On the nature of surface acid sites of chlorinated activated carbons

Two activated carbons containing different amounts of chlorine were obtained by chlorination of an activated carbon prepared from olive stones. Variations in surface physics and chemistry of the samples were studied by N-2 and CO2 adsorption, mercury porosimetry, TPD, XPS, pH(PZC) measurements, and by testing their behaviour as catalysts in the decomposition reaction of isopropanol. Our results indicate that chlorination of activated carbon increases its Lewis acidity but decreases it Bronsted acidity, which can be explained by the resonance effect introduced into the aromatic rings of graphene layers by the chlorine atoms covalently bound to their edges. This resonance effect could also explain the changes observed in the thermal stability of C-Cl and C-O bonds. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.