Abstract
Brønsted acid-catalyzed reactions of α-pinene have been studied because of their ability to produce various types of fragrance molecules. Beyond this application, dimeric hydrocarbon products produced from coupling reactions of α-pinene have been suggested as renewable high-density fuel molecules. In this context, this paper presents the application of a sulfated tin(IV) oxide catalyst for the partial coupling reaction of α-pinene from turpentine. Brønsted acid sites inherent in this solid superacid catalyst calcined at 550 °C successfully catalyzed the reaction, giving the largest yield of dimeric products (49.6%) at 120 °C over a reaction time of 4 h. Given that the low-temperature viscosity of the mentioned dimeric products is too high for their use as a fuel in transportation engines, lowering the viscosity is an important avenue of study. Therefore, our partial coupling reaction of α-pinene provides a possible solution as a considerable amount of the isomers of α-pinene still remained after the reaction, which reduces the low-temperature viscosity. On the basis of a comparison of the reaction products, a plausible mechanism for the reaction involving coinstantaneous isomerization and coupling reaction of α-pinene was elucidated.
Highlights
Turpentine, one of the most widely produced plant-derived secondary metabolites, is a mixture of monoterpenes
This agrees with the results reported by Harvey et al, who suggested blending dimeric products with monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene, thereby resolving the viscosity problem of dimeric products [6]
In accordance with the results presented in previous studies related to sulfated metal exhibits a smooth one because, both surfaces consist of globular nanoparticles, the size of oxides such as SnO
Summary
Turpentine, one of the most widely produced plant-derived secondary metabolites, is a mixture of monoterpenes. Concerns about fossil fuel depletion and environmental destruction urge us to develop alternative energy resources In this regard, turpentine, in which C10 hydrocarbons form major components, has been. A coupling reaction by which C20 hydrocarbons can be synthesized from renewable α-pinene has been devised for ramjet propulsion [6,7,8], but not for conventional jet fuels. This is because the relatively high carbon number of these compared to that of petroleum-derived fuels tremendously increases their low-temperature viscosity, which limits the suitability of using dimeric products alone for transport fuel [9]. No attempt has been made so far to propose a mechanism considering both reactions together
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