Reactivity of surface alkoxy species on acidic zeolite catalysts

A solid understanding of the mechanisms involved in heterogeneously catalyzed reactions is of fundamental interest for modern chemistry. This information can help to refine modern theories of catalysis and, in a very practical way, can help researchers to optimize existing industrial processes and develop new ones. To understand the mechanisms of heterogeneous catalysis, we need to observe and identify reaction intermediates on a working catalyst. Motivated by this goal, we have monitored the catalytic events in heterogeneous systems using in situ magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR under flow conditions. In this Account, we describe the reactivity and possible intermediate role of surface alkoxy species in a variety of zeolite-catalyzed reactions. First, we isolate the surface alkoxy species on a working zeolite catalyst and then investigate the chemical reactivity with different probe molecules under reaction conditions. Finally, we investigate reaction mechanisms facilitated by these intermediate surface alkoxy species. We examined the reactivity of surface methoxy species (SMS) in terms of C-O bond and C-H bond activation. SMS on acidic zeolite catalysts act as an effective methylating agent when reacted with different probe molecules (including methanol, water, ammonia, alkyl halides, hydrochlorides, aromatics, carbon monoxide, and acetonitrile) through C-O bond activation. At higher reaction temperatures (ca. 523 K and above), the C-H bond activation of SMS may occur. Under these conditions, intermediates such as surface-stabilized carbenes or ylides are probably formed. This C-H bond activation is directly related to the initiation mechanism of the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process and invites further investigation. Based on our experimental results, we also discuss the reactivity and the carbenium-ion-like nature of surface alkoxy species and recent theoretical investigations in this area.