MoO3/SiO2 catalysts for double bond migration of 2-butene

The objective of the present study is to investigate the performance of MoO3/SiO2 as a catalyst for double bond migration from 2-butene to 1-butene. The effects of MoO3 addition on catalytic properties over SiO2 were analyzed through BET surface area, XRD, ammonia-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) and FT-IR of adsorbed pyridine. The highest activity of the 10% MoO3/SiO2 catalyst in double bond migration of 2-butene can be explained by the highest number of the weak acid sites. Based on the NH3 TPD and the FT-IR of pyridine adsorption results, the increase in the overall number of acid sites can be ascribed to an increase in the number of Lewis sites by the addition of MoO3.