A. Sassi, M. Wildman, J. F. Haw
Jul 24, 2002
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0
Influential Citations
59
Citations
Journal
Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Abstract
The reactions of n-butylbenzene, isobutylbenzene, sec-butylbenzene, and tert-butylbenzene on zeolite HBeta (SiO2/Al2O3 = 150) were studied at 350 °C using a pulse reactor with GC-MS analysis of product gases. Similar experiments also probed the reactions of butylbenzene isomers with excesses of methanol-13C. The reactions of tert-butylbenzene were also explored as a function of zeolite acid site density and reactant loading. In the absence of secondary reactions such as oligomerization and cracking, olefin product selectivity is governed by the detailed structure of alkyl side chains; for example, tert- and isobutylbenzene each yielded isobutene, but sec- and n-butylbenzene each gave equilibrium mixtures of 1-butene and cis- and trans-2-butene. The rate of butene elimination from the benzene rings increased with the degree of branching on the carbon α to the aromatic ring as well as the extent of in situ ring methylation by co-fed methanol. In the presence of methanol-13C, isomerization between 2-butene a...