ZSM-5 a Zeolite Heterogeneous Catalyst

Zeolite-based heterogeneous catalysts are used by industrial chemical companies in the interconversion of hydrocarbons and the alkylation of aromatic compounds.

A very good example is the zeolite ZSM-5. This zeolite, developed by Mobil Oil, is an aluminosilicate zeolite with a high silica and low alumininum content. Its structure is based on channels with insecting tunnels. The aluminium sites are very acidic. The substitution of Al³⁺ in place of the tetrahedral Si⁴⁺ silca requires the presence of an added postive charge. When this is H⁺, the acidity of the zeolite is very high. The reaction and catalysis chemistry of the ZSM-5 is due to this acidity.

Three-dimensional structure of ZSM-5:

• JPEG image
• Chime 3-D coordinates,
• VRML polyhedra (single unitcell and multiple unitcell)