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A plethora of previously unimaginable low-temperature C 1 and C 2 valorization reactions have become possible after the discovery of metal-exchanged solid-acid catalysts, with the most promising candidate being copper-mordenite. We show the dramatic effect of zinc addition to copper-exchanged mordenite in maintaining high Cu dispersion and reducing the catalyst poisoning as it relates to carbonylation of dimethyl ether to methyl acetate. Zinc maintains 90%+ selectivity even during deactivation versus 60% for the Cu-mordenite, which leads to 6-fold higher product yield. The concept of Zn addition is recommended for further exploration in the conversion of methane to methanol or acetic acid.

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Bimetallic ion exchange on a zeolite often impacts its catalytic properties compared to its monometallic counterparts. Here, we address the synergistic effect of simultaneous copper and zinc ion exchange on mordenite (MOR), as found earlier for dimethyl ether (DME) carbonylation. Samples with various Cu/Zn ratios were characterized by diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) in the 3600 and 720 cm regions, pore distribution analysis through Ar physisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When ion-exchanged alone, copper preferentially occupies 12-membered rings, whereas zinc occupies 8-membered rings. In bimetallic combinations, the zinc addition was found to prevent the copper from sintering into nanoparticles and to increase its coordination strength to the zeolite. At a Cu/Zn ratio of 0.25 (for MOR with Si/Al=6.5), copper promotes zinc ion exchange into 12-membered rings, more specifically, into T4 sites that are known for the formation of the coke precursor in DME carbonylation on a MOR. The sites became blocked during the bimetallic ion exchange, leading to suppressed catalyst deactivation. The study contributes to the understanding of mutual ion effects in bimetallic exchanged zeolites and highlights the major role of copper as a governing factor in determining the location of co-exchanged zinc on a MOR.