It is possible to say that zeolites are the most widely used catalysts in industry They are crystalline microporous materials which have become extremely successful as catalysts for oil refining, petrochemistry, and organic synthesis in the production of fine and speciality chemicals, particularly when dealing with molecules having kinetic diameters below 10 A The reason for their success in catalysis is related to the following specific features of these materials:1 (1) They have very high surface area and adsorption capacity (2) The adsorption properties of the zeolites can be controlled, and they can be varied from hydrophobic to hydrophilic type materials (3) Active sites, such as acid sites for instance, can be generated in the framework and their strength and concentration can be tailored for a particular application (4) The sizes of their channels and cavities are in the range typical for many molecules of interest (5-12 A), and the strong electric fields2 existing in those micropores together with an electronic confinement of the guest molecules3 are responsible for a preactivation of the reactants (5) Their intricate channel structure allows the zeolites to present different types of shape selectivity, ie, product, reactant, and transition state, which can be used to direct a given catalytic reaction toward the desired product avoiding undesired side reactions (6) All of these properties of zeolites, which are of paramount importance in catalysis and make them attractive choices for the types of processes listed above, are ultimately dependent on the thermal and hydrothermal stability of these materials In the case of zeolites, they can be activated to produce very stable materials not just resistant to heat and steam but also to chemical attacks Avelino Corma Canos was born in Moncofar, Spain, in 1951 He studied chemistry at the Universidad de Valencia (1967−1973) and received his PhD at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1976 He became director of the Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica (UPV-CSIC) at the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in 1990 His current research field is zeolites as catalysts, covering aspects of synthesis, characterization and reactivity in acid−base and redox catalysis A Corma has written about 250 articles on these subjects in international journals, three books, and a number of reviews and book chapters He is a member of the Editorial Board of Zeolites, Catalysis Review Science and Engineering, Catalysis Letters, Applied Catalysis, Journal of Molecular Catalysis, Research Trends, CaTTech, and Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications A Corma is coauthor of 20 patents, five of them being for commercial applications He has been awarded with the Dupont Award on new materials (1995), and the Spanish National Award “Leonardo Torres Quevedo” on Technology Research (1996) 2373 Chem Rev 1997, 97, 2373−2419

From Microporous to Mesoporous Molecular-Sieve Materials and Their Use in Catalysis

3.2.3. Hydroformylation 2467 3.2.4. Dimerization 2468 3.2.5. Oxidative Cleavage and Ozonolysis 2469 3.2.6. Metathesis 2470 4. Terpenes 2472 4.1. Pinene 2472 4.1.1. Isomerization: R-Pinene 2472 4.1.2. Epoxidation of R-Pinene 2475 4.1.3. Isomerization of R-Pinene Oxide 2477 4.1.4. Hydration of R-Pinene: R-Terpineol 2478 4.1.5. Dehydroisomerization 2479 4.2. Limonene 2480 4.2.1. Isomerization 2480 4.2.2. Epoxidation: Limonene Oxide 2480 4.2.3. Isomerization of Limonene Oxide 2481 4.2.4. Dehydroisomerization of Limonene and Terpenes To Produce Cymene 2481

Chemical Routes for the Transformation of Biomass into Chemicals

Ordered mesoporous materials in catalysis

The Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zeolites: History and Development from the Earliest Days to the Present Time

The infrared spectral performance of the N x O y species observed on oxide surfaces [N2O, NO−, NO, (NO)2, N2O3, NO+, NO2 − (different nitro and nitrito anions), NO2, N2O4, N2O5, NO2, and NO3 − (bridged, bidentate, and monodentate nitrates)] is considered. The spectra of related compounds (N2, H-, and C-containing nitrogen oxo species, C─N species, NH x species) are also briefly discussed. Some guidelines for spectral identification of N x O y adspecies are proposed and the transformation of the nitrogen oxo species on catalyst surfaces are regarded.

Identification of Neutral and Charged N x O y Surface Species by IR Spectroscopy

Synthesis of propylene oxide from propylene and hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by titanium silicalite

Reactions of titanium silicalite with protic molecules and hydrogen peroxide

This paper reviews several important issues related with industrial application of catalysts based on titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1). The catalyst preparation has been discussed, especially considering the most critical parameters for industrial application. Two processes already demonstrated on industrial scale (phenol hydroxylation and cyclohexanone ammoximation), and a process, under development by several industrial groups (propylene epoxidation), have been reported and discussed. The possibility to insert titanium in large pore zeolites, in order to widen the application field of this kind of materials, has been considered and the behaviour of several new materials has been reported and compared with the catalytic properties of TS-1.

Production of titanium containing molecular sieves and their application in catalysis

A novel Ti derivative of Silicalite-1 has been prepared by hydrothermal procedure with (n-C 3 H 7 )N-OH. X-ray, IR, EDX, and 29 Si MAS NMR investigations indicate an homogeneous distribution of Ti in the crystal while suggesting replacement of Ti for Si in the framework. TS-1 catalyzes reactions involving H 2 O 2 such as the direct hydroxylation of aromatics with high selectivity towards para isomers. Moreover, it selectively epoxidizes olefins and oxidizes alcohols to aldehydes or ketones, with high yield. Due to the pore structure of TS-1, minimization of useless byproducts is obtained in reactions involving aromatic hydrocarbons.

Giuseppe Bellussi

Papers

Synthesis of propylene oxide from propylene and hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by titanium silicalite

Reactions of titanium silicalite with protic molecules and hydrogen peroxide

Production of titanium containing molecular sieves and their application in catalysis

Titanium-Silicalite: a Novel Derivative in the Pentasil Family

Layered structure of ERB-1 microporous borosilicate precursor and its intercalation properties towards polar molecules