Cerium impregnated H-mordenite as a catalyst for shape-selective isopropylation of naphthalene. Selective deactivation of acid sites on the external surface Original Research Article

The impregnation of cerium is the effective method for the deactivation of external acid sites of H-mordenite. The selectivity of 2,6-DIPN in the isopropylation of naphthalene was enhanced by the impregnation with such a large amount as 30–50 wt.-% of cerium without significant decrease of catalytic activity. The highest selectivity of 2,6-DIPN was achieved up to 70% over a highly dealuminated H-mordenite, (HM(128); SiO2/Al2O3= 128, with 30 wt.-% of cerium. The enhancement of the selectivity is ascribed to the deactivation of external acid sites judging from the activity of the cracking reaction of 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene. The effective pore radius was not reduced by the modification. The ceria is highly dispersed only on the external surface of H-mordenite without any formation of new kinds of acid sites. The 129Xe NMR observation suggfests that cerium is not in the pores, but on the external surfaces. The deactivation of the external acid sites is a characteristic property for cerium. Lanthanum and neodymium inhibited catalytic activity of the isopropylation because the pores were narrowed by their impregnation. A possible reason of the deactivation is ascribed to the amphoteric property of ceria.