Coupling of Methanol and Carbon Monoxide over H-ZSM-5 to Form Aromatics

The conversion of methanol into aromatics over unmodified H-ZSM-5 zeolite is generally not high because the hydrogen transfer reaction results in alkane formation. Now circa 80% aromatics selectivity for the coupling reaction of methanol and carbon monoxide over H-ZSM-5 is reported. Carbonyl compounds and methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-ones (MCPOs), which were detected in the products and catalysts, respectively, are considered as intermediates. The latter species can be synthesized from the former species and olefins. C-13 isotope tracing and C-13 liquid-state NMR results confirmed that the carbon atoms of CO molecules were incorporated into MCPOs and aromatic rings. A new aromatization mechanism that involves the formation of the above intermediates and co-occurs with a dramatically decreased hydrogen transfer reaction is proposed. A portion of the carbons in CO molecules are incorporated into aromatic, which is of great significance for industrial applications.