First principle kinetic studies of zeolite-catalyzed methylation reactions.

Methylations of ethene, propene, and butene by methanol over the acidic microporous H-ZSM-5 catalyst are studied by means of state of the art computational techniques, to derive Arrhenius plots and rate constants from first principles that can directly be compared with the experimental data. For these key elementary reactions in the methanol to hydrocarbons (MTH) process, direct kinetic data became available only recently [J. Catal.2005, 224, 115-123; J. Catal.2005, 234, 385-400]. At 350 °C, apparent activation energies of 103, 69, and 45 kJ/mol and rate constants of 2.6 × 10(-4), 4.5 × 10(-3), and 1.3 × 10(-2) mol/(g h mbar) for ethene, propene, and butene were derived, giving following relative ratios for methylation k(ethene)/k(propene)/k(butene) = 1:17:50. In this work, rate constants including pre-exponential factors are calculated which give very good agreement with the experimental data: apparent activation energies of 94, 62, and 37 kJ/mol for ethene, propene, and butene are found, and relative ratios of methylation k(ethene)/k(propene)/k(butene) = 1:23:763. The entropies of gas phase alkenes are underestimated in the harmonic oscillator approximation due to the occurrence of internal rotations. These low vibrational modes were substituted by manually constructed partition functions. Overall, the absolute reaction rates can be calculated with near chemical accuracy, and qualitative trends are very well reproduced. In addition, the proposed scheme is computationally very efficient and constitutes significant progress in kinetic modeling of reactions in heterogeneous catalysis.

Theoretical insights on methylbenzene side-chain growth in ZSM-5 zeolites for methanol-to-olefin conversion.

The key step in the conversion of methane to polyolefins is the catalytic conversion of methanol to light olefins. The most recent formulations of a reaction mechanism for this process are based on the idea of a complex hydrocarbon-pool network, in which certain organic species in the zeolite pores are methylated and from which light olefins are eliminated. Two major mechanisms have been proposed to date-the paring mechanism and the side-chain mechanism-recently joined by a third, the alkene mechanism. Recently we succeeded in simulating a full catalytic cycle for the first of these in ZSM-5, with inclusion of the zeolite framework and contents. In this paper, we will investigate crucial reaction steps of the second proposal (the side-chain route) using both small and large zeolite cluster models of ZSM-5. The deprotonation step, which forms an exocyclic double bond, depends crucially on the number and positioning of the other methyl groups but also on steric effects that are typical for the zeolite lattice. Because of steric considerations, we find exocyclic bond formation in the ortho position to the geminal methyl group to be more favourable than exocyclic bond formation in the para position. The side-chain growth proceeds relatively easily but the major bottleneck is identified as subsequent de-alkylation to produce ethene. These results suggest that the current formulation of the side-chain route in ZSM-5 may actually be a deactivating route to coke precursors rather than an active ethene-producing hydrocarbon-pool route. Other routes may be operating in alternative zeotype materials like the silico-aluminophosphate SAPO-34.

Theoretical evaluation of zeolite confinement effects on the reactivity of bulky intermediates.

Zeolites provide a unique setting for heterogeneous Brønsted acid catalysis, because the effects of the surrounding framework on fundamental reaction kinetics go well beyond what would be expected for a mere reaction flask. This aspect becomes very pronounced when bulky molecules form key intermediates for the reaction under study, which is exactly when the interaction between the framework and the intermediate is maximal. We will use the example of methanol-to-olefin conversion (MTO), and, more specifically, the constant interplay between the inorganic host framework and the organic hydrocarbon pool co-catalyst, to illustrate how zeolite confinement directly influences catalytic reaction rates. Theoretical calculations are used to isolate and quantify these specific effects, with the main focus on methylbenzenes in ZSM-5, as the archetypical MTO catalyst. This review intends to give an overview of recent theoretical insights, which have proven to provide an ideal complementary tool to experimental investigations. In addition, we will also introduce the role of zeolite breathing in activating a catalytic cycle.

DFT investigation of alkoxide vs alkylammonium formation in amine-substituted zeolites.

Density functional theory (DFT) cluster calculations were used to describe bifunctional acid-base properties of amine-substituted zeolites containing a Brønsted acid site. Preliminary results (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 9162) indicated that efficient use of both functional groups might lead to a substantial lowering of activation barriers. In this paper, comparison is made between the alkoxide formation in zeolites containing only oxygen bridges and alkylammonium formation on the bridging NH groups in amine-functionalized zeolites for various guest species, such as methanol, ethene, and chloromethane. The amine functionalization only lowers barriers for SN2 type reactions with otherwise highly strained transition states, as is the case for chloromethane. In these new materials more basic sites are introduced into the zeolite framework, enabling optimal linear SN2 type transition states incorporating various T sites.

Efficient use of bifunctional acid-base properties for alkylammonium formation in amine-substituted zeolites.

The formation of alkylammonium groups in amine-doped zeolites is studied using density functional theory on small clusters representing the chemically active site. The presence of both strong Lewis base and Brønsted acid sites leads to a significant lowering of reaction barriers as opposed to alkoxide formation in full-oxygen zeolites. Furthermore, amine-substituted zeolites suggest novel reaction pathways that are not solely centralized around the aluminum substitution but in which two tetrahedral sites are involved, maximizing use of the zeolitic acid site and its surroundings. An investigation of the proton mobility in these yet to be synthesized materials demonstrates the need for minimizing the amount of Al-NH-Si bridges, as to prevent protonation of the amine group.