Formation of Carboxylic Acids from Alcohols and Olefins in Zeolite H-ZSM-5 under Mild Conditions via Trapping of Alkyl Carbenium Ions with Carbon Monoxide: Anin Situ13C Solid State NMR Study

Abstract

Usingin situ13C solid state MAS NMR (for some reagents in combination withex situGC-MS), it is shown that butyl alcohols and olefins (ethene, isobutene, octene-1) undergo carbonylation to form carboxylic acids (the Koch reaction) with high conversion on zeolite H-ZSM-5 at 296–373 K. The reactions proceed without application of pressurized conditions, just upon coadsorption of CO and alcohols or CO, H2O, and olefins on zeolite. The observed Koch reaction under mild conditions provides strong evidence for the formation of alkyl carbenium ions from alcohols and olefins on the zeolites as crucial reaction intermediates. Of the family of carbenium ions, CO reacts selectively with tertiary cations to produce tertiary carboxylic acids, unless the carbonylated molecule is too large for more bulky tertiary moieties to be accommodated and carbonylated in the narrow pores of H-ZSM-5. Thus,t-BuOH,i-BuOH, and isobutene produce trimethylacetic acid with high selectivity and conversion, while ethene transforms selectively into 2-methyl-2-ethyl butyric acid. Reaction of octene-1 molecules with CO and H2O results in acids of the C8H17COOH and C16H33COOH families with predominantly linear hydrocarbon chains. The data obtained may open up new possibilities in using solid acids in organic synthesis as carbonylation catalysts under mild conditions, i.e., low temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.