Molecular motion of benzene, n-hexane, and cyclohexane in potassium zeolite L studied by deuterium NMR

Abstract

The molecular motions of perdeuterated benzene, n-hexane, and cyclohexane sorbed at loading levels of 1 molecule per channel lobe (or, equivalently, per unit cell) in potassium zeolite L have been examined by {sup 2}H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for 100 K {le} T {le} 350 K. Benzene (C{sub 6}D{sub 6}) gives a broad signal with, for T < {approx} 150 K, a quadrupolar splitting of half of the static value, interpreted in terms of rapid reorientation in the molecular plane. This mode of motion is consistent with the location of benzene in capping positions above channel wall site potassium cations observed at 78 K by powder neutron diffraction. For temperatures above {approx} 250 K, a less broad component (interpreted as indicating activated benzene site hopping) develops. Sorbed n-hexane (C{sub 6}H{sub 14}) also shows no evidence for isotropic motion. Two distinct spectral components, associated respectively with the methyl and methylene deuterons, are observed. The magnitudes of the {sup 2}H quadrupolar coupling strengths can be interpreted solely in terms of torsional rotations about the carbon-carbon bonds. The temperature dependence of the {sup 2}H spin-lattice relaxation processes suggests an activation energy of {approx} 2 kcal mol{sup {minus}1} for these C-C bond rotations, consistentmore » with earlier studies of bond rotation in alkanes. Sorbed cyclohexane (C{sub 6}D{sub 12}) shows a transition in the dynamical behavior (on the time scale of the {sup 2}H NMR experiment) in the vicinity of 280 K. Close to 280 K , a narrow signal is observed consistent with effectively isotropic reorientations, but both above and below 280 K there is a significant residual quadrupole interaction. The narrow component decreases rapidly with temperature, becoming unobservable below 230 K.« less