Effect of the acid-base properties of Zr,Al-pillared clays on the catalytic performances in the reaction of propylene oxide with methanol

A series of Zr,Al-pillared interlayered clays (Zr,Al-PILCs) have been prepared and characterized by Xray diffraction, elemental analysis, FT-IR and N2-adsorption/desorption analyses, 27Al NMR(MAS), FT-IR spectroscopy using pyridine, PhCN and CDCl3 as probe molecules. It was found that textural and physicochemical properties of Zr,Al-PILCs depend on Zr content in clay. The relationship between the acid-base properties and catalytic performances of Zr,Al-PILCs was revealed in the synthesis of propylene glycol methyl ether from methanol and propylene oxide. The results show that the conversion of propylene oxide and the selectivity to 1-methoxy-2-propanol decrease with increasing the amount of zirconium in Zr,Al-PILCs due to the change in acid-base properties. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.