Chinese Journal of Magnetic Resonance ›› 2006, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (4): 543-544.

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Dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Science Application of Quantum Chemical Calculation in Predicting NMR Parameters and Acidity of Solid Catalysts

Author: ZHENG An-min Advisor: DENG Feng   

  1. (Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China)
  • Received:1900-01-01 Revised:1900-01-01 Published:2006-12-05 Online:2009-12-05
  • Contact: ZHENG An-min

Abstract: In this dissertation, quantum chemical calculations and NMR experimental methods were combined to study in detail the acidities of zeolite H-MCM-22 and commercialized catalyst BF3/γ-Al2O3. In addition, a new computational scheme ONIOM-GIAO was applied to calculate the NMR parameters of large systems. 
(1) We applied the new embedding NMR calculational method ONIOM-GIAO to accurately predict 13C NMR chemical shifts of amino acids as well as a series of organic species absorbed on zeolites. Since the effects of framework nvironments around the part interested or active center have been taken into account by the ONIOM method, the 13C chemical shifts predicted by the ONIOM-GIAO are in well agreement with the NMR experimental values.
(2) The distribution of Brǒnsted acidic protons and their acid strengths in zeolite H-MCM-22 have been characterized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations as well as probe molecule magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiments. Our theoretical and experimental results may partially explain the special selectivity of acid-catalyzed reactions occurring inside the channels of H-MCM-22 zeolite.
(3) Based on the multinuclear solid-state NMR results, DFT calculations have revealed the detailed structures of various acid sites formed on the BF3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. The detailed mechanism of interaction between the BF3 and γAl2O3 surface as well as the newly formed Brǒnsted and Lewis acid structures were proposed. The DFT computational results are well consistent with the NMR observations.
(4) Our theoretical calculations have revealed a new solvent-assisted proton transfer effect in zeolite catalysis. We found that when isopropanol was coadsorbed with the naphthalene molecule in the channels of zeolite mordenite, acid strength of the Brǒnsted acidic proton of the zeolite has been considerably increased, leading to the protonation of adsorbed isopropanol molecule. The big conjugate system of naphthalene molecule is likely to stabilize the resultant isopropanol carbenium cations by dispersing the charges around them.

Key words: Solid acids, Zeolites, Solid state NMR, Acid sties, Solvent -induced effect, Quantum chemical calculation, ONIOM