Catalytic performance of boron and aluminium incorporated ZSM-5 zeolites for isomerization of styrene oxide to phenylacetaldehyde

A series of boron and aluminium incorporated ZSM-5 catalysts were synthesized to study the performance of styrene oxide isomerized to phenylacetaldehyde. The physicochemical properties were characterized by a combination of nitrogen adsorption, in situ IR, XRD, SEM, NMR (Al-27, Si-29, B-11), NH3-TPD and TG-DTA. The weak acidity of B containing ZSM-5 zeolites is sufficient to facilitate the reaction at high initial conversion and selectivity, but the stability of the catalysts relies heavily on the concentration of weak acid sites and the properties of strong acid sites. It is implied that the incorporation of B into Al-ZSM-5 influences the distribution of Al in the framework and has promoting effect on the stability of the catalysts. 1,3,5-Triphenylbenzene was not detected with increased concentration of weak acids, indicating that the weak acid sites will not lead to its formation. BAlZ-2 shows the best performance at 300 degrees C without deactivation after 120 h on stream. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.