QENS shows that methanol is immobile in a fresh ZSM-5 catalyst and one used for methanol conversion at 623 K, but undergoes isotropic rotation within the mesopores generated in a catalyst used for methanol conversion at 673 K.

The properties of 1-octene adsorbed in zeolite ZSM-5 at 293 K are studied by means of inelastic and quasielastic neutron scattering (INS and QENS) in order to investigate interactions relevant to the zeolite solid acid catalysis of fluidised catalytic cracking reactions. The INS spectrum is compared to that recorded for the solid alkene and reveals significant changes of bonding on adsorption at ambient temperatures; the changes are attributed to the oligomerization of the adsorbed 1-octene to form a medium chain n-alkane or n-alkane cation. QENS analysis shows that these oligomers are immobilised within the zeolite pore structure but a temperature-dependant fraction is able to rotate around their long axis within the pore channels.

Observation of the oligomerization of propene in ZSM-5 at 293 K by neutron vibrational spectroscopy shows that the product species are linear alkyl chains. No evidence is found for the formation of branched products. The selective formation of linear alkyl chains is attributed to a confinement effect within the zeolite pore structure. A role for zeolite crystallite size, a controllable parameter within the catalyst preparative stage, in being able to influence the product composition in technically relevant olefin oligomerization reactions is considered.