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

ion from a primary OH group of glyc-erol. 223,231 A similar mechanism was proposed manyyears ago for alcohol oxidation on Pt/C, involving asecond step, the transfer of a hydride ion to the Ptsurface (Scheme 11). 8,87,237 We consider it more feasible that the rate-deter-mining step is the cleavage of the C-H bond at theR-carbon atom. A similar mechanism is now generallyaccepted for Au electrodes (Scheme 12). 238 Despite thestructural differences between Au nanoparticles andan extended Au electrode surface, there are alsosimilarities, such as the critical role of aqueousalkaline medium and the absence of deactivation dueto decomposition products (CO and C x H y frag-ments). 239,240 An important question is the nature of active siteson Au nanoparticles. Electrooxidation of ethanol onAu nanoparticles supported on glassy carbon re-quired the partial coverage of Au surface by oxides. 241 Another analogy might be the model proposed for COoxidation. 219,242,243 According to this suggestion, theactive site consists of an ensemble of metallic Auatoms and a cationic Au

Oxidation of Alcohols with Molecular Oxygen on Solid Catalysts

Recent advances in transition metal catalyzed oxidation of organic substrates with molecular oxygen.

As the oil reserves are depleting the need of an alternative fuel source is becoming increasingly apparent. One prospective method for producing fuels in the future is conversion of biomass into bio-oil and then upgrading the bio-oil over a catalyst, this method is the focus of this review article. Bio-oil production can be facilitated through flash pyrolysis, which has been identified as one of the most feasible routes. The bio-oil has a high oxygen content and therefore low stability over time and a low heating value. Upgrading is desirable to remove the oxygen and in this way make it resemble crude oil. Two general routes for bio-oil upgrading have been considered: hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and zeolite cracking. HDO is a high pressure operation where hydrogen is used to exclude oxygen from the bio-oil, giving a high grade oil product equivalent to crude oil. Catalysts for the reaction are traditional hydrodesulphurization (HDS) catalysts, such as Co–MoS2/Al2O3, or metal catalysts, as for example Pd/C. However, catalyst lifetimes of much more than 200 h have not been achieved with any current catalyst due to carbon deposition. Zeolite cracking is an alternative path, where zeolites, e.g. HZSM-5, are used as catalysts for the deoxygenation reaction. In these systems hydrogen is not a requirement, so operation is performed at atmospheric pressure. However, extensive carbon deposition results in very short catalyst lifetimes. Furthermore a general restriction in the hydrogen content of the bio-oil results in a low H/C ratio of the oil product as no additional hydrogen is supplied. Overall, oil from zeolite cracking is of a low grade, with heating values approximately 25% lower than that of crude oil. Of the two mentioned routes, HDO appears to have the best potential, as zeolite cracking cannot produce fuels of acceptable grade for the current infrastructure. HDO is evaluated as being a path to fuels in a grade and at a price equivalent to present fossil fuels, but several tasks still have to be addressed within this process. Catalyst development, understanding of the carbon forming mechanisms, understanding of the kinetics, elucidation of sulphur as a source of deactivation, evaluation of the requirement for high pressure, and sustainable sources for hydrogen are all areas which have to be elucidated before commercialisation of the process.

A review of catalytic upgrading of bio-oil to engine fuels

Oxidation of alcohols with molecular oxygen on platinum metal catalysts in aqueous solutions

Titania Silica Mixed Oxides: II. Catalytic Behavior in Olefin Epoxidation

The palladium-catalyzed liquid-phase reaction of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde was investigated in the presence and absence of oxygen by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR−IR) spectroscopy. The 5 wt % Pd/Al2O3 catalyst was fixed in a flow-through ATR−IR cell serving as a continuous-flow reactor. The reaction conditions (cyclohexane solvent, 323 K, 1 bar) were set in the range commonly applied in the heterogeneous catalytic aerobic oxidation of alcohols. The in situ ATR−IR study of the solid−liquid interface revealed a complex reaction network, including dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, decarbonylation of benzaldehyde, oxidation of hydrogen and CO on Pd, and formation of benzoic acid catalyzed by both Pd and Al2O3. Continuous formation of CO and its oxidative removal by air resulted in significant steady-state CO coverage of Pd during oxidation of benzyl alcohol. Unexpectedly, benzoic acid formed already in the early stage of the reaction and adsorbed strongly (irreversibly) on th...

Unraveling the surface reactions during liquid-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol on Pd/Al2O3: An in situ ATR-IR study

On the Role of Oxygen in the Liquid-Phase Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols on Palladium

Propylene epoxidation over a Pd–Pt/TS-1 catalyst with in situ formed hydrogen peroxide was carried out in a fixed bed reactor under high pressure conditions. The continuous operation allowed the study of catalyst deactivation and changes in product distribution with time-on-stream. The initial propylene oxide selectivity was very high, 99% at 3.5% conversion, but the catalyst deactivated rapidly with time-on-stream and successively the formation of methyl formate became the prevalent reaction. Using carbon dioxide, instead of nitrogen, had a beneficial effect on the formation of propylene oxide, and even higher yields were obtained when increasing the pressure from 50 to 120 bar (supercritical fluid phase). Thermal analysis (TA-MS and TA-FTIR) indicated that catalyst regeneration requires oxidation at elevated temperature; washing with an organic solvent is less efficient. The serious catalyst deactivation and the striking shift in the selectivity pattern of the catalyst is traced to competing alcohol oxidation on platinum metal.

Tamas Mallat

Papers

Oxidation of alcohols with molecular oxygen on platinum metal catalysts in aqueous solutions

Titania Silica Mixed Oxides: II. Catalytic Behavior in Olefin Epoxidation

Unraveling the surface reactions during liquid-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol on Pd/Al2O3: An in situ ATR-IR study

On the Role of Oxygen in the Liquid-Phase Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols on Palladium

Continuous epoxidation of propylene with oxygen and hydrogen on a Pd–Pt/TS-1 catalyst