This paper describes a study of the nature and the accessibility of the acid sites in micromesoporous mordenite zeolites obtained by desilication and dealumination and analysis of their activity and selectivity in the hydroisomerization of n-hexane. Alkaline−acid, acid−alkaline−acid, and fluorination−alkaline−acid postsynthesis treatments were employed for the preparation of micromesoporous mordenites. The FTIR spectra of adsorbed d 3 -acetonitrille, 27 Al MAS NMR, HR-TEM, and N 2 adsorption were used for quantitative analysis of the Brønsted and Lewis sites, the coordination of Al atoms, and the textural properties. The alkaline treatment causes desilication, preferably occurring along the crystal defects and resulting in the formation of a secondary mesoporous structure characterized by 5−20 nm cavities and the formation of extraframework (Al Ex ) species and terminal Si−OH groups. The Al Ex species formed by hydrolysis of perturbed or dislodged framework Al easily restrict part of the pseudomonodimensional channel structure of mordenite. The subsequent removal of Al Ex by mild acid leaching or simultaneous removal of Si and Al atoms by desilication of fluorinated zeolite result in a micromesoporous structure with a large number of unrestricted channel openings and lead to a large increase in the accessibility of OH groups for n-hexane. Thus, the sequential leaching treatments enable the formation of active acid sites in an environment of nonrestricted microporous channels with simultaneous enhancement of accessibility of the active sites and molecular transport. It is shown that the micromesoporous structure with high concentration of Brønsted sites of enhanced accessibility directs the hydroisomerization reaction toward high yields of branched isomers and shortening of the main 12-ring channels and that the larger numbers of channel openings result in an increase in selectivity, limiting nonselective subsequent cracking reactions.

No abstract

No abstract

Cu and Fe zeolites can activate oxygen for oxidative reactions of methane and stable hydrocarbon molecules. Here, we analyzed the activity of Cu and Fe sites with various nuclearities and coordinations in *BEA zeolites toward complete oxidation of methane, toluene, and ethanol by molecular oxygen. Spectral analysis of the interaction of methane with the individual Cu and Fe sites and a kinetic study show that the oxidation of methane is catalyzed by different active sites with different activation energies. In the low-temperature region (225–325 °C), the activity is primarily caused by reactive bridging oxygen atoms in dimeric Cu and Fe clusters. Isolated Fe3+-oxo ions in the octahedral coordination and Cu2+ partially charge-balanced by the framework with less rigid redox states contribute to the activity at higher temperatures of ≥350 °C. The isolated Fe3+-oxo ions tetrahedrally coordinated to the framework oxygen and the bare Cu2+ ions charge-balanced exclusively by the framework are strongly stabilized and cannot act as active sites. Oxidation of the hydrocarbons over both the dimeric and isolated Cu and Fe active sites is nonspecific with practically barrierless consecutive reactions of already activated molecules and therefore fully CO2-selective for all of the hydrocarbons in an excess of oxygen.

No abstract