Acetone transformation into methyl isobutyl ketone over Pt/HMFI catalysts.: IV.: Effect of density and strength of the acidic sites

Acetone transformation into methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) was studied using a fixed-bed dynamic reactor at 160 degrees C, 1 atm pressure and acetone/H-2 molar ratio=3. The reaction was carried out over Pt/HMFI bifunctional catalysts, with 0.30 wt% of platinum which was supported over three aluminosilicates (Si/Al ratio=40, 95 and 160) and a borosilicate (Si/B ratio=44) with similar dispersion. The results show that catalytic properties depend greatly on density and strength of the acidic sites of the catalysts. Moreover, the limiting step of the MIBK synthesis reaction (aldolization of two acetone molecules) is carried out over the acidic sites of the aluminosilicates, but not over those of the borosilicate, which considerably affects reaction selectivity.