manish; Li, Xinyu; Fan, Wei; Vlaisavljevich, Bess; Dauenhauer, Paul J (December 2023, Green Chemistry)

   Renewable 1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD, C4H6) was synthesized from the tandem decyclization and dehydration of biomass-derived tetrahydrofuran (THF) on weak Brønsted acid zeolite catalysts. 1,3-BD is a highly solicited monomer for the synthesis of rubbers and elastomers. Selective conversion of THF to 1,3-BD was recently measured on phosphorus-modified siliceous zeolites (P-zeosils) at both high and low space velocities, albeit with low per-site catalytic activity. In this work, we combined kinetic analyses and QM/MM calculations to evaluate the interaction of THF with the various Brønsted acid sites (BAS) of Boric (B), Phosphoric (P), and Sulfuric (S) acid modified silicalite-1 catalysts toward a dehydra-decyclization pathway to form 1,3-BD. Detailed kinetic measurements revealed that all three catalysts exhibited high selectivity to 1,3-BD ca. 64–96% in the order of S-MFI > P-MFI > B-MFI at a given temperature (360 °C). Notably, the S-MFI maintained a selectivity >90% for all evaluated process conditions. The computational results suggested that the nature of the Brønsted acid sites and the adsorption energetics (relative THF-acid site interaction energies) are distinct in each catalyst. Additionally, the protonation of THF can be improved with the addition of a water molecule acting as a proton shuttle, particularly in S-MFI. Overall, S-containing zeosils exhibited the ability to control reaction pathways and product distribution in dehydra-decyclization chemistry optimization within microporous zeolites, providing another alternative weak-acid catalytic material. 

   more » « less
2. Rigid Arrangements of Ionic Charge in Zeolite Frameworks Conferred by Specific Aluminum Distributions Preferentially Stabilize Alkanol Dehydration Transition States

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202007790  

   Hoffman, Alexander J.; Bates, Jason S.; Di Iorio, John R.; Nystrom, Steven V.; Nimlos, Claire T.; Gounder, Rajamani; Hibbitts, David (August 2020, Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

   Abstract Zeolite reactivity depends on the solvating environments of their micropores and the proximity of their Brønsted acid sites. Turnover rates (per H⁺) for methanol and ethanol dehydration increase with the fraction of H⁺sites sharing six‐membered rings of chabazite (CHA) zeolites. Density functional theory (DFT) shows that activation barriers vary widely with the number and arrangement of Al (1–5 per 36 T‐site unit cell), but cannot be described solely by Al–Al distance or density. Certain Al distributions yield rigid arrangements of anionic charge that stabilize cationic intermediates and transition states via H‐bonding to decrease barriers. This is a key feature of acid catalysis in zeolite solvents, which lack the isotropy of liquid solvents. The sensitivity of polar transition states to specific arrangements of charge in their solvating environments and the ability to position such charges in zeolite lattices with increasing precision herald rich catalytic diversity among zeolites of varying Al arrangement. 

   more » « less
3. Impact of Low-Temperature Water Exposure and Removal on Zeolite HY

   Zornes, A; Abdul_Rahman, NB; Das, OR; Gomez, LA; Crossley, S; Resasco, DE; White, JL (December 2023, Journal of the American Chemical Society)

   Aqueous-phase postsynthetic modifications of the industrially important Y-type zeolite are commonly used to change overall acid site concentrations, introduce stabilizing rare-earth cations, impart bifunctional character through metal cation exchange, and tailor the distribution of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites. Zeolite Y is known to undergo framework degradation in the presence of both vapor- and liquid-phase water at temperatures exceeding 100 °C, and rare-earth exchanged and stabilized HY catalysts are commonly used for fluidized catalytic cracking due to their increased hydrothermal resilience. Here, using detailed spectroscopy, crystallography, and flow-reactor experiments, we reveal unexpected decreases in Brønsted acid site (BAS) density for zeolite HY following exposure even to room-temperature liquid water. These data indicate that aqueous-phase ion-exchange procedures commonly used to modify zeolite Y are impacted by the liquid water and its removal, even when fractional heating rates and inert conditions much less severe than standard practice are used for catalyst dehydration. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric, and spectroscopic analyses reveal that the majority of framework degradation occurs during the removal of a strongly bound water fraction in HY, which does not form when NH4Y is immersed in liquid water and which leads to reduced acidity in HY even when dehydration conditions much milder than those typically practiced are employed. Na+-exchanged HY prepared via room-temperature aqueous dissolution demonstrates that Brønsted acid sites are lost in excess of the theoretical maximum that is possible from sodium titration. The structural impact of low-temperature aqueous-phase ion-exchange methods complicates the interpretation of subsequent data and likely explains the wide variation in reported acid site concentrations and catalytic activity of HY zeolites with high-Al content 

   more » « less
4. Cascade Reactions in Tunable Lamellar Micro‐ and Mesopores for C=C Bond Coupling and Hydrocarbon Synthesis

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201803929  

   Lin, Fan; Zhang, Junyan; Liu, Dongxia; Chin, Ya‐Huei (August 2018, Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

   Abstract Two‐dimensional MFI zeolite nanosheets contain Brønsted acid sites partially confined at the intercept between micro‐ and mesopores. These acid sites exhibit exceptional reactivities and stabilities for C=C bond coupling and ring‐closure reactions that transform light aldehydes to aromatics. These sites are much more effective than those confined within the micropores of MFI crystallites and those unconfined on H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀clusters or mesoporous aluminosilicate Al‐MCM‐41. The partially confined site environment solvates and stabilizes the transition states of the kinetically relevant steps during aromatization. 

   more » « less
5. Two-Dimensional Zeolite Materials: Structural and Acidity Properties

   https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081822  

   Schulman, Emily; Wu, Wei; Liu, Dongxia (April 2020, Materials)

   Zeolites are generally defined as three-dimensional (3D) crystalline microporous aluminosilicates in which silicon (Si4+) and aluminum (Al3+) are coordinated tetrahedrally with oxygen to form large negative lattices and consequent Brønsted acidity. Two-dimensional (2D) zeolite nanosheets with single-unit-cell or near single-unit-cell thickness (~2–3 nm) represent an emerging type of zeolite material. The extremely thin slices of crystals in 2D zeolites produce high external surface areas (up to 50% of total surface area compared to ~2% in micron-sized 3D zeolite) and expose most of their active sites on external surfaces, enabling beneficial effects for the adsorption and reaction performance for processing bulky molecules. This review summarizes the structural properties of 2D layered precursors and 2D zeolite derivatives, as well as the acidity properties of 2D zeolite derivative structures, especially in connection to their 3D conventional zeolite analogues’ structural and compositional properties. The timeline of the synthesis and recognition of 2D zeolites, as well as the structure and composition properties of each 2D zeolite, are discussed initially. The qualitative and quantitative measurements on the acid site type, strength, and accessibility of 2D zeolites are then presented. Future research and development directions to advance understanding of 2D zeolite materials are also discussed. 

   more » « less