Reaction of butyraldehyde formation from ethylene and ethylene oxide on ZSM-5 surface

A recently discovered surface reaction of ethylene oxide (EO) with ethylene yielding butyraldehyde (BA) was studied on ZSM-5 zeolites with different contents of Al, Na, and Fe in the temperature range of −25 to 100 °C. Products formed on a zeolite as a result of EO and ethylene transformations were extracted from the surface and identified using gas chromatography, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. In addition to BA, the other major reaction products are acetaldehyde and dioxane. Product distribution strongly depends on the composition of the zeolite samples and experimental conditions. Varying of the Al content in the zeolites as well as their temperature pretreatment showed that a key role in the formation of BA play dehydroxylated Al-contained sites. Possible transformations of EO and ethylene on the zeolite were analyzed by quantum-chemical calculations.