Acidity and Mechanism in Reactions Catalyzed By Strong Acid Catalyst, Solid and Liquid

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AbstractCTS-9812704Dan Farcasiu/University of PittsburghProfessor Dan Farcasiu will continue investigation of the catalytic properties and characterization of acid catalysts, particularly solid Lewis acids. In previous research, he has developed a 13C NMR methods (the one-parameter method) for the practical determination of solid acidity (especially of the Broensted type) and he has studied the mechanism of organic reactions of fundamental and industrial importance. The first goal of the present grant is the development of a new method to investigate the properties of solid and liquid acids, particularly of the Lewis type, utilizing 13C NMR of acid-complexed ethers. The second goal is the evaluation of Broensted acidity of solid acids over a wide range of temperature to identify the role of that type of sites in the mechanism of isomerization and cracking of hydrocarbons. The third goal is to study the mechanisms of low-temperature isomerization and cracking of saturated hydrocarbons over zeolites, heteropolyacids, and sulfated zirconia, in comparison with trifluioremethysulfonic acid, a weak superacid. The grant will support the training of graduate students.