Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Supported on High Order Nanoporous Silica and Application for Direct Oxidation of Benzene to Phenol

Nanoporous materials nowadays cover a broad range of economically very important processes related to the upgrading of crude oil and natural gas as well as the profitable production of fine chemicals [1]. All reactions and conversions are based on the acid and redox properties and shape-selective behavior of nanoporous materials. The most common reactions, where nanoporous catalysts are involved, are fluid catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, aliphatic alkylation, isomerisation, oligometisation, transformation of aromatics, alcohols and amines since these reactions can be performed under mild conditions in the liquid phase.The field of porous titanium silicates is one of the fastest developing areas of porous materials [2]. The materials possess remarkable catalytic activity in selective oxidation of organic compounds. Microporous titanium silicates such as zeolites Ti-silicalite-1 and Ti-Beta are extremely efficient catalysts for epoxidation of alkenes in the presence of aqueous H2O2 and tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidants, which is attributed to the unique architecture of titanium centres that are isolated in the silicate framework [3].The dimensions of micropores within zeolitic structures limit the application of these catalysts to catalytic reactions with small molecules. Larger reactants could in principle be processed by using mesoporous titanium silicates such as Ti-MCM-41 or Ti-SBA-15 [4].In the present study, hydroxylation of benzene to phenol with hydrogen peroxide has been carried out using titanium supported on LUS-1 nanopurose silica.Which phenol is an important intermediate for the manufacture of petrochemicals, agrochemicals and plastics which is currently carried out through the Cumene process or toluene oxidation. The economics of this process has a large extent dependent on the marketability of acetone (as a byproduct) [5].In the first step of the study, titanium catalysts containing TiO2 species on high surface area supports of LUS-1 were synthesis and characterized and in second step using of for direct oxidation of benzene to phenol with hydrogen peroxide in the liquid phase