AlCl3 Supported Catalysts for the Isomerization of <i>Endo</i>-Tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene

Abstract

Two of zeolites such as Hβ and HY, and mesoporous HMCM-41 were used as supports to immobilize AlCl 3 for the investigation of the isomerization of endo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (endo-TCD). The dependences of porous structure and surface acidity of the AlCl 3 immobilized catalysts on the activity and selectivity were studied. Based on characterization studies, both the large pore diameter and strong acid sites of the supported catalysts contributed to the high activities in the endo-TCD conversion. And specifically the stronger Lewis acid sites seems to be responsible for the higher selectivity onto exo-TCD, and the stronger Brönsted acid sites were crucial to the formation of adamantane through the further isomerization of exo-TCD.

Highly Efficient Hydroisomerization of Endo-Tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene to Exo-Tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene over Pt/HY

“…11 Although, the immobilization of AlCl 3 on inorganic solid supports brought the advantages of easy separation, the ease of deactivation and environmental pollution limited its application at an industrial scale. 12 The chloroaluminate-based ionic liquid (IL) catalyst was a potential substitute for AlCl 3 due to the adjustable acidity. However, the problems of separation and recycling are still hard to be solved because of the presence of a homogeneous catalytic process.…”

“…In previous studies, highly corrosive sulfuric acid was used to catalyze this reaction. , Since the 1960s, exo -THDCPD was commercially produced from endo -THDCPD with the aluminum trichloride (AlCl 3 ) catalyst in a batch reactor, which suffered from several drawbacks, such as catalyst non-recyclablability, environmental problems, and purification problems . Although, the immobilization of AlCl 3 on inorganic solid supports brought the advantages of easy separation, the ease of deactivation and environmental pollution limited its application at an industrial scale . The chloroaluminate-based ionic liquid (IL) catalyst was a potential substitute for AlCl 3 due to the adjustable acidity.…”