Fluoranthene formation over zeolites

Gaseous 1-phenylnaphthalene was allowed to react with two H+ZSM-5 zeolites distinguished by a different acidity. The isomerisation to 2-phenyl naphthalene was the principal reaction observed, but also fragmentation to benzene plus naphthalene and self-condensation to fluoranthene occurred. The yields of all the products were higher when the more acidic zeolite was used. A temperature dependence study showed that, varying the temperature from 390 to 450°C, the yield of fluoranthene increased. By the Arrhenius plots for fluoranthene formation it was concluded that the activation energy of this reaction is independent on the acidity of zeolites.