Decaline conversion on mordenite

Abstract

The spectrum of gaseous products of the decaline conversion at 450°C on H-mordenite with propane and isobutane as main products is a typical one for a catalytic cracking reaction of, for instance, C 5- or C 6-alkanes. Therefore, it is concluded that in the first step decaline is fragmented under formation of acyclic species and in the second step these species are converted to typical cracking products. An increse in temperature to 550°C results in a strongly favored formation of propene and methyl pentene at the expense of paraffins. In accordance with the catalytic behavior of mordenite in hexane conversion, the product spectrum of the decaline conversion also is dominated by the carbenium ion mechanism because of the presence of the Brönsted acid OH groups. In contrast, on SiO 2, even at low temperatures, the favored formation of methane and ethene is a clear indicator for the predominance of the radical mechanism because of the lack of suitable Brönsted acid sites.