Study on the mechanism of catalytic synthesis of dimethyldichlorosilane by AlCl3/MIL‐53(Al)@γ‐Al2O3

Abstract

Dimethyldichlorosilane, one of the most consumed organosilicon monomers in the industry, can be prepared in a highly efficient and environmentally friendly synthesis method of disproportionating methylchlorosilanes. However, the internal mechanism of the reaction remains unclear. In this paper, the mechanism catalyzed by AlCl3/MIL‐53(Al) and AlCl3/MIL‐53(Al)@γ‐Al2O3 catalysts was calculated at B3LYP/6‐311++G(3df, 2pd) level by using the density functional theory (DFT). The results showed that although the two catalysts had similar active structures, the catalytic effects were significantly different. The Lewis acid center on the surface of γ‐Al2O3 in the core‐shell catalyst is complementary to the classic Lewis acid AlCl3 through the spatial superposition effect, which greatly improves the Lewis acid catalytic activity of AlCl3/MIL‐53(Al)@γ‐Al2O3.