Recent advances in shape-selective catalysis has made it possible to synthesize polycyclic hydrocarbon-based specialty chemicals including sym-octahydroanthracene by ring-shift isomerization of sym-octahydrophenanthrene, trans-decahydydronanthalene by conformational isomerization of cis-decahydronaphthalene, either cis- or trans-decalin from selective naphthalene hydrogenation, 1,2,3,4- or 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrogenated naphthol or quinoline, 2,6-dialkylnaphthalene and 4,4'-dialkylbiphenyl by shape-selective alkylation of naphthalene and biphenyl, respectively. This lecture discusses recent progress in shape-selective synthesis of the above-mentioned polycyclic chemicals, with a case study focused on 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene (2,6-DMN) which is an important intermediate for making advanced polymer materials such as polyethylene naphthalate. Most of our experimental studies on the shape-selective methylation of 2-methylnaphthalene involves the modified HZSM-5 catalysts for methylation using methanol and the Fe-MFI catalyst prepared by isomorphous substitution using Fe compounds and ZSM 5. Various modified ZSM-5 catalysts were examined in fixed-bed reactors at atmospheric pressure and under pressurized conditions. The post-synthesis isomorphous substitution of Al partially by Fe led to a highly shape-selective Fe-MFI catalyst formulation for 2,6-DMN synthesis. More background info is available in some recent publications [C.S. Song. Stud. Surf. Sci. Catal. 1998 (113) 163; Cattech, 2002 (6) 64; Stud. Surf. Sci. Catal. 2007 (170) 1275].

Shape-selective catalysis for synthesis of polycyclic chemicals over zeolite catalysts

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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